United Airlines was pulled into a political controversy after a leaked internal memo appeared to tell staff that travelers unhappy with the newly renamed President Donald J Trump International Airport could move their trip to a different airport at no extra cost.
The memo, first reported by the travel site Live and Let’s Fly, advised reservations agents to offer alternate flights to Fort Lauderdale or Miami for passengers who did not want to arrive at the South Florida airport, which was previously 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 reportedly stated.
The document also reportedly provided agents with sample language to use when speaking with customers.
“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?” the suggested wording read.
According to the report, the guidance told employees to handle the switch as an “even exchange,” meaning passengers could change their destination without being charged a fare difference.
United Airlines has since sought to distance itself from the leaked memo, saying the instructions did not reflect accurate company policy.
“The message was poorly worded and not accurate,” a United spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
United Airlines has found itself at the center of a political firestorm after a leaked internal memo appeared to suggest passengers who object to flying into the newly renamed President Donald J Trump International Airport could switch to another airport free of charge
‘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 airline’s blunt response came after the memo spread across social media, prompting debate over whether airlines should accommodate passengers unhappy with politically charged airport names.
The airport, which handles nearly eight million travelers annually, was officially renamed President Donald J Trump International Airport this month under a new Florida law.
While the airport’s familiar PBI code remains in place for now, it is expected to transition to DJT and be printed on boarding passes from August 18.
Officials stressed that the renaming does not affect the airport’s ownership, governance or day-to-day operations.
The airport’s name change has also sparked an immediate backlash.
According to reports, the airport was inundated with complaints after adding a disclaimer to its online contact form acknowledging that the new name ‘may be received in different ways by our passengers.’
One traveler wrote: ‘I am writing to assure you that as long as you are calling this airport anything closely related to ‘Trump.’ I will never fly into there. Never. You have 100 percent lost all my family’s business. Despicable move!’
United has since distanced itself from the memo, insisting the guidance was incorrect
The airport, which handles nearly eight million travelers annually, was officially renamed President Donald J Trump International Airport this month under a new Florida law
President Trump is the the first sitting US president to have a commercial airport named after him, although airports have long been named after former presidents including John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.
The leaked United memo also ignited a heated discussion on Reddit, where thousands weighed in on the controversy. One popular comment joked: ‘United about to get in a war with Trump.’
Others quickly pointed out that United had already denied the leaked guidance.
‘They’ve publicly denied this already,’ one Redditor wrote, linking to reports of the airline’s statement.
Some commenters initially praised what they believed was a customer-friendly policy.
‘This is good news for United; they’re the first airline to offer this at no cost to customers,’ one user wrote before the airline issued its clarification.
While the airport’s familiar PBI code remains in place for now, it is expected to transition to DJT and be printed on boarding passes from August 18
‘It makes the other airlines look bad, so they’ll also quietly update their policies to match.’
Others questioned the airport’s new identity altogether.
Despite the online speculation, United has made clear that passengers cannot receive a complimentary flight change simply because they dislike the airport’s name.
For now, the controversy appears to have stemmed from an internal communication that the airline says did not accurately reflect company policy.
