The government shutdown may well be at a close, but air traffic controllers (ATCs) likely aren't quick to forget what they went through. President Trump's threats and ordering them back to work on Monday without pay was the nail in the coffin for many. Some airlines did step up to feed controllers working unpaid through the shutdown , but that silver lining might not be enough of a morale boost to keep ATCs in their jobs post-shutdown. In fact, the numbers suggest controllers have, and are, turning their backs on the U.S. for good.

Moreover, it's not just existing ATCs fleeing their posts—many never to return to their desks. Would-be controllers are ditching their dreams of controlling America's skies. This all has real, long-term consequences for the U.S. air travel industry that won

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