Nathan Howard/Getty Images While President Donald Trump might view himself as the dealmaker-in-chief, he's just a means to an end for the country's largest businesses. If Trump's ego stands in the way of the almighty dollar, then they'll simply kick the former reality TV star to the curb. United Airlines is planning to allow its staff to offer free flight changes to passengers who do not want to travel through Palm Beach International Airport. The South Florida facility was controversially renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this month. It might seem ridiculous for anyone to fly out of another airport an hour away over just the renaming, but the discontent with Trump is so high that Gallup ended its 89-year-old practice of polling presidential approval this year. According to Live And Let's Fly, a United Airlines internal memo instructed its reservation agents to process itinerary shifts away from Trump International Airport to Fort Lauderdale or Miami as an even exchange. The memo reads: "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)." It's over more than just a name Al Drago/Getty Images The criticism and pushback against an airport renaming itself after President Trump was instantaneous. Typically, airports and other prominent buildings aren't named after U.S. Presidents until they leave office, when their political careers are effectively over. During the last spate of airport renaming in the late 1990s, Houston's airport was renamed for George H. W. Bush and Washington National Airport was renamed for Ronald Reagan. The controversy was just over the bucking of standard practice. There was also the potential for graft by the Trump Organization after the company filed for copyright protection of the use of the Trump name at airports. Airports named after individuals must acquire the rights to use said person's name, typically royalty-free. According to ABC News, a Trump Organization spokesperson claimed the move was to prevent bad actors from profiting off the Trump name. Are the bad actors in the room with us?
+56 others
