On September 19, as an Emirates flight was about to fly from San Francisco to Dubai, passengers in the cabin suddenly heard the news that US President Trump had decided to charge a US$100,000 application fee for H-1B visas.
Cabin video circulating on social media showed passengers' confusion quickly turning into chaos. As flight EK226 was about to depart for Dubai International Airport (a 15-hour flight), passengers stood up and paced back and forth in the aisles, checking their phones and asking flight attendants to allow them to leave the Airbus A380.
While passengers are not normally allowed to disembark once the cabin door is closed, the Emirates captain announced over the radio: "Given the current circumstances, which are obviously unprecedented for us at Emirates, we understand that some passengers do not want to continue on this flight, which is completely acceptable."
The video shows the captain saying over the PA system, "Our only request is that if you wish to disembark on your own, please do so now."
Trump's sudden increase in H-1B visa application fees has caused panic and uneasiness among holders of this visa.More than 70% of the visa holders are Indians, many of whom are employed through Indian IT companies.
The Trump administration described the move as part of a broader plan to strengthen legitimate applications while stamping out abuses. But the lack of clarity in the new rules has prompted Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet Inc. Tech companies, some of the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B program, initially warned employees to avoid traveling abroad.
It's unclear how many, if any, people ended up leaving the plane. However, according to data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, chaos in the cabin before takeoff caused serious delays in the flight. In the end, the plane was delayed for three hours and 40 minutes before flying to Dubai.