A Center’s primary function is to control and separate air traffic within a designated airspace, which may cover more than 100,000 square miles, may span several states, and extends from the base of the underlying controlled airspace up to Flight Level (FL) 600. There are 21 Centers located throughout the U.S., each of which is divided into sectors. Controllers assigned to these sectors, which range from 50 to over 200 miles wide, guide aircraft toward their intended destination by way of vectors and/or airway assignment, routing aircraft around weather and other traffic. Centers employ 300 to 700 controllers, with more than 150 on duty during peak hours at the busier facilities. A typical flight by a commercial airliner is handled mostly by the Centers.
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