A plane takes off from the control tower at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on October 8, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski AFP | Getty Images
Air traffic controllers in the United States are receiving a portion of their paychecks, but if the government shutdown continues for two more weeks, they may not receive their next paycheck in full, their union announced Tuesday.
“This job is stressful enough on its own,” said Raymond Dahlstrom, an air traffic controller. “You add this element of, ‘Hey, when am I going to get my next paycheck?'”
Dahlstrom and some colleagues handed out fliers outside New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday, urging people to ask their lawmakers to end the shutdown. Air traffic controllers were also scheduled to hand out information pamphlets at other airports in Washington, D.C. and Chicago on Tuesday.
The government was shut down on October 1st after the Senate failed to pass a bill to fund the government. Air traffic controllers and airport security inspectors are among the thousands of government employees who are required to work without receiving pay during the gridlock.
Last week, a shortage of air traffic controllers caused delays at airports including Nashville, Tennessee, and Burbank, California, although most facilities were fully staffed.
“We’re still showing up, but no one’s screaming sick…except they’re sick,” Dahlstrom said. According to him, some air traffic controllers take on second jobs, such as drivers for ride-hailing companies, to make ends meet without being paid.
The more than month-long shutdown that began in late 2018 ended hours after a shortage of air traffic controllers disrupted air travel in the New York area.
Beyond the closures, the U.S. is also dealing with a shortage of trained air traffic controllers, which regularly disrupts flight operations. Airline executives have been pushing for more training efforts and more modern technology for years.
But the government shutdown has also brought more attention to the U.S. airline industry.
Some airports, including Las Vegas and New York City’s three major airports, are refusing to air a video of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the closures, airport officials told CNBC on Tuesday.
