Thousands of U.S. air traffic controllers will receive a 2.8% pay raise under a new agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), as the agency continues efforts to strengthen its workforce and recruit new talent.

Announced Friday, October 16, the agreement makes the increase effective October 18 and retroactive to the first full pay period of 2026, beginning January 11. The deal follows months of negotiations over compensation and workplace reforms intended to improve staffing and operational efficiency.

The agreement includes several changes to how air traffic controllers work. Most controllers will be required to badge in and out of their facilities, giving managers more precise records of attendance and time spent at work. Local managers and union representatives will also develop shift guidelines based on anticipated workloads, while reassignment policies will prioritize facilities facing the most severe staffing shortages.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the changes are intended to modernize staffing practices, better distribute personnel, and improve the efficiency of the national airspace system. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said improved scheduling and workforce allocation should help the agency respond more effectively to operational demands.

The pay increase comes as the FAA continues to address a longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers. The agency's workforce plan identified a target of 12,563 fully certified controllers, compared with approximately 11,000 deployed across more than 300 facilities in April. The shortage has contributed to mandatory overtime and extended workweeks for many employees.

The FAA is also turning to an unexpected recruitment pool: video gamers. The agency has promoted air traffic control as a career for people with skills in multitasking, spatial awareness, strategic thinking, and rapid decision-making, abilities that can transfer from gaming to managing complex air traffic.

The recruitment push has already attracted substantial interest. The Department of Transportation reported that a single 24-hour application window generated 12,350 applications, including 10,779 qualified applicants. The FAA later announced that it hired 2,235 controller trainees during fiscal year 2026, exceeding its target and setting a record for the agency.

The hiring effort is part of a broader strategy to expand training and improve retention. However, bringing new controllers into the workforce does not immediately resolve staffing gaps. Depending on the complexity of their assigned facility, trainees can require more than two years to become fully certified.

The agreement gives controllers the additional pay increase while introducing changes intended to make better use of the existing workforce. Whether the new scheduling and staffing measures will meaningfully reduce overtime and ease shortages will depend on how the reforms are implemented across the nation's air traffic facilities.