US Air Traffic Control Overhaul Common Platform

Published on Nov 21, 2025, 8:54 am CST

8 min read

Key points

FAA moves ahead with a Common Automation Platform to replace ERAM and STARS across the United States
Congress has approved $12.5 billion and the administration is seeking another $19 billion for air traffic control overhaul funding
Peraton and a Parsons IBM team are competing to become prime integrator for the new system
The 43 day government shutdown exposed fragile staffing and legacy systems that contributed to widespread airport delays
Travelers should expect gradual benefits later this decade, not immediate fixes, as new systems roll out and controllers train on them

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Travelers using major US hubs and busy coastal corridors will see the earliest operational changes as new automation tools arrive in high traffic centers
Best Times To Fly: Early morning and late evening departures will remain the safest choices during rollout periods when software updates or staffing issues could slow peak operations
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Plan longer connection windows at the largest hubs for the next several years because training, software cutovers, and staffing gaps can all ripple into missed tight connections
What Travelers Should Do Now: Track airport specific delay trends, favor flexible tickets through resilient hubs, and watch for FAA and airline notices as Common Automation Platform testing begins
Booking And Pricing Effects: Do not expect cheaper fares from this overhaul in the short term, but improved reliability later in the decade could reduce extreme delay costs on complex itineraries

A US air traffic control overhaul built around a new Common Automation Platform is moving into its next phase after a 43 day government shutdown snarled flights across the United States, as the Federal Aviation Administration outlined its plans on November 20, 2025. The effort affects every passenger who flies through US airspace, from crowded coastal hubs to smaller regional airports that depend on long range radar centers and terminal radar rooms. Travelers will not see instant changes, but they should assume that upgrades, training, and political fights over funding could shape delay patterns and connection risks for the rest of the decade.

The US air traffic control overhaul will replace the existing En Route Automation Modernization and Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System with a unified Common Automation Platform, which is meant to handle both high altitude and terminal traffic and reduce the fragility exposed during the shutdown.

How The New Common Automation Platform Would Work

Today, controllers use two major systems to keep aircraft separated and moving. En Route Automation Modernization, usually called ERAM, manages high altitude traffic at 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers, handling radar and flight plan data as aircraft move between airports, and providing the main picture for controllers who sequence flows across the country. The Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, or STARS, is focused on the terminal side, tracking aircraft in and out of Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities and airport towers, issuing conflict alerts, and integrating weather feeds for arrivals and departures.

The Common Automation Platform, often shortened to CAP in FAA material, would pull these roles into a single, state of the art environment instead of two separate stacks that must pass data back and forth as flights leave one airspace and enter another. In practical terms, that means fewer translation points between radar centers and terminal facilities, more consistent tools for controllers who change assignments over the course of their careers, and a better foundation for future automation such as data link clearances and more precise flow management during storms.

FAA officials have also pointed back to a government report that found 51 of 138 air traffic telecommunications systems were considered unsustainable, a sign that the underlying pipes connecting radar feeds and controller workstations were overdue for replacement. The Common Automation Platform is meant to sit on top of a refreshed network and reduce the need for emergency fixes that, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, have sometimes forced the agency to hunt down obsolete parts on resale sites.

Budget, Timeline, And Vendors

Congress approved a $12.5 billion package in July 2025 to modernize the air traffic control system and boost controller hiring, but the administration now wants another $19 billion, bringing the total air traffic control reform ask to roughly $31.5 billion. That money would fund software development, hardware at radar centers and towers, training, and physical upgrades to control facilities that date back decades.

The FAA has been clear that industry will play a major role. Two Beltway heavyweights, Peraton and Parsons in partnership with IBM, are competing to become the prime integrator that will stitch together the new platform across the national airspace system. Parsons has described the effort as a once in a generation modernization to be largely in place by 2028, while Peraton has pitched its own approach as a way to deliver scale and resilience fast.

Transportation Secretary Duffy has said he will consult with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and President Donald Trump before naming a winner, and industry sources expect more political scrutiny than usual over such a large, long running contract. Travelers should understand that vendor selection, congressional oversight, and possible court challenges can all stretch timelines, even when the technical case for modernization is clear.

Shutdown Lessons And Staffing Pressures

The recent 43 day government shutdown, the longest in US history, underlined how close the current system is to the edge. Thousands of controllers and technicians worked without pay, callouts rose as people juggled child care and side jobs, and the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights by about 10 percent at 40 major airports to keep the system stable.

In the aftermath, the FAA said only 776 controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses, a move that unions criticized as too narrow given the stress and risk borne by the broader workforce. Separately, the Department of Homeland Security announced that TSA officers who went above and beyond while screening passengers without pay would receive similar $10,000 checks, though the total number of recipients is still being worked out.

From a traveler's point of view, the key lesson is that staffing shocks and pay disputes can quickly translate into ground stops, extended security lines, and rolling cancellations, especially when core systems lack redundancy and require workarounds when equipment fails. The Common Automation Platform cannot prevent political fights or stop a shutdown, but by simplifying how data moves between facilities, it should make it easier to reassign airspace, rely on backup centers, and keep more traffic moving safely if one location or system goes down.

What Travelers Can Expect In The Next Few Years

For the next several years, the air travel experience will still be defined more by staffing, weather, and airport specific constraints than by any new software platform. Common Automation Platform work will begin in labs and limited trial sites, not across every radar screen at once, and most travelers will not know when a particular sector has transitioned other than through subtle differences in delay patterns.

During transition periods, there is always some risk that training, software cutovers, or unexpected bugs will add friction, particularly at the largest hubs where demand is already close to capacity. When booking complex trips through those hubs, travelers should continue to leave generous connection windows, avoid self connecting separate tickets where possible, and monitor their flights for schedule changes that might hint at airspace reconfiguration or staffing shortages.

Routine habits still matter more than long range architecture. Early morning departures and later evening flights tend to suffer fewer knock on delays than mid day banks that depend on dozens of inbound aircraft arriving on time. Flexible tickets, elite status on at least one major carrier, and a clear backup plan through alternate hubs offer more protection than any single technology upgrade.

At the same time, the policy arc is worth watching. A successful US air traffic control overhaul built on a Common Automation Platform, combined with ongoing NextGen investments in data communications and weather, could reduce the scale of system wide meltdowns by giving controllers more tools to sequence flows around storms, close runways, and pop up restrictions, even when staffing is tight. If funding stalls or implementation drags, travelers may instead see a long period where aging and modern systems coexist, with uneven performance between regions.

For now, if you are flying during the post shutdown recovery, it is still worth checking current operating conditions before you travel, including daily outlooks such as Flight Delays And Airport Impacts reports and regional disruption stories that explain how local issues, like fuel pipeline leaks or runway closures, interact with national airspace limits. Those pieces provide the short term context that this long term overhaul is supposed to improve over time.

Background: US ATC Modernization

The Common Automation Platform sits on top of a broader Next Generation Air Transportation System program that has been rolling out piece by piece since 2007, with benefits ranging from satellite based navigation to digital tower clearances and more sophisticated weather feeds. ERAM itself replaced an older radar tracking network only a decade ago, and the FAA is still extending that system to additional en route sectors such as Honolulu and Anchorage, a reminder that modernization is rarely a single event in aviation.

For travelers, the key is to treat this latest overhaul as one more step in a long running process. It will not eliminate weather delays, end staffing fights, or guarantee that a future government shutdown never disrupts flights. It can, however, make it easier for controllers and airlines to recover when something goes wrong, which is ultimately what most passengers care about, getting back on schedule faster when storms, politics, or equipment failures knock the system off balance.