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[USAFacts]([link removed])
This is how you fund the FAA
If you=E2=80=99re squeezing into an airport security line this holiday seas=
on, here=E2=80=99s a fun fact while you wait: your airline ticket helps kee=
p the whole system running. Passenger taxes were major FAA funding source i=
n FY 2024, making up 65.3% of AATF revenue. Here=E2=80=99s where the rest o=
f the [FAA=E2=80=99s budget]([link removed]
a-you-whenever-you-fly/) comes from.=E2=80=AF=C2=A0
[USAFacts]([link removed]
-fly/)
- In FY 2024, the FAA had a budget of $24.8 billion.
- The FAA funding comes from three main sources: the Airport and Airway Tru=
st Fund (AATF), the General Fund (which supports airport grants), and tempo=
rary congressional acts. Recent examples include the CARES Act of 2020 and =
the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).=C2=A0
[Federal Aviation Administration budgets]([link removed]
-funds-the-faa-you-whenever-you-fly/)
- Revenue from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund comprised $18.9 billion of=
the FAA=E2=80=99s total budget in FY 2024. The AATF collects revenue by ta=
xing domestic flight tickets, international arrivals and departures, air ca=
rgo, plane fuel, and travelers=E2=80=99 purchases in loyalty and frequent f=
lier programs.
- In FY 2023, the AATF provided 68.9% of the FAA budget, and in FY 2024, it=
contributed 75.4%.=C2=A0
- The Airport and Airway Trust Fund is projected to contribute an average o=
f $19.5 billion per year to the FAA from FY 2023 to 2033.=C2=A0
[See the data]([link removed]
-you-fly/)
[USAFacts]([link removed])
Why are so many air traffic control towers understaffed?=C2=A0
Holiday travel might already test your patience, but here=E2=80=99s an adde=
d twist: as of September 2024, over 40% of US terminal air control faciliti=
es were understaffed. Hiring is ramping up, but the Federal Aviation Admini=
stration (FAA) is still trying to [close a nationwide staffing gap](https:/=
/usafacts.org/articles/is-there-a-shortage-of-air-traffic-controllers/). (B=
y the way the House Transportation Committee just approved bipartisan legis=
lation so the FAA can keep paying air traffic controllers during future gov=
ernment shutdowns.)=C2=A0=C2=A0
- The US had 3.9% fewer air traffic controllers in 2024 than in 2013, but a=
nnual flight volume rose 6.5% during that time. The FAA plans to hire more =
than 2,200 new controllers in FY 2026.=C2=A0
[Air traffic controller employment and US carriers flights]([link removed]
s.org/articles/is-there-a-shortage-of-air-traffic-controllers/)
- In 2023, the FAA set a staffing goal of 85.0% for terminal air control fa=
cilities. But in 2024, 118 facilities fell short of that target, while 172 =
met or exceeded it. Eighty-five facilities were overstaffed. But there=E2=
=80=99s a reason for overstaffing: it prepares a facility for expected attr=
ition. =C2=A0
- Among the understaffed sites, 86 of them had staffing ranges above 75%. T=
he remaining 32 were lower still.=E2=80=AF=C2=A0
- The shortage has been exacerbated by a years-long training process, COVID=
-19-related training pauses, and annual losses from factors like retirement=
s, transfers, and promotions. =C2=A0
- 2024=E2=80=99s most understaffed facilities were Grand Forks Tower in Nor=
th Dakota (53.3% of target staffing), Rochester Tower in Minnesota (56.5%),=
and Columbus Tower in Georgia (58.3%).=E2=80=AF=C2=A0
[See the data]([link removed]
ffic-controllers/)
[USAFacts]([link removed]
-controllers/)
[USAFacts]([link removed])
Data behind the news
The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, up 0.4% from a year prior. =
It was the highest rate since September 2021. [See national data and the ra=
tes in your state]([link removed]
te/country/united-states/).
Last week, investigators discovered the body of the suspect in a [mass shoo=
ting]([link removed]) at=
Brown University that killed two students and injured several others.
New Consumer Price Index data for November shows that the headline inflatio=
n rate fell to 2.7% last month. [See your state=E2=80=99s rate]([link removed]
facts.org/answers/what-is-the-current-inflation-rate/country/united-states/=
).
How well do you know=E2=80=AFthe facts? Take our [weekly quiz]([link removed]
acts.org/weekly-fact-quiz/) to find out.=C2=A0
[USAFacts]([link removed])
One last fact
[Which states' residents help their neighbors the most?]([link removed]
rg/articles/which-states-volunteer-the-most/)
Is Utah topping the =E2=80=9Cnice=E2=80=9D list this season? In 2023, 68.2%=
of Utah residents [informally helped their neighbors]([link removed]
/articles/which-states-volunteer-the-most/) =E2=80=94 the highest in the na=
tion. Nevada ranked the lowest at 45.7%.=E2=80=AF=C2=A0
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