'He likes his name': Airport feature may be named after Trump to convince him to save it

The Washington Post reports designers of Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia are hoping President Donald Trump's administration will support a plan to salvage an airport transportation system — if they stick the president's initials on it.

“It’s a name that fits,” said Susan Saarinen, daughter of the engineer who designed the airport’s beleaguered transport system. “Mr. Trump would like to name the airport after him, because he likes his name I guess, and he likes to name things. And if a ‘DJT’ happens to work for that, it works for me.”

Advocates are pushing the idea of rebranding the moving walkways at Dulles International as “Direct Jet Transports” — or “DJTs.” The notion for improving Dulles hit after Trump criticized the airport as “a great building and a bad airport.”

There were more than 30 suggestions to remodel or reuse the building. Some involved turning it into a shopping mall framed by an arch-shaped “Donald J. Trump Terminal.” Another group suggested naming the partnership behind the redesign after the president, calling it the “Terminal Redevelopment & Upgrade Management Platform Airports” or TRUMP Airports.

The Post reports the “DJT” will be “a contemporary conveyance with open architecture, adjustable seating, and modern navigation equipment that can rise and fall to accommodate both low wheelchairs and high jets.” Part of the pitch, it reports, is that the modernized mobile lounges could be finished within Trump’s term.

But the fate of this and other proposals is still not clear, reported the Post. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which oversees Dulles, is still pursuing its own revitalization plans, with a new three-level, 14-gate, 435,000-square-foot concourse slated for completion in 2026.

MWAA CEO Jack Potter announced at a Tuesday board meeting that “We appreciate the administration’s interest,” but he suggested Trump’s negtive opinion of Dulles is “out of date.”

The airport, he said, “is experiencing strong passenger growth and also enjoys some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings. It’s an amazing accomplishment.”