Planes line up on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on November 10, 2025 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe U.S. has been scrambling to hire more air traffic controllers for years. The longest-ever federal government shutdown might have made that even harder.”We need more of them to come into the profession, and this shutdown is going to make that more difficult for us to accomplish that goal,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday, a day before Congress signed a bill to fund the federal government through January, ending the shutdown.Air traffic controllers were required to work without receiving regular paychecks during the shutdown. They were paid in part on Friday, according to people familiar with the matter, but during the shutdown some had taken second jobs to make ends meet, while the lack of regular pay added to their stress, union and government officials and lawmakers have said.The Federal Aviation Administration reported low-staffing thresholds were hit that that slowed aircraft around the country during the final days of the shutdown. President Donald Trump earlier this week threatened to dock air traffic controllers’ pay if they didn’t go to work. On Friday, staffing levels were relatively strong around the U.S. and disruptions eased.”It can’t make it look like this is a great job because you’re going to have to deal with this all the time,” said Tim Kiefer, who teaches air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.Kiefer was an air traffic controller for more than two decades before he retired. He said shutdowns or the threat of them were common during his career. “You may see people decide to do other things and say, ‘They didn’t get paid; they were stuck in the middle of a partisan dispute,'” he said.Read more CNBC airline newsAirlines warn flight cancellations will continue even after shutdown endsPrivate-jet demand is on the rise amid government shutdown, says Flexjet CEOBoeing stems cash burn for first time since 2023 but takes $4.9 billion charge on 777X delaysAmerican Airlines is late to the luxury travel boom. Can it catch up?5 million passengersThe shortage of air traffic controllers delayed or canceled thousands flights during the shutdown, affecting the travel plans of more than 5 million people, according to Airlines for America, an industry group that includes American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lin …
