Anyone who tried to catch a flight over Memorial Day weekend is likely aware of cancellation issues this summer. This week, Reuters reported that one airline industry group has singled out air traffic control staffing challenges as a cause.
While the Federal Aviation Administration is opening a new application window for air traffic controllers, it said that there is not a system-wide staffing shortage. Why would air traffic controllers be in demand?
Flight demand and weather issues
Flight tracking website Flight Aware figures as of Thursday morning showed that there were 7,213 total flight delays and 1,549 cancellations, including 2,191 delays within, into or out of the U.S. and 685 cancellations.
According to Reuters, Airlines for America – a trade association and lobbying group that represents United, Delta, Southwest and American Airlines, among others – said last week that “FAA facility staffing challenges” have impacted Florida, California and New York FAA operations.
However, News Nation reported that the FAA said in a statement that it does not “have a system-wide air traffic controller shortage.” The FAA has confirmed that more staff hires were authorized in Jacksonville, Fla., due to weather issues and travel demand in the area.
Last week, the FAA announced the launch of “Be ATC” a new recruiting campaign for air traffic controllers. It will be open nationwide from June 24 to June 27.
A “tough job”
The FAA describes air traffic control as a “tough job” that requires focus, concentration, attention to detail and quick decision making. Air traffic controllers manage and monitor air traffic and aid pilots as the take off and land aircraft.
Though air traffic control is considered a stressful job, a decade-long FAA study released in the early 1980s found that, at that time, they experienced less anxiety on average than people in other work environments.
Today there are around 14,000 employees in the FAA’s air traffic control system who handle an average of 45,000 flights per day, sometimes with more than 5,000 aircraft in the sky at once.
As of 2021, the average annual wage for air traffic controllers was around $138,000. That’s more than double the average annual wage in the U.S., according to the Social Security Administration. Air traffic control personnel also get benefits.
A long journey to placement
Yet, the path to becoming an air traffic controller is often difficult, and many never make it far enough to see those earnings.
“We lose about 15 percent of Airmen in tech school,” said Master Sgt. Jesus Reyes, 56th Operations Support Squadron ATC training and standardization noncommissioned officer in charge at Luke Air Force base, according to a 2019 press release. “Then we lose another estimated 35 percent once they’re in the unit. Ultimately only about half of the 230 Airmen that we send to tech school a year make it to become a fully qualified controller.”
An FAA report also found that “evidence suggests that air traffic control (ATC) trainees find training at the FAA Academy to be stressful due to the fast pace of instruction, difficult performance evaluations, and pass rate.”
In order to even apply for the job, people must be: a U.S. citizen, registered for Selective Service (for males), age 30 or under on the closing date of the application period and an English speaker proficient enough to be understood over communications equipment. Applicants must also have either three years of general work experience or four years of education leading to a bachelor’s degree, or a combination of both.
After applications are sent in, it can take several months before applicants find out if they have been selected for the ATC program, said the FAA. Those who meet the minimum requirements must pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) to be considered for employment as well as other pre-employment requirements such as medical examination, security investigation and drug test.
If selected, applicants then go through months of training FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Okla. While training, applicants earn wages based on an annual salary of $32,552 to $33,637 for 2022. If they get through the training they are placed at a radar facility or air traffic tower to gain more experience.
At that stage, they will earn an annual wage of $41,101 and must be willing to live anywhere in the U.S. Salaries increase as they progress in their careers.
Going forward
“Employment of air traffic controllers is projected to grow 4% from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations,” said the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of April. At the same time, there are going to be an estimated 2,500 openings for air traffic controllers each year, on average, over the decade.
“Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire,” said the bureau.
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