— Press Kit

For journalists,
writers, and avgeeks.

Everything you need to write about Thank ATC — quick facts, copy you can lift, quotes, and contact info. Reach out anytime.

At a glance

What it is
A free website where anyone can post a public thank-you to the air traffic controllers and pilots who got them home. Every one of the 316 U.S. ATC facilities has its own thank-you wall. Optional donations go to aviation charities.
Why it exists
Controllers and pilots are legally restricted from accepting tips. Until now, there was no easy way to thank them — even though most people fly multiple times a year.
Funds routed to
Controllers: 100% to the NATCA Charitable Foundation. Pilots: 100% to the donor's choice of ALPA Pilots for Pilots, the Delta Pilots' Charitable Fund, the SWAPA Pilot Relief Fund, or the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation.
Cut taken by Thank ATC
Zero. The site never collects or holds donor funds — donors give directly to the listed 501(c)(3) charities.
Website
thankatc.com
Press contact
Contact form

The story behind the project

Every commercial flight in the United States involves a coordinated handoff between 8 to 12 air traffic controllers — invisible voices ensuring that 45,000 daily flights and 2.9 million daily passengers land safely. The pilots in the cockpit have spent more hours training than most surgeons spend in residency.

Neither group can accept a tip. Federal ethics rules (5 C.F.R. § 2635) prohibit controllers, as federal employees, from accepting gratuities. Airline pilots are similarly restricted by company policy and FAA guidance. So the gratitude most passengers feel after a turbulent flight, a tricky landing, or simply getting home for the holidays has nowhere to go.

Thank ATC is built to be that channel — directing public thanks into the charitable foundations these professions run for themselves. The NATCA Charitable Foundation supported 123 charities across 38 states in 2025. ALPA's Pilots for Pilots fund has aided hundreds of pilot families recovering from natural disasters. None of these organizations have a major public presence; most travelers have never heard of them. Thank ATC changes that.

Quick numbers

45,000
flights handled daily by U.S. air traffic controllers
2.9 million
passengers safely guided home each day
80,000+
airline pilots represented by ALPA alone
123 / 38
charities supported across 38 states by the NATCA Charitable Foundation in 2025
Below 5%
NATCA Charitable Foundation operating expense ratio since 1998
Zero paychecks
controllers received during recent government shutdowns while still required to work

Quotes (yours to use)

"Every time you land safely, two groups of people made that happen — and you'll never meet either of them. They can't take a tip. So how do you ever say thank you? That's what we built."
— Thank ATC
"This isn't a tipping app — it's a thank-you app. The money goes to disaster relief, scholarships for controllers' kids, and emergency aid for pilots' families. The people you're thanking don't see a dollar of it, and that's exactly what makes it legal and right."
— Thank ATC
"Air traffic control has a 3,000-controller shortage. Pilots flew through two shutdowns in the last seven years without paychecks. These aren't abstractions — they're real people, and they could use the public's support. We're just giving people a way to actually deliver it."
— Thank ATC

Boilerplate descriptions (copy and paste)

Short description (one sentence)
Thank ATC is a free website where anyone can post a public thank-you to the air traffic controllers and pilots who got them home, with an optional donation to their own charities, because tipping them isn't legally possible.
Medium description (one paragraph)
Thank ATC (thankatc.com) is an independent project that gives travelers a way to thank the air traffic controllers and pilots behind their flights. Each of the 316 U.S. air traffic control facilities has its own public thank-you wall, where anyone can post a note for free with no sign-up, whether the flight was today or years ago. Because controllers and pilots cannot legally accept tips, visitors who want to do more can make an optional tax-deductible donation: 100% of controller donations go to the NATCA Charitable Foundation, and pilot donations go to the pilot charity the donor chooses. Thank ATC takes no cut and never holds donor funds.
Long description (full pitch)
Every commercial flight in the United States is shepherded by 8 to 12 air traffic controllers and a flight crew that spent thousands of hours in training. Yet neither can legally accept a tip — federal ethics rules prohibit gifts to controllers, who are FAA employees, and airline policy and FAA guidance bar pilots from taking passenger gratuities. Thank ATC, an independent project, gives passengers two ways to say it: a free public note on the thank-you wall of the facility that handled their flight, and an optional tax-deductible donation to one of several vetted 501(c)(3) aviation charities to thank the controllers or crew on a specific facility, airline, or flight. The site never collects funds; donors give directly to the receiving charity. Beneficiary organizations include the NATCA Charitable Foundation (which supported 123 charities across 38 states in 2025), the ALPA Pilots for Pilots emergency relief fund, the Delta Pilots' Charitable Fund, and 9/11 legacy aviation scholarships. Thank ATC is independently operated and is not affiliated with the FAA, NATCA, ALPA, or any airline.

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