Does FAA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, FAA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at FAA. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at FAA?

71% of FAA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated FAA 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at FAA?

Air Traffic Control Specialist (153) , Air Traffic Controller (122) , Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (47) , Aviation Safety Inspector (40) , Management and Program Analyst (33) , ATC Specialist (29) , Aerospace Engineer (29) , ATSS FG-2101 (28) , Intern (24) , Engineer (23) , Civil Engineer (20) , Program Manager (20) , Manager (17) , Air Traffic Controller Trainee (14) , Computer Specialist (14)

What are the pros of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"benefits are great and day to day work is great" ((in 204 reviews)); "Pay is good but not great unless you are a controller or have been in for a while." ((in 158 reviews)); "Great people that care about aviation and the work they do." ((in 67 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 54 reviews)); ""Job security" is great and once you know what you are supposed to do you can then explore other areas or job functions." ((in 53 reviews))

What are the cons of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"Management is incompetent and often take the path of least resistance to progress their own careers." ((in 56 reviews)); "Initial training could be great or it could be terrible depending on your location." ((in 21 reviews)); "bureaucracy Upper management is on their own power trip, often forget to do their actual JOB." ((in 16 reviews)); "Shift work and rotating schedules" ((in 14 reviews)); "I had seen where other reviews pointed out poor leadership caused by people being promoted due to poor performance." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about FAA layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about FAA layoffs and their outlook for job security at FAA in 2026.

FAA reviews

3.8

71% would recommend to a friend

(1,455 total reviews)

Pete Buttigieg | Michael G. Whitaker | Kathryn “Katie” Thomson

68% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

FAA has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,455 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The FAA employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Gobierno y administración pública industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

4.0

Feb 23, 2014

Personal growth and reaching my full potential

Senior manager-communications

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The opportunity to expand one's learning, skills and role in the agency by taking on assignments, creating a working network of professionals in the agency, learning to work around frustrations inherent in large institutions.

Cons

It is a large agency and one can feel pigeonholed.

4.0

Feb 12, 2014

Air Traffic Control, Air Traffic Manager, TMU, QA, Programs

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay, smart people. Early retirement. 8-10 hour work day max. Fun job for the first 20 years. Respectful work.

Cons

Bad work hours. Work holidays, weekends, etc. Little to no control over where you live. Top out in pay quickly.

3.0

Feb 11, 2014

Started out great, and went downhill about halfway through!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is good, benefits are great (as long as Congress doesn't change what they promised you when you hired on), and co-workers.

Cons

Management - most managers, including field facility management, do not belong in management. They are power hungry, egotistical, and do what they want knowing they are going against the directives/orders. I've had upper managers tell me they do what they want and then apologize later. You would think that a happy employee is a productive employee, but not with the FAA. Having to deal with Congress/Senate every year not knowing if you will have a job because they can't agree on a budget...case in point...October 2013 federal government shut down for 16 days.

Viewing 1354 - 1356 of 1,455 Reviews

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FAA

FAA reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Personal growth and reaching my full potential

Air Traffic Control, Air Traffic Manager, TMU, QA, Programs

Started out great, and went downhill about halfway through!

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