Passengers Onboard Infamous United Airlines Flight That Diverted After Pilot Forgot His Passport Offered Just $175 in Compensation

Passengers who were on a United Airlines flight to Shanghai that was forced to divert after one of the pilots accidentally left their passport at home have reportedly been offered just $175 in future travel credit as compensation for the debacle.

The now infamous incident occurred last Saturday when United flight UA198 suddenly turned around just two hours after takeoff from Los Angeles for what should have been a 14-hour flight to Shanghai.

Instead, the passengers found themselves stranded in San Franciso where the pilots decided to divert to after desperate attempts to locate the errant passport proved fruitless.

Once on the ground, the passengers had to deplane into the terminal while United scrambled to locate a new set of pilots and flight attendants to fly them to Shanghai… Presumably, after they had double-checked that they were all in possession of the correct travel documents.

Initially, it was reported that the passengers were offered just $15 in the form of a food voucher to see them through the lengthy voucher, although it’s emerged that as the delay dragged on, the passengers were given a total of $80 in refreshment vouchers.

The airline has now reached out to the passengers impacted by the diversion and delay and offered compensation for the inconvenience in the form of a $175 voucher that can be used for future travel with United.

One of the affected passengers suggested, however, that United was low-balling the compensation offer, saying it “doesn’t seem just given the circumstances.”

But responding to the complaint on social media, people were quick to point out that United doesn’t actually have to offer the affected any compensation over and above the refreshment vouchers.

Late last year, the outgoing Biden administration started a review into compensation rules for airline passengers impacted by significant delays and cancellations within the control of airlines with plans to adopt similar schemes that exist in Europe and Canada.

Under Europe’s long-established EC261 regulations, passengers can claim cash compensation of up to €600 (US $631) if their flight is delayed arriving at its intended destination by more than three hours.

Airlines can only deny a compensation claim if it proves that the delay was the result of ‘exceptional circumstances.’ For example, severe weather or an act of terrorism would be considered an ‘exceptional circumstance’, whereas a maintenance issue or crewing issue would still attract compensation.

The courts have been tasked with dealing with specific incidents in an attempt to define what is and isn’t an exceptional circumstance, and they have generally found that airlines are responsible for their pilots and flight attendants.

In other words, if a similar incident occurred on a European carrier, it’s unlikely that an airline could convince the courts that it can’t be held responsible for a pilot forgetting their passport… therefore, compensation would be payable.

Unsurprisingly, however, the US airline industry has called on the Trump administration to dump the review into passenger compensation rules, arguing that schemes like EC261 only increase ticket prices without improving customer service or reducing delays.

At present, no major US airline offers cash compensation to passengers inconvenienced by a lengthy delay or cancellation, although you do occasionally see carrier’s proactively offer discretionary compensation following specific incidents.

Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines offered a discretionary compensation payment of $50 to passengers who were stuck onboard one of its plane when a woman stripped naked and started running up and down the aisle.

In an email sent to passengers onboard Southwest flight WN-733 at Phoenix Sky Harbor on March 3, the airline apologized, saying: “I know circumstances onboard became uncomfortable, especially for passengers in the immediate vicinity of the situation themselves.”

The email continued: “There is nothing we value more than the safety and security of our customers and employees, and I hope you will accept my sincere apology for the overall experience.”