United Airlines has clarified its ticket exchange policy after an internal memo claimed that passengers who didn’t want to fly to the newly-named President Donald J. Trump International Airport could change to a nearby hub for free.
Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport was officially renamed after the president last week, becoming the latest infrastructure to be adorned with Trump’s name. But the move apparently hasn’t gone down well with some passengers.
An internal United memo, obtained by aviation outlet Live and Let’s Fly, appeared to suggest that the airline was permitting reservation agents to offer passengers flexibility if they did not wish to fly into the Trump airport. The outlet reported agents were also “instructed to process the change as an even exchange.”
“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 internal memo, which The Independent has not independently reviewed, said.
United said the internal message was “poorly worded and not accurate” when asked for comment by The Independent.
“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,” the airline clarified in an email.
The airport’s code will remain PBI until August 18, after which it will change to DJT, the airport posted on social media July 13. “Until that date, passengers should continue using PBI or searching “West Palm Beach” for all flight bookings, reservations, check-ins and baggage tracking,” the airport said.
The airport further clarified that all airline operations, routes, schedules and customer services “are unaffected” by the name change and “all airport functions continue as normal.”
“Our name is changing, but our focus stays on you,” the airport said in response to travelers who “may have concerns” about the facility’s new name.
“We remain completely dedicated to serving every passenger with the same high-quality travel experience you expect from us,” the airport said.
Still, the post did not appear to satisfy all of the 200 comments it received on Instagram.
“Good thing FLL and MIA are alternatives!” one person wrote, referring to Fort Lauderdale Airport and Miami International Airport.
“See this is why I’ll fly into fll you do realize this is gross,” another said.
“I’m flyin into Miami and taking an Uber bruh,” someone else posted.
Not all of the comments were negative, with some welcoming the change and praising the airport’s communication.
The airport was flooded with angry comments about the change when the plans were unveiled earlier this year. Travelers bombarded the website comments log, obtained by NOTUS through a Florida Public Records Act request.
Most of the Trump-related comments the airport received between March and May were critical or in opposition to the move, with some passengers vowing not to travel via the airport again, according to the outlet’s analysis of the submissions.
The Trump Organization previously said the president and his family “will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming.”
