FAA bonuses: $10,000 for air traffic controllers

FAA bonuses of $10,000 will go to controllers and technicians who kept US skies operating during the 43-day shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will award $10,000 bonuses to 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who continued working without pay during the recent 43-day U.S. government shutdown. The payments, aimed at employees with perfect attendance during the lapse, are scheduled to be paid in early December, fulfilling a pledge made by President Trump.

What the payment means

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) — which like the FAA kept many officers on duty through the funding gap — plans to issue similar payments to frontline officers. The FAA confirmed the bonuses are intended for staff who maintained operations despite the funding lapse and the personal strain of working unpaid.

Staffing shortages during the shutdown had tangible effects: delays at major airports stretched as long as 83 minutes, and airlines canceled roughly 4% of scheduled flights across 40 high-volume U.S. airports. Those disruptions affected both travelers and airline operations, and underscored how fragile peak-period staffing can be during prolonged funding fights.

• FAA bonuses: $10,000 to 776 controllers and technicians with perfect attendance
• Shutdown length: 43 days; payments to be issued in early December
• Operational impact: delays up to 83 minutes and ~4% of flights canceled at 40 major U.S. airports
• TSA to provide comparable payments to officers who worked through the funding lapse

No formal statement from FAA employee unions has been posted publicly yet. The agency’s announcement focuses on compensating those who kept critical air traffic control (ATC) services running during a period when federal paychecks were paused. For passengers and airline ops teams, the bonuses are a reminder that behind-the-scenes staff kept the system moving at real cost to themselves.