For the millions of older Americans who rely on air travel to visit family, see doctors, or simply enjoy retirement, flight delays aren’t just a nuisance, they’re a quality-of-life issue. Yet, behind every canceled or delayed flight is a deeper problem: our air traffic control system is dangerously outdated, and Washington has refused to fix it – until now, with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
As Airlines for America stated on the 4th of July: President Trump followed through on his promise “by signing $12.5 billion of air traffic control investment into law.” This will mark a significant improvement in air traffic control systems that will benefit America’s seniors in very meaningful ways.
Let’s be clear: the United States still runs its air traffic control with radar and voice radio technology from the 1950s. That’s like using a rotary phone in the age of smartphones. In an era when self-driving cars and private space travel are becoming reality, why are we still managing the skies with Cold War-era tools?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has tried to update the system through a program called “NextGen.” Launched in 2007, it was meant to modernize air traffic operations by switching to satellite-based GPS navigation and digital communication. But according to a 2023 report from the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General, NextGen has been over budget, behind schedule, and falling short of its goals.
And who has paid the price? Seniors. Many older Americans plan their lives around air travel — whether it’s attending weddings, seeing grandchildren, or accessing world-class healthcare. But delays, missed connections, and last-minute cancellations disproportionately affect those with mobility challenges, medical needs, or fixed incomes. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s unjust.
The FAA’s slow pace and bureaucratic red tape are no match for today’s fast-paced aviation industry. The U.S. now ranks behind countries like Canada, the U.K., and Australia — nations that have already moved to independent models for managing their skies. These systems, funded by user fees and overseen by boards of aviation professionals, have proven more efficient, more accountable, and just as safe.
Opponents often raise fears about “privatization.” Let’s set the record straight: this is about restructuring the system so professionals can operate free of congressional budget cycles and political interference. Think of how the Postal Service operates — still publicly accountable but structured to function with business-like efficiency; even in that model, debates about privatization abound but it serves as an example of how to move the ball forward.
President Trump had the right idea when he proposed spinning off air traffic control from the FAA in 2017. “The current system can’t keep up,” he said, calling it “ancient, broken, antiquated, horrible.” He wasn’t wrong—but special interests and partisan gridlock killed the momentum.
Meanwhile, airline traffic is rising. The FAA forecasts that U.S. air passengers will exceed pre-pandemic levels by 2025, reaching nearly 1.28 billion by 2040. On top of that, we’re facing a future with drones, flying taxis, and commercial spaceflights. If the current system can’t handle today’s load, it certainly won’t survive tomorrow’s.
Seniors, perhaps more than any other group, need reliability and safety in air travel. Whether it’s making it to a grandchild’s graduation or getting to a specialist’s appointment across the country, seniors deserve a system that works as hard as they did. That won’t happen until we remove politics from air traffic operations and let aviation professionals modernize the system.
President Trump has provided a voice of leadership on this issue and has now followed through on his promises. Airlines for America urged Congress to act. US Representative Sam Graves has provided a companion leading voice, providing substantive support as a pilot and substantively articulating a case for funding to tackle this issue through the One Big Beautiful Act. Seniors, and all citizens, will benefit greatly from successful passage of this bill.
This is not a partisan issue — it’s a practical one. Let’s modernize air traffic control, improve service, and ensure our skies are safe and efficient for every traveler, especially the generations who built this country.
The President has paved the way. We should all be applauding upcoming improvements in our Air Traffic Control system.