For years, the United States has been short of roughly 3,000 air traffic controllers. The shortage has forced controllers into mandatory overtime and six-day weeks, and caused delays from New York to Las Vegas.
In May, the FAA announced a new plan. Part of its solution was to lower the number of controllers it says the country needs.
The New Math
Under its 2026 to 2028 Workforce Plan, the FAA now says 12,563 certified controllers are required to be fully staffed. In 2024, it forecast it needed 14,633 for the same period.
That change alone closes the gap by more than 2,000 positions on paper. As of April, around 11,000 certified controllers were working across more than 300 FAA facilities, with about 4,000 more in training.
The FAA says modern scheduling tools and a data-driven staffing model will let fewer controllers keep the skies running safely, cut excessive overtime and reduce fatigue. It says the new target is based on a review by the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. It will also review the operating hours of some facilities to match staffing more closely to busy periods.
Why Some Are Skeptical
Months before the plan was released, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford warned lawmakers that control towers would never reach full staffing if the agency kept operating the way it had.
Critics see the lower target as moving the goalposts. Supporters argue the old models overstated what was needed.
Either way, the training bottleneck remains. A new controller can take two to five years to certify fully, and not every trainee makes it through.
What It Means for Travelers
Even with hiring of 2,200 controllers planned for this year, 2,300 in 2027 and 2,400 in 2028, the effect on daily operations will take years to arrive.
In the meantime, the pattern of 2026 is likely to continue. When staffing falls short, the FAA slows the flow of aircraft, and passengers absorb the delay. That has already happened repeatedly at the New York airports, Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
An Important Distinction
None of this means flying has become unsafe. When there aren’t enough controllers, the system slows down rather than taking risks. The cost lands on reliability and on travelers’ time, not on safety margins.
How to Travel Around the Problem
- Book the first departure of the day whenever possible.
- Avoid peak travel days around holidays, when staffing gaps hit hardest.
- Build at least one spare day into any trip with a cruise, tour or international connection.
- Use nonstop flights where possible, since each connection adds another chance of delay.
- Keep the airline’s app installed, because rebooking yourself is usually faster than queuing at the desk.
Source: FAA 2026 to 2028 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, reported by CNN and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.