Air traffic controllers with perfect attendance during shutdown getting $10,000 bonuses

A total of 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who had perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuse, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday.

A number of controllers started calling out of work as the shutdown dragged on longer than a month and they dealt with the financial pressure of working without a paycheck. Some of them got side jobs, but others simply couldn’t afford the child care or gas they needed to work. Their absences forced delays at airports across the country and led the government to order airlines to cut some of their flights at 40 busy airports.

President Donald Trump suggested the bonuses for those who have stayed on the job in a social media post.

Thousands of FAA technicians also had to work during the shutdown to maintain the equipment that air traffic controllers rely on. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the bonuses acknowledged the dedication of these few workers who never missed a shift during the 43-day shutdown. In a post on X he described it as “Santa’s coming to town a little early.”

“These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Duffy said in his formal announcement.

The controllers union said they hope to work with Duffy to find a way to recognize all the other air traffic controllers who worked during the shutdown.

 

(AP Photo Lynn Sladky)