FAA Offers Bonuses To Boost Air Traffic Control Staffing

Spectrum News reports:

During a news conference Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department will offer financial incentives for air traffic controllers eligible for retirement who stay on the job, as well as bonuses for those who complete the FAA Academy and controllers who agree to work in “harder to fill” locations.

Federal officials are looking to address a 35% washout rate at the FAA Academy with financial incentives — a $5,000 bonus for new hires who complete the initial qualification training and a $5,000 award for those who finish the initial qualification training. Academy graduates who are assigned to one of 13 “hard-to-staff” facilities will receive a $10,000 bonus.

And to allow air traffic controllers nearing retirement to stay on the job, the Transportation Department struck a deal with the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, the air traffic controllers’ union. Controllers who are eligible to retire will receive a lump sum payment of 20% of their base pay for every year they stay on the job.

Read the full article. The mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers is 56, but according to Duffy, most retire years before that. We’re guessing, from the stress.