United Airlines denied that it will offer free flight rebooking for passengers who object to landing at the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, after an internal memo suggesting such a policy circulated widely on July 17.
An internal memo obtained by aviation news outlet Live and Let’s Fly instructed reservation agents to offer customers free changes to Fort Lauderdale or Miami if they did not wish to fly to the renamed airport. The memo told agents: “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).”
United moved quickly to disavow the guidance. “The message was poorly worded and not accurate,” the airline told Fox Business. A company spokesperson clarified: “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.”
The airport’s name change became official on July 9, 2026, following Florida legislation signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in March. The facility’s commercial passenger code is expected to remain PBI until the IATA code changes to DJT on August 18. The renaming prompted passenger complaints, with many travelers submitting messages to the airport’s contact form expressing opposition to the change.
Airlines generally do not allow complimentary destination changes simply because a traveler objects to a facility’s name. The policy clarification came as the airline manages system updates to reflect the airport’s new designation across its booking and operational systems.
Sources
- Fox Business — reported the leaked memo, United’s denial, and the airline’s official policy statement
- Washington Examiner — covered United’s clarification that customers cannot change flights due to airport name objections
- USA Today — confirmed the airport renaming was mandated by Florida law and scheduled for July 2026
- News4JAX — reported the name change became official on July 9, 2026
