United Airlines circulated an internal memo that appeared to let passengers change flights without a fee if they did not want to land at President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The memo told reservation agents to steer travelers to Fort Lauderdale Airport or Miami International Airport instead and to handle the switch as an even exchange.
The timing matters because Palm Beach International Airport has been renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and Eric Trump landed the first aircraft after the official change. For travelers headed to South Florida, the memo seemed to open a narrow escape hatch from the renamed airport just as the transition was taking effect.
United later said the note was badly written and not accurate. A spokesperson said customers can already make ticket changes without a fee for many reasons, but the airline’s policy does not allow changes because of an airport’s name or three-letter code. That matters because the memo appeared to say the opposite, at least for passengers objecting to the new airport name.
The alternatives listed in the memo were not close substitutes in the practical sense. Fort Lauderdale is roughly 45 miles south of West Palm Beach, while Miami is about 72 miles away. The airline is still expected to update its systems as the airport moves from Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, even as the commercial passenger code remains PBI for now.
That code is expected to stay in place until Aug. 18, when the IATA code is set to change to DJT. Until then, the gap between the airport’s new name and the code travelers see in United’s systems leaves room for confusion, but not for a new policy. United has said the memo did not reflect what its rules actually allow, and the airline will have to align its booking language with the renamed airport before the code switch arrives.
