American Airlines removed the presidential reference from its West Palm Beach gate monitor displays, reverting the label from "Pres DJT, W Palm Beach" back to "West Palm Beach, FL."
The airline had added the Trump reference after Palm Beach International Airport was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport in July. The IATA code changed to DJT from PBI.
American has now reversed that display change. The shift occurred in August as part of a planned transition, according to reporting.
The original naming stood out. American Airlines typically identifies destinations by city name, only adding airport names to distinguish between multiple airports serving the same place, such as New York JFK versus New York LaGuardia. The airline does not ordinarily incorporate presidential names on gate displays for airports named after other presidents, such as Bill Clinton in Little Rock or Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids.
With only one commercial airport serving West Palm Beach, the presidential reference created unnecessary confusion for passengers. The restored label now simply displays the destination city.
The timing of the reversal near the midterm elections may invite political interpretation, but the change was planned for August. American Airlines leadership did not order this as a political adjustment, though the company created "an unnecessary distraction" with the original conspicuous change involving a political figure.
The IATA code remains DJT rather than reverting to PBI, a change the source suggests was similarly unnecessary.