Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday that he would increase the salary of air traffic controller trainees by $5 an hour as part of an effort to boost recruitment and retention.
In Oklahoma City's FAA Academy reporter briefing, in Oklahoma City, where air traffic controllers train, Duffy said pay increases for trainees from $17.61 to $22.84 an hour. He said he expects the salary increase to come into effect within the next month.
“The cost of living has increased,” Duffy said. He said the agency is increasing its pay to ensure “wages that they can live while attending school.”
Duffy said funds to provide the increase are available and there would be no need for a request to Congress.
Duffy also shared plans to quickly track the academy's high scores, ensuring that the aviation safety agencies do not lose them while they await the open. He also said he intends to speed up what he described as an inefficient and slow recruitment process for the FAA.
Duffy toured the facilities, met with trainees, discussed their work challenges, and to see their training firsthand.
According to an analysis by the New York Times, more than 90% of the country's air traffic control facilities are shortfalls. Part of the control tower itself has fallen apart, Duffy said.
Aside from staffing issues, Duffy touched on the need to upgrade older technologies, such as agency rotary phones, which are expensive to maintain.
“It was cheap technology at one point, but today it's expensive because there are no parts,” Duffy said. “No one knows how to fix a Rotary phone because it's so old.”
The challenges to the country's air traffic control system have challenged Duffy's days as Transport Secretary, but since January 29th, President Trump has mandated that he begins fixing the issue after a string of crashes and near misses. It was the most deadly crash of a US commercial plane in over a decade.
The FAA recently lost about 400 employees as part of the Trump administration's federal restructuring.
Union representatives say key support staff have been fired, but air traffic controllers and air safety inspectors have been exempt from the cuts.
Duffy claims that agents will continue to hire air traffic controllers.
“We don't want to see people lose their lives because we have a failed air traffic control system and time is so important,” Duffy said.
