by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Fri July 17, 2026
A spokesperson for United Airlines has denied a recent
report that the carrier would allow customers scheduled to switch their flights
to avoid a Florida airport named after the current United States President
Donald Trump.
According to an internal memo shared with Live
And Let’s Fly, United reportedly provided reservation agents with the
ability to change destination airports for customers who didn’t want to fly to President
Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT), the former West Palm Beach Airport
(PBI).
United is in the process of updating its systems to read the
new airport name.
As part of the shift, the airline reportedly informed staff
members that they should “process the change as an even exchange” and “to offer
acceptable alternatives such as Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) or Miami
International Airport (MIA).”
TravelPulse reached out to United about the report and
received the following statement:
“That internal message was poorly worded and not accurate,”
a United Airlines spokesperson told TravelPulse. “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 report also said that the airline has been training
staff members about potential confusion over the airport’s name, with
variations such as PBI, DJT, and Donald J. Trump Airport all used during the
transition.
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