American Airlines has updated its Gate Information Display screens to show “Pres DJT” airport for passengers traveling to West Palm Beach. And this is unusual, because American does not usually list the airport name in addition to the city except where it’s being used to distinguish a multi-airport destination, like New York LaGuardia and New York JFK.
Aviation watchdog JonNYC shares two observations,
- Little Rock, Arkansas doesn’t get displayed as Clinton airport (and, I’d add, Grand Rapids isn’t displayed as Gerald Ford airport).
- This would have been a decision made centrally in Dallas.
“An interesting observation while out in the wild today. Normally AA seems to only clarify airport names when the city has multiple airports (Washington – Regan vs Washington – Dulles). I don’t think I’ve ever seen this on a GID for any other single airport city (ie they don’t… pic.twitter.com/6uUP5YSf9n
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) July 12, 2026
American Airlines is going out of its way to ingratiate themselves to the President on this, not merely providing transportation. They’re ‘taking sides’ as it were, though not nearly to the extent that United is (which pivoted from taking sides with Joe Biden). It is natural for heavily regulated industries to do this with their regulators, who hold the keys to their futures. It’s troubling the extent to which those in power often insist upon it.
And with respect to the airport naming itself, it’s entirely reasonable for a President to be interested in his naming legacy, and not an uncommon thing for airports to be named for former Presidents. Palm Beach is Trump’s primary residence. It’s just a bit unseemly to do it while he’s still in office.
I don’t love naming major public infrastructure after whatever party is in power. That’s not anti-Trump – I didn’t like it when Chicago was talking about renaming an airport for Obama, I was critical of renaming Las Vegas airport for Harry Reid, and criticized renaming Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport Hartsfield-Jackson all the way back in 2003.
Hopefully, though, naming Palm Beach International for President Trump will forestall naming Washington Dulles after him. Surely we don’t want more than one airport with the same name. That’s just a recipe for confusion, passengers flying to the wrong place, and misdirected bags.
Is there a chance that this is simply poor communication/management? I could see AA telling their IT person “PBI has changed to DJT. Please update.” and while doing so, the IT person (who may have had their own political bias) updated the name without anybody noticing. My point is that I doubt AA protocol involves c-suite approval of departure screens.
Speaking of sycophants and enablers, I just spoke with Mitch and Lindsey “for 20 minutes.” Oof, they each said it’s hot where they are, and that Reagan says ‘hi.’ (Calm down, it’s not even a ‘real’ place.) Anyway, happy Sunday.
Oh dear. Now we’ll get another petty partisan kerfuffle about Trump. If what you say is true about AAs airport name protocols, I agree they should be followed. Just the destination name should be displayed, unless multiple airports in the city make that confusing. Simplicity is what travelers need. I’m unconvinced that AA higher-ups ordered this.
Sorry, “complicit” or “co-conspirator” is probably a better word.
I am with you, @Gary, opposing the naming of airports for those in power. I make no attempt to hide my disdain for the egoist in charge. But, I’m willing to cut AA some slack here for the following reason: the airport code has/will change(d). All the recent name changes (Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton) were name changes that kept the existing FAA/IATA code. Not since 1963, when Idlewild (IDL) became Kennedy (KIA) did such a dual change occur (to my knowledge in the US). So, pax have/will have DJT as their destination. But, they may be used to flying to PBI. I think this might be a pax friendly transition rather than kissing stinky’s ring. “Pres DJT, W Palm Beach” is more information than “West Palm Beach” and may avoid confusion. (JFK became JFK in 1968 to avoid the KIA—killed in action—connection.)
The only thing I was really ever care about on a flight board are the words “delayed” or “cancelled.”
@George Nathan Romey — Curious, because you don’t care what happens after “delayed” or “cancelled,” because if you did, you wouldn’t oppose passenger rights legislation like EU261 for the US, so affected passengers are actually treated with sensible duty of care (and properly compensated) for issues under the airlines’ control… maybe, just maybe, stop shilling for corporate, and support your fellow passengers. Thanks for being a Concierge Key. Happy soon-to-be retirement.
Since 1990 says he talks to the dead, I would ask him what dead black businessman and FBI witness in a corruption investigation, Samuel Pettyjohn, has to say about being assassinated by the administration of Democrat Tennessee Governor Leonard Ray Blanton. While Jimmy Carter was flashing his pearly whites, the Democrats hired an assassin dressed in black face to murder Samuel Pettyjohn and confuse the police. It took many decades to unravel what the Democrats had done and Samuel Pettyjohn’s murder was finally ironically solved about the same time Democrats were chanting “Black Lives Matter” and honoring George Floyd.
Yet another reason to avoid Florida entirely. An ecological disaster, one Hurricane Andrew away from all those imbeciles who flocked to it to up and leave. It’s already happening. Every day folk being priced out. Unemployment rising in places like Miami. Shady businesses propping up municipal funding like all the crypto nonsense. Surfside-like condos. No thanks and hard pass on the butt crack of America.
@AlohaDaveKennedy — Gimme 20 more minutes. I’ve got the ‘deep state’ and Illumanti on speed-dial at this point. While I’m waiting, got any other questions for the frog-people? I hear the water is turning them g…great again.
The airport does service multiple cities and is more of a regional provider of service. Fort Lauderdale and Miami and West Palm Beach are served by three different airports. So keeping the presidential designation is not much difference than designating Reagan in DC BWI in Baltimore and Dulles in Fairfax .
American only does it for narcissistic sociopaths.
Well said, @LadyOlives. Some folks love to come on here and pretend states and cities like those in NY, CA, IL are dystopian hellscapes (they aren’t; we’re doing just fine, maybe even historically ‘well’). And yet, these days especially, it is actually ‘red’ states, like FL, that are propped up like a ‘house of cards.’ Seriously, they’re in for a rough time if (when) just one major storm hits Miami or Tampa metro areas; the insurance industry would collapse, and then they’d be begging for a federal bailout of the state, which, ironically would be paid-for by ‘blue’ states and cities that contribute way more than the rural ‘red’ counterparts. Oh irony.
I have lived in California for 53+ years. We have had Republican governors and democratic governors. And we have survived them all.. we are still the fifth greatest economy in the world.
So there is that too.
@Norita — Preach!!
I feel sick
Nice try AlohaDaveKennedy but you’re not going to get us to believe that you are interested in justice for the murder of a black person.