Featured Image Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA / Contributor via Getty
Take-off hasn't been as smooth as some hoped for the decision to launch the President Donald J. Trump International Airport, as the location formerly referred to as Palm Beach International Airport is causing Google Flights and travel apps to glitch.
It's far from the first time that President Donald Trump has mandated an unnecessary name change and it probably won't be the last, as he previously pushed through renaming procedures for the Gulf of Mexico (now named the Gulf of America) and Denali (now referred to as Mount McKinley).
These previous two instances went through without a hitch for tech providers, with Google receiving criticism for allowing the change to be processed, yet DJT International hasn't received the same smooth transition.
It has already been implicitly rejected by one major airline, with United writing an internal memo advising passengers towards alternate travel routes if they don't wish to fly to or from the renamed airport, but Trump devotees might find it difficult, if not impossible to book a plane journey using the new name for the time being.
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As spotted by a keen-eyed user on the r/WestPalmBeach subreddit, Google Flights currently only recognizes Palm Beach International as an airport destination, pretending as if the President Donald J. Trump International Airport simply doesn't exist.
It appears to be the same across most other travel apps and airline websites, with the original name persevering no matter what the current political administration are trying to do. to change that.
The hopes of those in opposition to Trump will likely soon be dashed, however, as there's unfortunately a clear explanation for why this has happened, alongside a date for when the transition will officially go through.
Pointed out by a comment underneath the post, the IATA codes – which you'll recognise as the unique three-letter signifiers for each airport, in this case PBI and DJT – hadn't yet been updates, with travel providers having until August 18, 2026 to do so.
This has gone through in some places, with certain travel hubs now showing DJT as the official name for the Florida-based airport that's nearest to Trump's own Mar-a-Lago resort, but it will only be a few more weeks before every website is forced to change.
Others have continued to express their disappointment at the decision to rename the airport – especially as Trump is still serving his second term in office – with one user explaining the history of this specific travel destination.
"PBIA was originally named Morrison Field after Grace Morrison, the first woman to fly solo in Palm Beach County. She was the president of the Palm Beach County Airport Association and the driving force behind the airports expansion in the 30s.
"She died in a car crash in 1936 and the airport was named for her," the commenter continued, "and now, less than 100 years later the same airport is renamed for a narcissistic misogynist. What a tragedy."
