San Francisco Airport saw an unusual bit of in-cabin drama this past weekend, and for once, it had nothing to do with seat recline wars or forgotten duty-free bags. An Emirates A380, all set to depart for Dubai, ended up sitting on the tarmac for nearly three hours more than its scheduled departure time because several Indian passengers decided they’d rather not fly after all. The culprit? Washington’s latest H-1B visa curveball.
As news trickled in that President Trump had signed off on a USD 100,000 fee for H-1B visas, with a TV appearance by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick notifying that this was an annual payment, even for existing visa holders, people found themselves in a tizzy.
Passengers who had already boarded suddenly wanted off. They were worried: Would they be allowed back into the U.S.? Was this fee annual? Would their employer pick up the tab, or was this the world’s most expensive “welcome home” charge?
When Policy Meets Passenger Panic
On Friday, September 19, 2025, when the Proclamation was issued, it stated that it was effective from 0001 Hours Eastern Time on September 21, 2025. There was massive confusion about the implementation. Several open ends existed, such as whether this would be an annual fee or a one-time fee. Can individuals with existing H-1B visas leave the United States and re-enter? When would this fee be due?
There was chaos and confusion as, without the completely clarified information, both employers and employees were acting out of abundant caution. Tech companies were emailing their workers, warning them not to travel abroad out of fear of not being able to re-enter the country.
OFFICIAL EMAIL FROM MICROSOFT pic.twitter.com/dPJHknPOdY
— ADHIRA (@Adhira_9999) September 20, 2025
As you can see, this was confusing for passengers on EK226, which was scheduled for departure from San Francisco to Dubai. Many of them decided to disembark the plane, out of an abundance of caution.
Here is what the Captain of the flight had to say,
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the captain speaking. Due to the current circumstances, obviously they’re unprecedented for us at Emirates, we are aware that a number of passengers do not wish to travel with us, and that’s perfectly fine. All we ask is that if you wish to offload yourself…
To be clear, the fine print (which nobody on the aircraft had time to interpret correctly) states that this fee applies only to new H-1B applicants, not to individuals who already have valid visas or renewals in process.
To be clear:
1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.
2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.
H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 20, 2025
Airline staff were then faced with the logistical headache of offloading passengers, retrieving their bags from the belly of the A380, redoing the paperwork, and keeping the rest of the passengers calm. If you thought waiting for one lost suitcase could delay a flight, try removing twenty.
In the end, the flight did depart, albeit three hours late, proving once again that aviation is as much about human drama as it is about engines and airspace.
Bottomline
EK226, operated by an Emirates Airbus A380, departed San Francisco on Friday with a delay of over three hours, as passengers scrambled to figure out how Trump’s new H-1B visa proclamation would impact their lives. Various corporations sent emails discouraging their H-1B employees from travelling abroad, although the full scope of the policy was not yet known.
What do you make of this Emirates delay?
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