Air Traffic Controllers

Summary

From control towers, air traffic controllers give pilots clearance for takeoff and landing.

Quick Facts: Air Traffic Controllers
2010 Median Pay	$108,040 per year $51.94 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Associate’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	27,000
Job Outlook, 2010-20	-3% (Decline moderately)
Employment Change, 2010-20	-800

What Air Traffic Controllers Do

Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of air traffic to ensure that planes stay safe distances apart.

Work Environment

Air traffic controllers work in control towers, approach control facilities, or route centers. Because total concentration is required at all times, the work can be stressful and exhausting. Night and weekend shifts are common.

How to Become an Air Traffic Controller

To become an air traffic controller, a person must be a U.S. citizen, complete an air traffic management degree from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified school, achieve a qualifying score on the FAA preemployment test, and complete a training course at the FAA Academy. Controllers with previous air traffic control experience, such as from the military, may not need to complete the FAA education requirements. Those without previous air traffic control experience must be younger than 31 to become an air traffic controller.

Pay

The median annual wage of air traffic controllers was $108,040 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of air traffic controllers is projected to decline by 3 percent from 2010 to 2020. Most employment opportunities will result from the need to replace workers who retire or leave the occupation. Job opportunities will be best for applicants with an air traffic management degree from an FAA certified school.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of air traffic controllers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

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What Air Traffic Controllers Do About this section

Air traffic controllers authorize flight path changes.

Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of air traffic to ensure that planes stay safe distances apart.

Duties

Air traffic controllers typically do the following:

• Coordinate the arrival and departure of airplanes
• Issue landing and takeoff instructions to pilots
• Monitor and direct the movement of aircraft, using radar equipment
• Authorize flight path changes
• Provide weather updates to pilots
• Alert airport response staff in the event of an aircraft emergency

Air traffic controllers’ immediate concern is safety, but they also must direct planes efficiently to minimize delays. They manage the flow of airplanes in and out of the airport, guide pilots during takeoff and landing, and monitor airplanes as they travel through the skies.

Controllers usually manage multiple airplanes at the same time and often must make quick decisions about completely different activities. For example, a controller might direct one plane on its landing approach while providing another plane with weather information.

The following are types of air traffic controllers:

Tower controllers direct the movement of planes on the runway. They check flight plans, give pilots clearance for takeoff or landing, and direct the movement of planes on the runways and other parts of the airport. Most work from air traffic control towers.

Radar approach/departure controllers ensure that planes traveling within an airport’s airspace keep a minimum safe distance apart. This airspace is normally a 40 mile radius around the main airport.

These controllers' primary responsibility is to manage the flow of airplanes coming in and out of the airport. They sequence the arrival and departure of airplanes, guide pilots during takeoff and landing, and use radar equipment to monitor flight paths. They also provide pilots with information on weather conditions.

These controllers work in buildings known as terminal radar approach control centers (TRACONs).

En route controllers monitor airplanes once they leave an airport’s airspace. They work at any of the 21 air route traffic control centers located throughout the country.

Each center is assigned an airspace based on the geography and altitude of the area in which it is located. As an airplane approaches a center’s airspace, en route controllers guide the airplane along its route. For example, if two airplanes enter a center’s airspace at the same time, an en route controller may arrange for one plane to change altitude to avoid the other plane.

As an airplane goes along its route, en route controllers hand the plane off to the next center along the path. About 150 miles from the airport, en route controllers begin monitoring the plane’s descent path. When the airplane is about 50 miles from the airport, en route controllers turn the plane over to the airport’s radar approach controllers.

Some air traffic controllers work at the Air Traffic Control Systems Command Center. These controllers look for traffic patterns that could create bottlenecks in the system. When they find one, they provide instructions to prevent traffic jams. Their objective is to keep traffic levels manageable for the airport and for en route controllers.

Work Environment About this section

Air traffic controllers work rapidly while maintaining total concentration.

Air traffic controllers held about 27,000 jobs in 2010. The vast majority of controllers—about 94 percent—worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Air traffic controllers work in control towers, approach control facilities, or route centers. Many tower and radar controllers work near large airports. En route controllers work in secure office buildings located across the country.

Radar controllers often work in semidark rooms. The airplanes they control appear on their radar as blips moving across the screen.

During busy times, controllers must work rapidly and efficiently while maintaining total concentration. Oftentimes, the mental stress of being responsible for the safety of airplanes and their passengers can be exhausting. As a result, controllers tend to retire earlier than most workers: those with 20 years of experience are eligible to retire at age 50. In addition, controllers are required to retire at age 56.

According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, about 90 percent of air traffic controllers are union members.

Work Schedules

Most air traffic controllers work full time, and some must work additional hours. Because most control towers and route centers operate around the clock, controllers rotate shifts between day, evening, and night. Controllers also work weekend and holiday shifts.

How to Become an Air Traffic Controller About this section

Air traffic controllers often work in semi-dark rooms.

To become an air traffic controller, a person must be a U.S. citizen, complete an air traffic management degree from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified school, achieve a qualifying score on the FAA preemployment test, and complete a training course at the FAA Academy. Controllers with previous air traffic control experience, such as from the military, may not need to complete the FAA education requirements. Those without previous air traffic control experience must be younger than 31 to become an air traffic controller.

Controllers also must pass a physical exam each year and a job performance exam twice a year. In addition, they must pass periodic drug screenings.

Education and Training

There are two main pathways to becoming an air traffic controller:

Previous controller experience. Candidates with previous experience with the FAA or the U.S. Armed Forces are automatically eligible to apply for air traffic controller positions. They do not need to take the FAA preemployment test.

AT-CTI degree. Those without previous experience must obtain an air traffic management degree through the FAA Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI). AT-CTI schools offer 2- or 4-year degrees that teach courses in aviation and air traffic management.

Candidates who complete an AT-CTI program of study are automatically eligible to take the FAA preemployment test. Applicants who pass the test can then become eligible to enroll in a 2-month training course at the FAA Academy. The invitation to attend the training course is dependent on the number of available job openings.

After graduating from the Academy, trainees are assigned to an air traffic control facility as developmental controllers until they complete all requirements for becoming a certified air traffic controller.

Advancement

New air traffic controllers, referred to as developmental controllers, begin their careers by supplying pilots with basic flight data and airport information. They then advance to different positions within the control room.

As the developmental controllers master various duties, they earn increases in pay and advance in their training. Generally, it takes new controllers 2 to 4 years to complete the on-the-job training that leads to full certification. Those with previous controller experience may take less time to become fully certified.

Trainees who fail to complete the Academy or their on-the-job training are usually dismissed.

There are limited opportunities for a controller to switch from an en route position to an airport position. However, within these categories, controllers can transfer to jobs at different locations or advance to supervisory positions.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. When pilots contact the control tower for instructions, air traffic controllers must listen carefully to their requests and respond by speaking clearly.

Concentration skills. Controllers must be able to concentrate in a room where multiple conversations occur at once. For example, in a large airport tower, several controllers may be speaking with several pilots at the same time.

Decision-making skills. Controllers must make quick decisions. For example, when a pilot requests a change of altitude, a controller must respond quickly so that the plane can avoid unnecessary turbulence.

Multitasking skills. Controllers must be able to coordinate the actions of multiple flights. For example, a controller may be required to guide several pilots through turbulent weather at the same time. 

Problem-solving skills. Controllers must be able to understand complex situations, such as the impact of changing weather patterns on a plane’s flight path. Controllers must be able to review important information and provide pilots with an appropriate solution.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of air traffic controllers was $108,040 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $54,480, and the top 10 percent earned more than $165,660.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the starting salary for new controllers was $37,070 in 2010. Controllers’ salaries increase as they complete each new training phase. According to the FAA, controllers who have already completed on-the-job training had an average annual salary of $118,000 in 2010. For all air traffic controllers, including trainees, the average annual salary was $104,000 in 2010.

Most air traffic controllers work full time, and some must work additional hours. Because most control towers and route centers operate around the clock, controllers rotate shifts between day, evening, and night. Controllers also work weekend and holiday shifts.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of air traffic controllers is projected to decline by 3 percent from 2010 to 2020. Most employment opportunities will result from the need to replace workers who retire.

Despite an expected increase in air traffic, employment growth will not keep pace because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already hired many new controllers over the last several years. In addition, federal budget constraints should limit the hiring of new controllers, and the NextGen satellite based system is expected to allow individual controllers to handle more air traffic.

Job Prospects

Most new jobs will result as the majority of today’s air traffic control workforce retires over the next decade. Despite the increasing number of job openings, competition to get into the FAA Academy will remain high because there are generally more test applicants than job openings. Job opportunities will be best for individuals in their early 20s who obtain an air traffic management degree from a FAA certified school.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about air traffic controllers, visit

Federal Aviation Administration

National Air Traffic Controllers Association

For additional career information about air traffic controllers, see the Occupational Outlook Quarterly article “Sky-high careers: jobs related to airlines.”