Nearly 800 air traffic controllers and techs with perfect attendance during shutdown to receive $10K bonuses
Only 7% of controllers working unpaid during the 44-day shutdown earned $10,000 bonuses for perfect attendance, amid staffing shortages and flight cuts at 40 airports.
- On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said it will give $10,000 bonuses only to controllers with perfect attendance, limiting payouts to 776 of more than 10,000 controllers.
- Facing preexisting staffing shortages, many air traffic controllers called out as the shutdown dragged on longer than a month because they worked without pay, took side jobs, or couldn’t afford child care or gas.
- With staffing thin, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights at 40 busy airports as pilots reported safety concerns and runway incursions increased.
- Since the shutdown ended, controller staffing has improved significantly and airlines resumed normal operations this week, while FAA officials haven't announced penalties for missed shifts, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
- Duffy has pushed to boost hiring and speed training, as some controller trainees and students quit and experienced controllers retired during the shutdown, worsening shortages while many work 10-hour shifts six days a week.
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72 Articles
Just 776 air traffic controllers will get Trump’s $10,000 bonus, but the union says thousands who worked during the shutdown were left out
The Trump administration said Thursday that just 776 air traffic controllers who worked during the longest government shutdown in history will be awarded $10,000 bonuses for their “perfect attendance.” The bonuses will be doled out no later than Dec. 9, according to a Federal Aviation Administration announcement. “These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Transportation Secretary…
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