ICYMI: Here’s how we’re working to solve the air traffic controller shortage.

Most of this was misleading at best. -30% raise is NOT for all controllers. Just for students at the academy. -95% of controllers will receive NOTHING. Those who hold the system together have been forgotten.

𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑 𝑾𝒐𝒏 The liberal establishment has colossally failed us and ushered in a dangerous Trump administration in the process. The only answer is a bottom-up working-class movement. ★ NEW ARTICLE ⬇️

30% increase for all air traffic controllers, or just when they are at the academy???

The FAA's "supercharged" hiring push is classic bureaucratic theater. They hit their 2024 goal of 1,800 controllers—barely—after years of staffing crises, yet still have 3,400 trainees stuck in the pipeline. The Enhanced AT-CTI program just shuffles training from Oklahoma City to colleges while maintaining the same bloated 5-step hiring process. A 30% salary bump for academy recruits? That’s taxpayer cash masking systemic failures. Real reform would slash red tape, not throw money at a broken system. D.C. loves announcing solutions to problems they created through decades of mismanagement.

These incentives don't have any impact on the vast majority of ATCs, the one's working traffic every day with debilitating schedules. Bonuses for those who have never worked real traffic and those at the end of their careers with the best schedules. What about the rest?

Controllers are not taking early retirement - there is no such thing as early retirement for ATCs! If they are leaving early, they are quitting because the job is no longer worth the squeeze.

as a current airline pilot and former military instructor pilot, I have a recommendation that came from a conversation a seasoned controller and I had a few years ago. I’ve related the story at the end of this post, which underscores the urgency of the recommendation. Recommendation: What we both agreed would dramatically improve ATC training would be to require controllers to ride in an airline cockpit jumpseat to experience firsthand what it requires to operate a jet in the national airspace system and see what is happening in the flight deck during pilot/controller interactions (according to him this used to be optional training for ATC). These should be shorter hops like LAX-SFO, etc. This controller and I came to the conclusion that the perspective this would provide would have a substantial positive impact on controller training. Backstory: A captain and I paid a visit to the LAX tower a few years ago. Every controller in the cab was training new controllers. These veteran controllers were impressive to work with but even more impressive in person. What one of them pulled us aside and told us was very concerning. He said that every veteran controller at LAX and most across the country are pilots and they ‘get it’. He warned that none of the new controllers are pilots and are new to aviation and definitely ‘don’t get it’. He warned us to be hyper vigilant with all these new controllers because they’re getting pushed through regardless. Sean, thank you for taking the time to read my post and for all you’re doing to fix the system.

This isn’t true. You offered a 30% pay increase to those who are in training at the Academy. Not to “all air traffic controllers”.

→ Maybe stop hiring based on checkboxes and start hiring based on experience? Airlines might run smoother if woke policies weren’t on autopilot

Don’t just fix the shortage. Ensure those we hire are done so with merit. I’m tired of the years of unsatisfactory controllers who should have never been hired in the first place. DEI (Didn’t Earn It)

Get rid of age restrictions…