United Airlines said Friday that customers can’t change their destination for free simply because they’re upset at an airport’s name.
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“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,” United told travel news site TravelPulse.
The clarification was prompted by an internal memo referring to potential discontent from travelers over the name change of Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, an anger leaked to aviation blog Live and Let’s Fly.
“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 instructed employees as cited by the blog.
The memo also told agents to “process the change as an even exchange,” according to Live and Let’s Fly.
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United Airlines told TravelPulse that the memo was “poorly worded and not accurate.”
The Fort Lauderdale airport is 40 miles north of the renamed airport, while the Miami airport is 60 miles south.
The Palm Beach airport became President Donald J. Trump International Airport as mandated under Florida state law on July 9. Its airport code is still PBI through Aug. 18, after which it will change to DJT.
Airport officials said in a frequently asked questions page regarding the name change that “while we recognize that the required name change may be received in different ways by our passengers, we’re grateful for your continued support through this transition period. We remain committed to serving all passengers and ensuring a positive travel experience.”
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