United Flight Changes Aircraft & Diverts Twice Flying Los Angeles To New York

Published Aug 28, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT Prachi is a London-based journalist with extensive experience in the aviation industry. She has worked for several leading industry publications, covering a broad range of topics. Her expertise lies in aircraft maintenance, emerging technologies, and advanced air mobility. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Journalism, focusing on data journalism and its potential to transform conventional aviation reporting. On Thursday, August 27, United Airlines Flight 1403, flying from Los Angeles to Newark, was forced to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas, Nevada, after the crew reported an engine issue. The aircraft landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), where passengers faced hours of disruption while United arranged a replacement aircraft. The flight eventually continued towards New Jersey, but the journey was far from over. After departing Las Vegas on the replacement aircraft, the flight was diverted for a second time. United has not publicly stated what prompted the last diversion, although passengers on board have suggested on social media that weather may have been a factor. Engine Issue Forces First Flight 1403 Diversion The aircraft, a Boeing 757-200 registered N34131, was operating a flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), carrying 176 passengers and seven crew members. The flight usually departs Los Angeles at 6:00 AM local time and arrives in Newark at around 2:29 PM. According to Flightradar24 data, on Thursday, Flight 1403 departed at 6:21 AM and ran into problems while climbing through FL320 after leaving Los Angeles. The crew stopped the climb and initiated a descent and diversion towards Las Vegas after encountering problems with the aircraft's left-hand Rolls-Royce RB211 engine. The Boeing 757 landed safely on Runway 26R at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) around 25 minutes later and vacated the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the incident. Simple Flying has reached out to the FAA and United for further details on the engine issue and will update this article accordingly. Replacement Aircraft Diverts To Cleveland Credit: Shutterstock Passengers were left waiting for hours in Las Vegas before United could arrange another aircraft to take them to Newark. The replacement 757-200, registered N13113, eventually departed Las Vegas at 3:53 PM local time. The flight then continued east towards Newark, but another disruption was waiting further along the route. While the aircraft was over Pennsylvania, it went into a holding pattern and then diverted to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) in Ohio. The aircraft landed in Cleveland at around 11:30 PM local time and finally made it to the gate at approximately 12:30 AM on August 28. The diversion was due to severe weather. Severe weather on Thursday caused difficulties across the Tri-State Area; Newark operations were particularly affected. In fact, the FAA temporarily halted some flights departing for Newark, and at one point, affected flights were facing average delays of more than four hours. United reported 158 cancellations on Thursday, as per FlightAware data. The disruption continued into Friday, leaving passengers from Flight 1403 stranded in Cleveland. One passenger wrote on social media, “We have been stranded in Cleveland. 16.5 hours LA to Cleveland. Next flight to Newark 12 hours later! 1pm Saturday.” The same UA1403 service was also canceled on Friday, August 28, according to Flightradar24. United Has Faced Several Recent Diversions Credit: Shutterstock United has faced several weather-related diversions in recent weeks. Just a few days ago, severe weather led the FAA to impose a temporary halt on operations at Denver International Airport, affecting airlines including United and leaving passengers facing hours of delays. Last month, United passengers traveling from Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) also faced a lengthy disruption after their transatlantic flight was diverted to Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, due to stormy weather. Passengers were held onboard the Boeing 757 for around four hours while preparations were made to continue the journey to Chicago. The disruption continued after the aircraft was taxiing for departure, when the crew reached its duty limit. Passengers were then reportedly left waiting on the tarmac for around five hours because customs officers were unavailable to process them.