This may be an urban myth ...
Not an urban myth, though not quite as described by the previous poster either.
It was an American college student returning from a holiday in Europe in 1985. He flew LHR-LAX on Air New Zealand and was meant to take a connecting flight to OAK, but due to a mix-up ended up with the rest of the ANZ transit passengers reboarding the original aircraft for the onward flight to AKL.
His ensuing 15 minutes of fame included an appearance on the Johnny Carson Show, recounting his adventure.