Reservation agents may move passengers to airports in Fort Lauderdale or Miami without charging fare differences if they object to flying through the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
United Airlines plans to waive flight-change costs for passengers who do not want to travel through the recently renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Florida.
The airport, formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport, received its new name earlier this month. Its operations and location remain unchanged, but some travelers have reportedly objected to using an airport associated with President Donald Trump.
An internal United Airlines memorandum obtained by Live and Let’s Fly instructs reservation agents to use their discretion when assisting customers who no longer want to fly into the airport.
“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 states.
The airline also provided suggested language agents may use when responding to passengers.
“I understand that you’d rather not fly to this airport anymore,” the recommended response states. “We can look at nearby airports like Fort Lauderdale or Miami instead. Is that an acceptable alternative?”
The policy appears to permit agents to move affected travelers to an alternative airport without charging them any difference in fare.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is approximately 45 miles south of West Palm Beach, while Miami International Airport is about 75 miles from President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
Passengers accepting the accommodation would therefore avoid the renamed airport but could face a longer drive to or from their final destination.
The internal guidance does not indicate that United has altered its scheduled service to the airport. Instead, the airline is giving reservation agents flexibility to accommodate individual passengers who object to the airport’s new name.
The airport itself remains otherwise unchanged following the renaming.
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