Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

FAA: Air traffic controllers wanted

Sep 3, 2024
In May, the FAA said it was short 3,000 controllers. One factor in that: all air traffic controllers have to train at a single FAA academy in Oklahoma City.
In May, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was short 3,000 controllers.
Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Electric aircraft companies are scrambling toward FAA certification as funding gets tight

May 6, 2024
The goal: an electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
Beta Technologies opened a nearly 200,000-quare-foot facility in South Burlington, Vermont, in October to make electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Above, Beta's electric aircraft flies past Manhattan.
Courtesy Beta Technologies

Congress grapples with FAA funding as travelers' frustration grows

Jun 30, 2023
Some airlines are pinning some of the blame for recent delays on the Federal Aviation Administration.
FAA funding is voted on every five years.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images

A shortage of air traffic controllers is forcing airlines to cancel flights to and from NYC

Apr 28, 2023
The FAA has asked airlines to give up precious landing slots.
Above, the air traffic tower at LaGuardia Airport. According to the FAA, New York has just over half of the air traffic controllers it needs.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Staffing shortages are contributing to a chaotic summer air travel season

Jul 5, 2022
The aviation industry’s troubles come down to three problems, one analyst says: capacity, captains and cancellations.
Delta Air Lines pilots picket at Los Angeles International Airport on June 30. The airline industry has been struggling with staffing shortages as demand soars to near pre-pandemic levels.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

As air rage incidents soar, a no-fly list for unruly passengers gains support

Feb 9, 2022
Most incidents involve face masks, but alcohol plays a big role too.
Nearly two-thirds of reported unruly passenger incidents last year involved face masks.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Telecoms set to launch new 5G spectrum over FAA objections

Jan 3, 2022
In November, a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration about safety concerns led to AT&T and Verizon postponing the launch.
Despite FAA concerns over interference with altimeters, which helps planes land, Verizon and AT&T are slated to launch their 5G networks this week.
Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

FAA plans to reduce the time planes spend taxiing on the runway

Sep 30, 2021
In addition to reducing wait times, the FAA estimates this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
An American Airlines plane taxis after landing on the runway at the Miami International Airport on June 16, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How should the FAA regulate commercial spaceflight?

Jul 26, 2021
The industry's growth raises questions about how the FAA manages spaceports and their impact on surrounding communities.
Kevin Lang, vice president of the Little Cumberland homeowners association in Georgia, has been fighting a spaceport proposal that would involve launching rockets over members' homes.
Emma Hurt

Can $8B in grants smooth out U.S. airports' uneven recovery?

Jun 23, 2021
Passenger numbers are bouncing back. But for business destinations and international hubs, the recovery is taking longer.
The United Airlines check-in counter at San Francisco International.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images