FAA Reaches Deal With Controllers' Union: 2.8% Pay Raise Retroactive to Jan. 1, Effective Oct. 18
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Oct. 16 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached an agreement with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) giving air traffic controllers a 2.8 percent pay raise, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, and effective Oct. 18. Transportation Secretary Duffy unveiled the arrangement the same day.
Congress, in its 2026 appropriations law, required the raise to be tied to operational efficiency reforms in the air traffic system. The package totals $140 million, of which 1 percent had already been paid out in advance, with the remainder conditioned on the reforms being put in place. The new agreement carries the full raise into effect.
The agreement includes three efficiency measures: timekeeping with clock-in tracking of controllers' working hours; demand-based scheduling, under which local management and the union set shift guidance based on forecast workload to maximize coverage at peak periods; and improvements to the process for reassigning controllers between facilities.
According to Reuters, U.S. air traffic controllers have faced a long-running staffing shortage, with many required to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. The raise and the accompanying reforms take effect on Oct. 18 and apply to controllers nationwide.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：空管员在塔台管制室内值勤。图片来源：美国陆军工程兵团萨凡纳区／Peter R. Miller，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0（美国联邦政府作品，公共领域）。Photo: Air traffic controllers at work inside a control tower cab. Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District / Peter R. Miller via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (U.S. federal government work, public domain).
