The Florida airport switched from Palm Beach International Airport to being named after President Donald Trump in early July, after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a state legislature bill into law ordering the name change on March 30. As airlines begin to adjust to the new name and airport code, a leaked internal United Airlines memo reported by Live and Let’s Fly encouraged United agents to offer customers alternatives if they do not wish to fly to the airport named after the president.“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 leaked memo reported by the outlet read, while suggesting agents respond with: “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?”
However, United Airlines described the message reported by the outlet as “poorly worded and not accurate” in a statement to the Washington Examiner, clarifying that customers cannot change their airport simply because they do not like the facility’s name.“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 Media Relations said in the statement to the Washington Examiner.The name change took effect on Thursday, July 9, but changes to the airport’s logistics will take place over the next several months as officials update signage and branding throughout the facility, the airport’s reservation systems, and everyday operational items in the facility. One of the first highlighted changes from the White House and the Department of Transportation included the change to highway signs marking the exit for the airport.
