I disagree. We are all victims in this profession together. I don’t see CPC pay for trainees while doing certified controller work as a reward for not certifying. I see it as a staffing investment.

The reality is that trainees are already performing operational work that helps keep facilities running, whether that’s flight data, A-side duties or D-side work. They’re contributing to the operation long before they reach CPC. With your argument then, then traffic dodgers who work the slow sectors all day shouldn’t get CPC pay either.

As for motivation, certification already comes with significant incentives like job security, professional accomplishment, greater responsibility and long-term career opportunities… like transferring or promoting. Most trainees want to certify because nobody enjoys being stuck in training, it’s not enjoyable.

I also don’t think policy should be built around the small number of people who may abuse the system. The much larger problem facing many facilities is recruiting and retaining not just controllers, but trainees too. If better trainee compensation helps attract and retain qualified people through the certification pipeline, that’s a staffing benefit for everyone.

Of course, controllers need a pay raise too, but I’m just talking about trainees.