L.A.-China flight diverted, delayed for hours after pilot forgets passport

Possessing valid documentation is the second item on the State Department’s checklist for U.S. tourists traveling internationally.

It’s required for pilots, too, as an estimated 257 passengers found out the hard way last weekend.

United Airlines Flight 198 left Los Angeles International Airport at 1:47 p.m. Saturday for a roughly 14-hour journey to Shanghai, China. However, the plane was instead diverted to San Francisco as the pilot “did not have their passport onboard,” according to an airline spokesperson.

The plane landed in the City by the Bay at 5:05 p.m.

The plane was delayed more than 3 hours before taking off.

The United spokesperson said the airline arranged for a new crew to fly passengers out. The new 13-member crew was installed and the flight took off at 8:28 p.m., landing at 12:48 a.m. local time on Monday.

Passengers were provided meal vouchers and undisclosed compensation for their delay, the spokesperson said.

Reddit users who said they were on the flight said they were given $15 meal vouchers and were told the plane was diverted due to “unexpected crew-related issues.”

United did not respond to questions regarding what would have happened had the pilot landed in China without a passport or if there are any measures in place to verify crew paperwork prior to departure.