Air traffic controllers may get 30 percent pay raise as Trump admin prioritizes recruitment boost

Fox News via NY Post ^ | 2/27/25 | Anders Hagstrom

[Libloather]

Air traffic controllers are set to receive a 30% pay hike as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to boost recruitment Thursday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement during a press conference at the air traffic controller’s academy in Oklahoma on Thursday.

He argued that the pay structure and the technology air traffic controllers are forced to use are outdated.

“Currently, students are paid $17.61 an hour. By the way, you might be able to go to Walgreens and make that, right? So we’re going to bump it up to $22.84 an hour,” Duffy said.

“And again, I think making sure people have a wage that can allow them to live while they’re going through school. But the real incentive is, again, three years out of this academy, and you’re certified, on average, $160,000 a year. So you can be 24 years old, 23 years old, making a great salary, as an air traffic controller.”

Duffy noted that the pay increase plan will require Congress to approve “billions” in additional funding for the DOT.

Elon Musk also sent out a request for retired air traffic controllers to return to work.

The announcement comes after a string of air travel disasters in recent weeks, though few of them were blamed on air traffic control.

Most recently, a Southwest airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a Flexjet business jet on a runway in Chicago.

[DownInFlames]

They need to make all applicants take an IQ test. Anything below 120 fails.

[mabarker1]

I agree with You completely. The stress and workload that they're under is incredible. I think that the following quote below would also apply to the ATC Job.

There's a saying that Flying is hours and hours of boredom sprinkled with a few seconds of sheer terror– Gregory “Pappy” Boyington,USMC.

I have no problem with the pay for the job for QUALIFIED ATC personnel being doubled.

[SunkenCiv]

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