United Airlines is apparently waffling over its reported plan to allow free airport location switches for passengers furious about the just-renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach.
An internal memo was circulated on Thursday among United employees, telling reservation agents that they could offer without charge “acceptable alternatives” to the formerly named Palm Beach International Airport, such as to Fort Lauderdale or Miami, to travelers who wanted to avoid the Trump airport, reported travel blog Live and Let’s Fly.
“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 read.
It also offered reservation agents some sample language to use when discussing the issue with a customer: “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?”
While the airline didn’t deny the message was authentic, a spokesperson insisted to The Hill that it was “poorly worded” and not actually accurate.
It’s true “United customers are able to make changes to a ticket without a fee for many reasons,” the airline said in a statement. “However, our policy doesn’t allow for changes because of an airport’s name or three-letter code.”
The name change became official earlier this month after Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in March authorizing it. It’s just miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf resort. The switch-up is costing $5.5 million, with the state and the airport each footing half the bill.
The airport has added a new notice to its contact forms promising that in the wake of the facility’s name change, “passengers will continue to receive the same professional, reliable service during the transition.”
The three-letter airport identifier will change in mid-August from PBI to Trump’s initials: DJT.
Trump critics on social media are furious about the change, but many are also looking forward to airline tickets involving travel from Palm Beach to Sioux City, Iowa. Sioux City’s airline code is “SUX,” so the itinerary will be DJT-SUX.
