OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:00 PM – Friday, July 17, 2026
United Airlines reportedly told employees to let passengers change their flights free of charge if they wish to avoid the President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Florida after it was renamed in honor of the 45th and 47th president.
A memo obtained by Live And Let’s Fly instructed reservation agents to use “empowerment” to reroute customers if they object to landing at what used to be known as Palm Beach International 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 advised.
The guidance suggested a response to customers who take issue with the airport’s new name, offering an “acceptable alternative”: “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?”
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is about 50 miles away, while Miami International Airport is about 70 miles from the President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The agents were directed by the memo to process the change of flights as an even exchange, making it free of charge for passengers.
However, the airline clarified to FOX Business that “the message was poorly worded and not accurate.”
“United customers are able to make changes to a ticket without a fee for many reasons,” a United spokesperson said. “However, our policy doesn’t allow for changes because of an airport’s name or three letter code.”
United’s systems will continue to refer to the rebranded airport as PBI until the International Air Transport Association (IATA) changes its letter code to DJT on August 18th.
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