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MRI

Merrill Tower

FAA Control Tower Anchorage, Alaska

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier MRI
Facility Name Merrill Tower
Airport Name Merrill Fld
Type Tower
Level Level 6
Core 30 Airport No
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0700-2200
Airspace Class Class D
Approach/Departure A11
Overlying ARTCC ZAN
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address 1950 E 5th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone Number 907-271-2698

Salary Information

2026 pay for Merrill Tower, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level Hourly Min. Hourly Max. Total Pay Min. Total Pay Max.
CPC $49.19 $66.41 $102,662 $138,590
D3 $44.43 $49.19 $92,732 $102,662
AG $30.16 $30.16 $62,944 $62,944
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay, and the additions listed under Pay Factors. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.
Pay Factors
Facility Level Level 6
Locality Area Alaska
Locality Pay 32.36%
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) 1.49% (tax-free)
Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index 105.4 (5.4% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min $97,384
How this pay is calculated
Basic Pay (Level 6 CPC band minimum) $76,699
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska) + $24,820
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3) $101,519
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free) + $1,143
= Total Pay $102,662

Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so lines can differ from the total by a dollar or two.

ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.

Staffing and Training

Staffing Information, August 2026
CPCs on Board 8 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 12 CPCs
Current Staffing 66.67%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 3.1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 0.6
↳ Academy Graduates1
↳ Developmental 33
Training Information, August 2026
Training Time (Avg) 0.78 years
↳ New Hires 0.96 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 0.47 years
Training Success Rate (Avg) 77%
↳ New Hires 82%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 90%
Travel Days from Academy 9 days

Historical Trends

MRI Staffing Percentages

MRI Personnel Counts

MRI Training Metrics

NCEPT

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities. See MRI transfer selections on the Transfer Flow Map.

Eligibility & Staffing, August 2026
Staffing Source Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time) 88.33%
Gaining Target 105.00%
Possible Gains 3
Primary Releases Avail. 0
Secondary Releases Avail. 0
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 2
↳ Standard 2
↳ Priority/Other 0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 0
Last Standard Release 1.5 years ago

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained 1
Released 3
Net -2
Top Origins AFW (1)
Top Destinations A11 (1), ANC (1), ORD (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

July 2025 - June 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 141,640 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 388 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 6 Tower)
139,448 operations/yr
Relative Workload +1.6% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Western
District Alaska
HR Region Northwest Mountain

Nearest Facilities

ZAN Anchorage ARTCC FAA 2 mi
EDF Elmendorf AFB DoD 3 mi
A11 Anchorage TRACON FAA 5 mi
ANC Anchorage Tower FAA 6 mi
FRN Bryant AAF DoD 7 mi
ENA Kenai Tower FCT 65 mi
BIG Allen AAF DoD 233 mi
EIL Eielson AFB DoD 254 mi
FAI Fairbanks Tower FAA 257 mi
ADQ Kodiak Tower FCT 257 mi