Saturday’s United Airlines flight 198 to was forced divert to San Francisco because a pilot forgot to bring his passport on the trip. Passengers received $15 meal vouchers when they landed in San Francisco. Here’s the message that the airline sent to passengers:
UA198 SFO-PVG: Your flight diverted to San Francisco due to an unexpected crew-related issue requiring a new crew. Once they arrive, we’ll get you back on your way to Shanghai as soon as possible. We sincerely apologize for this disruption and appreciate your patience.
United Airlines San Francisco
Ok, mistakes happen. But the same thing happened to another United flight to Shanghai last week, too! In that case they caught it prior to takeoff. The flight delayed several hours while they brought in a new pilot to operate the aircraft.
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byu/squidllllles from discussion
inunitedairlines
When you board an international flight, gate agents check your passport along with your boarding pass before letting you on the plane. Clearly they should be doing this to crew, too.
United Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Business Class
The cost to divert a widebody aircraft is tremendous. Aside from the inconvenience to all of the passengers on board, you’ve got crew costs and extra fuel. Presumably the pilot had to dump fuel prior to landing in Los Angeles. And the return flight is going to be delayed, as well. It’s the airline and passengers who absorb the cost of the mistake, not the pilot (except for the ribbing the pilot receives from colleagues and United pilots have long memories).