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4Chan users raising US-India airfares amid Trump's H-1B rule change? What to know about 'Operation Clog the Toilet'
President Donald Trump overhauled the H-1B fee system via an executive order on Friday, after which there was a reported spike in airfares.
US-India airfares have reportedly soared after President Donald Trump's proclamation which overhauled the H-1B visa fee system. Amid this, 4Chan users have united to try and pump up ticket prices.
As per the new guidelines, H1-B holders have been asked to reach the US before 12:01 a.m. EDT (9:31 a.m. IST) on September 21. After that, no H-1B worker will be allowed to enter unless the sponsoring firm pays the $100,000 charge. Indians account for the largest section of H-1B holders.
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Now White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has clarified on X, “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.” However, by then, there were many H-1B holders who were scrambling to return before the perceived deadline.
Within two hours of Trump's statement, the cost of a one-way ticket from New Delhi to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York increased from about $420 ( ₹37,000) to $794-908 ( ₹70,000–80,000).
Amid this, users on 4Chan, an anonymous message sharing platform, shared that they made a concerted effort to try and pump up airfares to inconvenience Indians who tried to make it back to the US before the 21st, fearing that they'd have to pay $100,000 for re-entry, otherwise.
Those on the anonymous imageboard website called this effort ‘Operation Clog the Toilet’.
What 4Chan users tried to do
The post by a user on 4Chan read: “Indians are just waking up after the H1B news. Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system!”
It went on to detail that one had to go to Google Flights and search for common India-US flights. Then, they'd have to initiate the checkout process, not actually buy tickets.
The post detailed that during this process, the airline would hold the seat for about 15 minutes, locking out actual potential passengers. “Don't checkout. Leave window open for full 15 minutes,” the post advises, then asking people to repeat the process.
One 4Chan user shared a list of ‘Top 25 Highest Traffic India-US Flights’. A profile on X shared more responses from 4Chan users who went through with it. “I got 100 seats locked,” said a person.
While current H-1B holders don't have to worry about the $100,000 fee upon re-entry to the US, companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and JP Morgan have instructed their H-1B workers to remain in the US, or to return right away.
