United Airlines makes bold offer after Florida airport name change

After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pushed for and ultimately signed legislation for the renaming, the full name of Palm Beach International Airport was officially changed to President Donald J. Trump International Airport at the start of July, PBS reported.

Signage donning the current president’s name was put up immediately, and the airport code used for booking and ticketing will change from PBI to DJT in August 2026.

Given both the far-right politics of the Trump administration and the fact that airports are not traditionally named after living presidents, the move proved immediately controversial.

Several protests have taken place along the highway leading up to the airport that serves the area where Trump has his Mar-A-Lago estate. The airport also received hundreds of emails and letters from travelers vowing not to fly through it again, Raw Story confirmed.

United Airlines will refund travelers who would rather not fly from Trump Airport

Amid large numbers of travelers choosing to boycott the airport, United Airlines is reportedly allowing travelers who already have booked flights to or from Palm Beach International to change or refund their booking, even if their fare class would otherwise not allow for it.

As first reported by aviation website Live And Let’s Fly, reservation agents have been instructed to allow travelers to switch their flight to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or Miami International (MIA). Both are within an hour’s drive from the smaller regional airport, which serves the small city popular with working professionals, as well as the Palm Beach community, the adjacent island where many ultra-wealthy residents have winter homes.

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“If a customer does not want to fly to the airport, use your empowerment to offer acceptable alternatives such as Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) or Miami International Airport (MIA),” a memo with instructions for how agents should respond to customers who do not want to fly through PBI reads.

The guidance also provides a suggestion of a verbal response to travelers: “I understand that you’d rather not fly to this airport anymore. We can look at nearby airports like Fort Lauderdale or Miami instead. Is that an acceptable alternative?”

After the story of the internal memo broke, United retreated somewhat by confirming that it had been offering this type of guidance to its agents, but saying the message was portrayed as “poorly worded and not accurate.”

Scott Kirby has led United Airlines since May 2020. / TheStreet

United: Policy “does not allow for changes because of an airport’s name”

“United customers are able to make changes to a ticket without a fee for many reasons,” a United spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. “However, our policy doesn’t allow for changes because of an airport’s name or three letter code.”

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Changes of airport when a fare class would otherwise not allow them are generally subject to availability and the airline’s discretion. As a result, the airline could offer travelers a courtesy when there are extra seats on an alternative flight or refuse by leaning into its policy.

The guidance also said the conversation should be presented as an even exchange between the passenger and the agent, with the agent trying to find an acceptable alternative rather than forcing the issue of needing to fly out of PBI.

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