The Federal Aviation Administration is withholding a 2.8% pay increase for air traffic controllers while it negotiates changes to scheduling, leave use and shift productivity with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The dispute centres on how much time controllers spend actively managing traffic during shifts, with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford tying release of the money to operational adjustments.
The withheld amount is the remaining portion of a congressional pay action, after a 1% federal pay increase already took effect earlier this year. Congress approved the extra funding in April, but the FAA has not implemented it as staffing pressures persist across the control system.
The talks remain largely private, but the agency is understood to be reviewing basic watch schedules and facility hours in an effort to improve coverage during peak travel periods. That effort comes as controllers face chronic shortages, fatigue and retention pressure, with the system still short by roughly 3,000 controllers.