Tom Costello

Tom Costello is an American broadcast journalist and senior correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington, D.C. His reports appear across NBC News platforms, including online, "The Today Show," "NBC Nightly News," MSNBC, and CNBC. Costello's coverage spans aviation and transportation, NASA, consumer and regulatory issues, business, and economics. He also serves as a substitute anchor on NBC News Now, the network's streaming platform.

Costello's career includes international and financial reporting. He served as CNBC's London anchor, covering European financial markets, the adoption of the Euro currency, and the death of Princess Diana. He was CNBC's Nasdaq correspondent in New York and was on duty during the 9/11 attacks. Costello anchored and produced documentaries from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He joined NBC News as a New York-based correspondent and later moved to Washington, D.C., at the request of then-Bureau Chief Tim Russert.

Costello has been NBC News' lead aviation correspondent, covering major aviation stories such as the two fatal crashes of the 737-MAX and the subsequent investigations, the shootdown of a Ukrainian jetliner over Tehran, the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, the crash of Asiana flight 214 in San Francisco, Air France flight 447 over the Atlantic, and the Miracle on the Hudson landing. For the Miracle on the Hudson coverage, NBC News received a Sigma Delta Chi Award and a National Emmy Award for Breaking News Coverage. His reporting on space includes coverage of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams' extended stay on the International Space Station, NASA's Artemis moon program, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic space tourism flights, and robotic missions to the moon and to deflect asteroids. Costello also led NBC's coverage of the financial bailout talks in Congress, for which NBC was honored with a National Emmy Award.

Costello's journalism has been recognized with national and regional Emmy awards, Edward R. Murrow honors, National Headliner awards, the duPont-Columbia University Award for Excellence in Journalism, and awards from the Associated Press, Gannett, and the Radio Television Digital News Association. He was the first journalist to receive the National Air Traffic Controller Association's Sentinel of Safety Award for balanced reporting on aviation. Costello was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation and has received an honorary doctorate from Capitol Technology University in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a master's degree in international commerce from Boston University, and a certificate in cybersecurity risk management from HarvardX.

Beyond his on-air work, Costello has demonstrated a commitment to public service. He made headlines when he helped rescue a teenager from a burning car after an accident on I-495 in Montgomery County, Maryland, while driving home from work. An orthopedic surgeon and a nurse stopped to help, and together with Costello, they removed the 17-year-old driver from the vehicle and carried him down the off-ramp before the car exploded. Costello's experience covering aviation, space, cybersecurity, and economics positions him as an authoritative presence both on screen and as a speaker.