Air traffic controllers with perfect close attendance get the bonus

Air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration said this week.

The bonuses will go to 776 controllers and technicians, who will receive notification next week that payments will go out by Dec. 9, the FAA and DOT said. There are about 11,000 fully certified air traffic controllers in the United States, according to their union.

“These patriotic men and women did not miss a beat and kept the public safe during the lockdown,” Transport Minister Sean Duffy said in a statement issued late Thursday.

The Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately say whether previously planned vacation time or fatigue calls would result in controllers and technicians being denied the bonus.

A surge in absences for air traffic controllers, who were required to work without their regular paychecks during the more than 40-day shutdown, the longest on record, has forced airlines to slow or cancel flights. The closure ended on November 12 with a draft law to fund the government until January.

The disruptions of the shutdown and the added pressure on air traffic controllers, who are already required to work six days a week, have sparked an outcry from the airline industry, which has urged lawmakers to ensure essential workers are not left without pay if there is another shutdown.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents the country’s air traffic controllers, said it was informed of the cash bonus decision hours before the announcement. She said 311 employees represented by NATCA are eligible for the payments.

“We look forward to working with the administration to provide appropriate recognition to those not included in the minister’s announcement,” the union said in a statement.

The Professional Aviation Safety Professionals Association, the union that represents 11,000 FAA and Department of Defense employees including technicians, said it was “reviewing the information provided by the FAA and is evaluating how best to ensure all employees who worked during the shutdown are recognized.”

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said TSA officers who screen passengers at airports will also receive $10,000 bonuses for perfect attendance.

“Despite enormous personal, operational and financial challenges, these dedicated officers showed up to work every day for more than a month, without pay, to ensure the American people are able to travel safely,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release.