posted in Technology
FAA tees up $875M AI tool to help manage air traffic congestion
arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/faa-tees-up-875m-ai-tool-to-help-manage-air-traffic-congestion/
Replying to @return2ozma@lemmy.world
So a quick search suggests air traffic controllers make around $75,000 annually. $875 million would pay the salaries of 11,666 air traffic controllers for a decade at that wage.
Even considering inflation, training, medical, etc that $875,000,000 could pay for thousands of hired Amemricans for a decade. Republicans are literally the worst.
Replying to @Monstrosity@lemmy.today
$75,000 annually
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about double that as the median pay ($148,080).
I still agree with the rest of your math and think the investment is worth it, but just clarifying the number.
Replying to @MimicJar@lemmy.world
Seems better yes, in EASA airspace ATC is around 100k when starting your career and 220k near retirement.
I bet FAA is within those numbers.
the workload is also pretty brutal, so it might not be worth it in the end, and the ability to go the training school also is competitive.
Replying to @Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Entering the school is a bit annoying but you don’t need anything else besides having a brain and resisting stress. Not knowing if you will succeed is stressful but that goes for any school, and this one is paying you to attend it, not the other way around.
The workload is easy, I’m at the EU airways crossroads and working ATC is easy, I feel like I’m always on days off and I work less than 5h a day. Honestly it’s one of the best career you can do besides being rich and not working.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing that for more than a decade so it’s natural now.
And mostly, Europe isn’t FAA, I can’t tell for them but from what I’ve read it’s a shit show over there.