Air Traffic Control Has Struggled For 40 Years, But The Shutdown May Have Been The Final Straw

When the government shutdown was triggered last month after lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement for the next fiscal year, thousands of federal employees—including air traffic controllers and TSA officers—were forced to work without pay. As the shutdown stretched on for 43 days, its effects rippled through the nation’s air travel system—slowing flights and turning routine airport trips into a far more stressful experience.

The chaos felt sudden for many travelers, but those in the industry saw it coming. America’s air traffic controller workforce has been stretched thin for decades, and this year’s disruption simply exposed what has been quietly building since the early 1980s.

From mass firings to chronic shortages, the roots of today’s crisis run far deeper than a single shutd