On November 10, 2025, President Donald Trump demanded that air traffic controllers return to work as staffing pressures disrupted flights during the federal government shutdown. The controllers were expected to keep performing safety-critical work without pay. Trump also called for a $10,000 bonus for those who stayed on the job and suggested docking pay for those who did not, according to the Associated Press. A later award did not go to every controller who worked through the shutdown: eligibility was limited to employees with perfect attendance.
What did Trump tell air traffic controllers?
Trump posted on social media on November 10: “All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!” The Associated Press reported that he also called for a $10,000 bonus for controllers who had remained on the job and suggested that those who had not should have their pay docked. The remarks came after some controllers began calling out following more than a month without pay. Stress and the need to take second jobs were among the reasons reported.
Members of Congress and the controllers’ union criticized the remarks. The union’s leader said controllers were being used as a political pawn in the shutdown fight, AP reported. The post was a public demand from the president; it was not the FAA’s operational decision about how many flights airlines could run.
Why were controllers working without pay?
The federal shutdown began October 1, 2025. Air traffic controllers continued doing safety-critical work, but the shutdown disrupted the normal timing of their paychecks. On October 23, the White House quoted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying the next Tuesday would bring the first missed paycheck for work performed in October. Duffy said he did not want controllers to take second jobs, while acknowledging that employees had to decide how to cover household expenses. The White House statement also noted concern that FAA Academy recruits might leave because of uncertainty about pay.
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More than 13,000 controllers were working without pay, according to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Committee chairman Sam Graves said on October 23: “They’re showing up for work, they’re doing the job, and they’re making sure that our skies stay safe.” That statement reflects the committee’s account; it does not establish the circumstances of every controller.
Why were flights cut during the shutdown?
On November 6, the Department of Transportation and FAA announced temporary flight reductions at 40 high-traffic airports. Officials described the restrictions as a safety measure in response to staffing triggers and strain in the system. DOT said the FAA had reviewed aviation safety data, including voluntary, confidential reports from pilots and controllers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the decision was about “assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay.”
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The announced schedule was:
| Effective date | Scheduled flight reduction |
|---|---|
| November 7, 2025 | 4% |
| November 11, 2025 | 6% |
| November 13, 2025 | 8% |
| November 14, 2025 | 10% |
Under the order, airlines were required to issue full refunds for cancellations, but not to cover secondary costs, according to DOT. The rule addressed cancellations, not every extra expense a traveler might incur.
How the flight restrictions changed
November 12: reductions held at 6%
The FAA froze the plan at 6% on November 12, rather than moving to the previously announced 8% and 10% levels. It cited a rapid decline in controller callouts and staffing triggers. The agency reported 81 staffing triggers on November 8, 11 on November 11, and four on November 12. It said it would keep monitoring staffing and safety trends as the government reopened and controllers received back pay.
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The FAA announced that the emergency order would end at 6 a.m. on November 17, allowing normal operations to resume. Its safety team recommended ending the order after reviewing safety trends and observing a sustained decline in staffing-trigger events. The FAA reported one staffing trigger on November 16, compared with 81 on November 8. A staffing-trigger count is an operational indicator; by itself, it does not identify the cause of a particular delay or cancellation.
As of its November 10 report, AP said about 8,000 flights had been canceled under the order. That was a contemporaneous count, not a final shutdown-wide total. AP also reported that disruption could continue after the restrictions ended because aircraft and crews had been displaced from planned routes.
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Did air traffic controllers get the $10,000 bonus?
On November 20, DOT and the FAA announced a $10,000 award for 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who maintained perfect attendance during the 44-day shutdown. The agencies said payments would be made by December 9. The award’s eligibility rule was specific: working during the shutdown alone did not qualify an employee who did not meet the perfect-attendance criterion.
This later announcement was narrower than the bonus Trump called for on November 10. It applied to a defined group of employees, while the flight restrictions applied to operations at 40 airports and were based on safety and staffing indicators. The award and the restrictions were separate decisions with different purposes and eligibility rules.
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