Palm Beach. Customs on the field, and Worth Avenue fifteen to twenty five minutes from the jet.
The airport most people still call PBI now carries the code DJT. The runways, terminals and handlers are unchanged. What has changed is the airspace above it, and that is the part worth knowing before a charter is confirmed.
The airport
Palm Beach at a glance
- CodesDJT / KDJTFormerly PBI and KPBI. The air traffic and ICAO identifiers changed in July 2026 and the passenger facing IATA code followed on 18 August 2026. Older paperwork, apps and address books still say PBI.
- DistanceAbout 2 miles west of downtown West Palm BeachWhich makes it one of the closest city airports in the United States. Palm Beach island itself is a bridge away.
- Runways10,001 feet, 6,931 feet and 3,214 feetThe main runway takes any aircraft type, including ultra long range jets and VIP airliners, so there is no size conversation here of the kind Aspen or Westchester force.
- Private terminalsSignature, Atlantic Aviation and Jet AviationAll three sit along the southern perimeter of the field, near the customs office, rather than at the airline terminal.
Because the airport is an international gateway with a federal inspection station, a flight from London, the Bahamas or the Caribbean clears here without diverting. The handler arranges the clearance in advance as usual.
Journey times
From Palm Beach airport
| To | Quiet roads | Season traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown West Palm Beach | 5 to 15 minutes | 10 to 25 minutes |
| Palm Beach island and Worth Avenue | 15 to 25 minutes | 25 to 45 minutes |
| Wellington, for the equestrian season | 25 to 35 minutes | 35 to 60 minutes |
| Jupiter and Tequesta | 25 to 40 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
| Boca Raton | 35 to 50 minutes | 50 to 75 minutes |
| Fort Lauderdale | 50 to 70 minutes | 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 40 |
| Miami Beach | 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 45 | 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30 |
| Opa-locka | 1 hour 5 to 1 hour 30 | 1 hour 30 to 2 hours 15 |
Realistic ranges. Between January and April the bridges onto Palm Beach island and the roads around Wellington carry far more traffic than the rest of the year. Cars in Florida are arranged through operators we know. Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else.
The code change
PBI, DJT, and what to write down
The airport was renamed in 2026 and the identifiers changed with it. The air traffic and ICAO identifiers became DJT and KDJT on 9 July 2026, and the IATA code used by airlines and booking systems changed from PBI to DJT on 18 August 2026. Nothing physical moved: the same runways, the same terminals, the same three private handlers on the same perimeter road.
Practically, it means two codes are in circulation. Older itineraries, saved addresses, hotel confirmations and a good deal of charter paperwork still read PBI, while flight tracking and new bookings read DJT. When an assistant sends us an arrival we confirm which airport is meant in words as well as letters, because there is a Palm Beach County Park airport at Lantana and a Boca Raton airport nearby, and a car sent to the wrong one is an hour wasted in the only hour that mattered.
If you have a standing travel profile, a corporate travel policy or an approved supplier list with PBI written into it, this is the moment to have it updated rather than the morning of the trip.
The airspace
Restrictions above Palm Beach
Palm Beach is unusual among American airports in that the airspace around it carries standing restrictions. Since late 2025 a small year-round restricted area has applied close to Mar-a-Lago, on the island, whether or not the President is in residence, and the Federal Aviation Administration has since proposed making a special flight rules area there permanent. Separately, when the President is in Palm Beach, a temporary flight restriction of the usual kind applies over a much wider area and reshapes general aviation across the county for the duration.
For a charter passenger this is not a reason to go elsewhere. Scheduled and charter traffic at the main airport continues under the procedures, and the handlers are used to it. It is a reason to give the operator plenty of notice, to accept that a slot or a routing may be adjusted, and to avoid planning anything that depends on an aircraft or helicopter moving at short notice over the island. Your operator and handler will know the current position on the day; it changes with the presidential schedule and with the rulemaking, and we do not publish a version of it here that would be out of date by the time you read it.
The ground plan is untouched by any of this. Roads around the island can close for a motorcade, which is a normal Palm Beach inconvenience and one the local operators plan around every season.
The season
January to April
Palm Beach has a season in the old sense, and it changes everything about a transfer.
- The equestrian circuit at Wellington runs from January into April and fills the roads west of the airport on show days, particularly at the end of the afternoon
- The Palm Beach International Boat Show takes over the downtown waterfront in the spring, closing Flagler Drive and moving every drop-off point
- Bridge openings onto Palm Beach island are scheduled and frequent. A car caught by one waits, which is why we build the island crossing into the time rather than the optimism
- Private parking at the airport tightens sharply in season and in show weeks. That is a conversation for the operator early, not late
- Out of season, from June to November, the same journeys are quick and quiet, and the hurricane calendar becomes the thing to watch instead
- For a long stay, one car and one chauffeur across the visit is calmer than separate transfers. See hourly, as directed and dedicated chauffeur
Onward
Around a Florida trip
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date and time, tail number or operator, which private terminal, passengers and luggage, and the address on the island or in Wellington. Write the airport in words as well as letters, because both PBI and DJT are still in circulation. We come back with a clear price and an honest drive time. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Palm Beach
Is PBI the same airport as DJT?
Yes. The airport was renamed in 2026 and the codes changed with it: the air traffic and ICAO identifiers in July and the IATA code on 18 August. Nothing about the runways, terminals or handlers changed.
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. In Florida cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds both ends of the journey.
Do the airspace restrictions stop us flying in?
No. Charter traffic at the main airport operates under the published procedures. They do mean giving your operator more notice than usual and accepting that a routing or a slot may be adjusted. Ask the operator for the current position close to the date.
Can a large jet land here?
Yes. The main runway is a little over 10,000 feet and takes any type, including ultra long range jets and VIP airliners.
Do we clear customs at Palm Beach?
Yes. It is an international gateway with a federal inspection station, and the handler arranges the clearance in advance.
Which airport for Miami?
Opa-locka, an hour and a quarter or more to the south. Palm Beach is the wrong end of the coast for a Miami Beach address.
