United Airlines Denies Report Of Allowing Flyers To Avoid New Trump-Named Airport For Free

Published Jul 17, 2026, 2:14 PM EDT Journalist - Aaron joins the Simple Flying team with 14 years of experience in the travel & tourism industry. He has a background in airports and travel consulting for global companies in New Zealand, Europe, and North America. An Avid traveler, Aaron has visited 52+ countries across five continents. Based in Canterbury, New Zealand Chicago-based United Airlines has denied claims in a report that it would permit passengers to change their destination for free if they objected to flying to Palm Beach International Airport(PBI), now known as President Donald J. Trump International Airport (soon to be DJT). According to Live And Let's Fly, there was an internal memo to reservation agents advising them to offer alternatives if passengers did not want to fly to the airport. While the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport has sparked widespread debate on both sides of the spectrum, it was suggested that United would permit passengers to change their tickets without a fee if they did not want to fly to the airport. It now appears, with United confirming, that this memo was poorly written and does not allow passengers to change for free. Cannot Change Ticket To DJT Without A Fee Credit: Shutterstock United confirmed to USA TODAY that a memo was sent to reservation agents regarding passengers wishing to change their itineraries to avoid using the newly named airport after the current President of the United States. The memo was 'poorly' written, according to the airline, and it stated that it was inaccurately understood that passengers could change their booking destination without a fee. The airline has confirmed that passengers may make changes to their tickets for several reasons. However, the terms and conditions do not permit changes due to the change in the airport's name. The objection to the airport's name or code is not classed as an official reason to receive a fee-free change to your booking. The memo reportedly told employees to "use your empowerment to offer acceptable alternatives" if passengersdid not want to fly to the newly named airport. Name Change: Now Donald J. Trump International Airport Credit: Shutterstock Palm Beach International was recently renamed after a decision was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. The Trump family regularly uses PBI (and, since August 18, DJT) because of its proximity to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Following the name change, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also updated the airport's three-letter IATA location code from PBI to DJT. While the name change upset some, the changing of the three-letter location code was hotly debated, as it could confuse pilots. Passengers will use the code PBI until August 18, when the airport will officially change its code, and it will be reflected on baggage tags, tickets, and in airline reservation systems. The cost to change the airport name came in at approximately $5.5 million. Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, and his family were the first to land at the newly named airport, onboard a private aircraft. He noted in an interview on Fox & Friends that there "was no way in hell" that he would let "UPS be the first plane to land." Airline Operators At Palm Beach, Now Donald Trump International Airport Credit: Shutterstock Palm Beach, now President Donald J. Trump International Airport, is an airport in Florida, located near the suburbs of Boca Raton, Wellington, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens. It is the third-busiest airport in the Miami Metropolitan area. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, JetBlue Airways is the largest carrier at the airport, followed by Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Ranking Destination Number Of Passengers Served 1st Atlanta (ATL) 612,140 2nd Newark (EWR) 469,570 3rd New York LaGuardia (LGA) 411,180 4th Charlotte (CLT) 280,850 5th Boston (BOS) 276,380 JetBlue operates around 27% of all flights at the airport, followed closely by Delta at 26%, and American at 18%. In total, 14 airlines offer domestic and international flights, with international services provided by Air Canada, Bahamasair, and Porter Airlines. While it was initially believed that United was permitting passengers to change their destination airport for a fee, it has been clarified that this memo was mistaken and that, due to the airport's polarizing name change, travelers cannot change their booking without a penalty.