A United Airlines Boeing 787 pilot’s carelessness forced his Shanghai-bound flight from Los Angeles to turn around two hours into the journey. The pilot had taken off without his passport, according to a statement to CNN. Flight 198 took off from Los Angeles at 2:00 pm Saturday, only to land in San Francisco about 5:00 pm where a new crew took over to bring the passengers to their destination, albeit six hours behind schedule.
Sending the passport on a later flight, possibly with another carrier, might have been the better option. It would inconvenience the pilot and perhaps a few who were involved in the transfer, but would have been much better for the passengers. That’s my quick and simplistic response without knowledge of the whole situation. I’m good at those…
Having flown to China many times, I know the Chinese do not take this lightly. The pilot would most likely have been detained (not jailed, detained) and probably put on a flight back to the US after whatever period of time the Chinese felt appropriate. Should this have happened the return flight he would have crewed would be either cancelled or delayed until a replacement could be flown in, which likely would take another day, and then require the new pilot to have appropriate crew rest. With this possibility in mind, the six or so hour delay was the better choice.
A question to those of you who fly long-haul international flights, would the decision to return to L.A. have been discussed with flight ops before turning around? The cost implications are pretty high. If not, I think I would have arrived at destination and acted surprise and shock that it wasn’t in your kit.
Better to get the airplane and passengers to their destination and perhaps be detained by the authorities than create a mess for hundreds of people and the employer.
I agree with previous comment about China. Working crews have a different visa and they are strict. I once flew a trip to Shanghai with a deadhead back the next day and tried to leave on my own on return flight that day but since I couldn’t be on crew doc legally I couldn’t leave using my visa. Most any other country wouldn’t have been as big an issue.
I’m curious, what all would have happened had the pilot actually landed before realizing his passport had been forgotten?
Ummm…Chinese water torture? Sitting for a reading of the entire collected works of Chairman Mao? A mandatory meal of the Chinese equivalent of Klingon Gagh?
(Q) A Good “$64,000 Question?” (A) NOTHING much would’ve happened if the US OPS dummies at UAL would’ve called their destination station who inturn could have explained the situation to customs and the destination US Embassy/Consulate. Maybe a fine, and maybe not? UAL could always take the custom’s fine out of the captains pay, Easy-Peasy, since we captains make so much money (per/minute!) we would not even miss it. This was an outrageous issue of flight safety on UAL! How stupid is it to RTB your international plane, full of 100’s of passengers, to get back into a crowed ATC flow when you’re already on your way over the pond. The pilot union should have raised this formally as a safety complaint to the FAA and UAL leadership. Also, UAL to apologize to the employees for unnecessary costs to them and the company, and to apologize to shareholders for this stupid PR debacle and the unbelievable disruption of their so-called “valued customers.” If I were a businessman or a vacationer, I would demand and/or sue UAL to pay for all associated cost of something this dumb. The lawyers would be salivating. And, as a shareholder I would demand that more than one head should roll in UAL leadership.“Stupid Is As Stupid Does” Forrest Gump.