Flying, while it may scare many, really has little to worry about. Wild weather, mechanical failure or whatever else that can cause problems are occurrences around which pilots train day after day for years to be able to avoid and manage, making air travel one of the safest ways of getting around.
However, United Airlines flight UA198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai was forced to turn around following a glaring error from the pilot – they forgot their passport at home.
Yes, even the pilots and flight crew have to pass through the security checks at their destinations in order to get out into the big wide world. Without their proper documentation, like passengers, they won’t get through.
‘Unexpected crew-related issue’ turns out to be a forgotten passport
So when the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was forced to turn around just two hours into its 6,485-mile trip, passengers were stumped as to what had happened: it turns out it was the simplest of all the mistakes possible by the most experienced member of the crew.
“Your flight diverted to San Francisco” sounded the message, “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.”
The plane landed on the west coast and the passengers, who were given a measly $15 meal voucher, were forced to endure a long wait until a new crew was made available. Nearly 6 hours behind schedule, the aircraft took off once again.
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Ben Schlappig, who runs One Mile At A Time, called it an “embarrassing and costly mistake”, adding that “this incident caused at least three hours of extra fuel burn and United needed to pay for two full crews (since the entire crew had to be swapped), not to mention the inconvenience for passengers travelling in both directions, since the return flight had to be delayed as well.”
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