You joke, of course, but if any of those passengers weren't US citizens, they've ended up in the US without a passport stamp and will look like illegal immigrants at later immigration checks.
Yeah, these kind of mistakes can make sure you're never able to reenter USA again. And the US embassy / border agents won't care one bit about who messed up - there's no complaint or due process there, you're just cattle.
Apparently they use passenger manifests to match things up, and the airline will ask for proof you’re in the US legally if you’re from a country without a visa waiver.
But if you've ever been an immigrant to the US, you realize the I-94 system isnt always accurate, even if you were admitted by USCBP.
You can look up your own I-94 record online and if there is an error (say you're on an H1-B and an entry record is missing) it’s in your best interest to get it fixed or else your file will be flagged and you may have issues entering the US in the future.
I vaguely recall some Reddit post where someone received a 10 year ban from the US because there was no record of their departure, even though they stayed only 5 days. Basically their ESTA was rejected so they made a visa appointment and got the issue corrected.
