United Airlines passengers who prefer not to use the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport may reportedly be offered alternative airports, such as Fort Lauderdale or Miami, at no additional cost.
United Airlines has updated its reservation systems to reflect the transition from West Palm Beach Airport (PBI) to Donald J. Trump (DJT), according to an internal memo cited by the aviation blog Live and Let Fly.
The memo also instructs reservation agents on servicing passengers who may be reluctant to fly to and from the renamed 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).»
Expanding on the empowerment part, the leaked guidelines also offer a scripted response for the United staff:
«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?»
Agents were instructed to process the flight change at an even exchange, ensuring passengers pay no fare difference. However, the memo notes that offering an “acceptable alternative” is subject to availability and agent discretion.
The Donald J. Trump airport is the third-busiest in the Miami metropolitan area. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, the first alternative airport in question, is located roughly 75 kilometres south of West Palm Beach, while Miami lies even farther, about 115 kilometres away.
Airport officials acknowledged that “the required name change may be received in different ways by our passengers,” emphasising that this is “a branding change only.”
Two airports in the US have been named after other presidents, including John F. Kennedy in New York and Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC, but the West Palm Beach facility is the first to bear the name of a sitting head of state.
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