United Airlines Backs Off From Allowing Free Ticket Changes for Customers Wanting To Avoid Trump Airport

United Airlines is backing away from an internal memo that gave reservation agents flexibility to accommodate customers who don’t want to fly into the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport at West Palm Beach, Florida.The travel blog Live and Let’s Fly obtained the airline memo that stated: “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).”The memo also suggested a response to customers who objected to the new name of the former Palm Beach International Airport: “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?”The ticket agents were told to process the ticketing change without charging the fee the airline normally levies when fliers change their itinerary.United’s media relations team called the memo “poorly worded and not accurate.”In a statement to the Sun, the airline said, “United customers are able to make changes to a ticket without a fee for many reasons. However, our policy doesn’t allow for changes because of an airport’s name or three letter code.”United is currently offering “air quality flexibility” travel waivers for passengers headed to more than a dozen airports due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, but President Donald J. Trump International is not among them.The airport, owned by Palm Beach County, was required to adopt the new name as of July 9 after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in March that gives the state the authority to name major commercial airports in the state.State officials wanted the name change to honor the president, whose Mar-a-Lago estate is just a few miles from the airport.The county had to enter into a naming rights and license agreement related to the use of the new airport name after the Trump Organization trademarked Donald J. Trump International Airport. The airport’s identifier code will change to DJT effective August 18. County leaders estimate that the name change will cost approximately $5.5 million including updating signage, branding, and technology systems. The state is providing $2.75 million and the county needs to come up with the rest of the money through its operating budget and capital improvement program.Customers had flooded the airport’s online contact form with complaints about the name change. Some customers vowed to boycott the airport.Several presidents — including Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and Gerald Ford — have airports named in their honor but President Trump is the first to have it done while he is still in office.

United Airlines Backs Off From Allowing Free Ticket Changes for Customers Wanting To Avoid Trump Airport

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