The latest major US airline snafu does not involve any of Elon Musk’s DOGE staffing cuts, but instead just some United Airlines pilot forgetting their passport, forcing an emergency landing at SFO.
There’s no question that Elon Musk’s DOGE budget cuts are affecting air traffic controllers ability to do their jobs, and endangering airline safety. But you can’t blame Elon for this one. The Chronicle reports that a United Airlines plane from Los Angeles bound for Shanghai was abruptly diverted to SFO on Saturday, but only because the pilot forgot their passport.
“On Saturday, United flight 198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai landed at San Francisco International Airport as the pilot did not have their passport onboard,” a United Airlines spokesperson admitted in a statement. “We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”
The plane reportedly pulled its emergency SFO landing at around 5 pm Saturday, and left with a new crew at 8:28 Saturday night. According to the flight-tracking service FlightAware, the plane ultimately reached Shanghai on Monday morning local time, “6 hours 13 minutes late.”
One Reddit user claimed to have been on that plane and described their experience (it’s the second comment down). “This is how United described it,” the person said. “‘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.’”
But as the airline blog View From the Wing points out, “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.”
Related: Toilet Overflows Into Cabin In Latest United Airlines Disaster on SFO-Bound Boeing Jet [SFist]
Image: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 4: An United Airlines Boeing 737-924 aircraft approaches San Diego International Airport on March 4, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
