SerpApi.Org
Passengers upset by Florida’s newly renamed Trump airport have sent in complaints for over a week, and United Airlines is now offering some of them a way to skip the airport entirely.
Palm Beach International Airport officially became President Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 9.
The controversial rebranding effort was approved by the Florida Legislature in February and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March.
Later, the Palm Beach County Commission voted 4-3 to approve a licensing agreement that allowed free, unrestricted use of a name already trademarked by Trump’s company.
Public records requests revealed many messages submitted through the airport’s complaint form around the time of the name change.
Many people vowed to avoid the terminal for good. One self-identified business owner stated he would “gladly reroute our travelers to other airports around and within Florida,” adding that his company would not support the decision.
Others used strong language against airport officials or insulted the president in their messages.
West Palm Beach resident Phyllis Malmuth told the network MS NOW that the president’s practice of attaching his name to public institutions has become tiresome. “I resent that the name is on every institution that we have, this included,” she said.
A few messages sent to the airport praised the change, and the Trump family publicly celebrated it.
Eric Trump, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, posted on social media that his father was “no one more deserving of this incredible honor” and stated the family’s plane was the first to land at the renamed airport, touching down at 5:01 a.m. on the day the change took effect.
United Airlines seems to be addressing the large number of complaints.
An internal memo obtained by the aviation blog Live and Let’s Fly instructs reservation agents to “use your empowerment to offer acceptable alternatives” for passengers unhappy about landing at the renamed airport.
Agents can rebook travelers to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport or Miami International Airport at no extra charge, treating the switch as an even exchange.
United’s public comments do not completely align with the memo. A spokesperson told Fox Business that the airline’s policy “doesn’t allow for changes because of an airport’s name,” although customers can change tickets without fees for other reasons.
American Airlines has also prepared staff with scripts for dealing with passenger complaints about the rename, though it has not announced a fee-waiver policy of its own.
The airport’s three-letter code will change from PBI to DJT on August 18, completing the transition. The rebranding is expected to cost about $5.5 million, with the state covering roughly half through legislative funding and the rest coming from the airport’s operating budget.
The airport is located about five miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which he has used as a personal residence since 2019.
