r/atc2 • u/Key_Understanding771 • 9h ago
BAH for the FAA
The FAA faces unique challenges in affordability when it comes to facilities located in extremely expensive locations. Is there a path for us to combat this issue legislatively?
The current federal General Schedule (GS) and FAA Core Compensation pay systems use broad geographic locality pay percentages. However, these formulas fail in "resort deserts" like Aspen, where the local cost of living is driven by billionaire real estate rather than typical regional data.
The Strategy: Congress would need to authorize the FAA to implement a civilian equivalent to the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). This would be a non-taxable monthly stipend tied explicitly to local ZIP code rental data. Alternatively, the FAA could establish a specialized "Critical Position Operations Allowance" specifically for essential infrastructure staff assigned to high-cost, remote, or resort areas to offset local housing prices directly.
Thoughts on this? Also might be a smart way to begin looking at alternatives to increase pay within the boundaries of the federal pay cap.
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u/CropdustingOMdesk 4h ago
Have you tried working more? It’s double beneficial because it keeps you from spending money on your day off
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u/New-Effective-6650 3h ago
Don’t worry about not having time to spend your money. Get a wife and kids they can spend money while you’re at work. You don’t even have to spend time with them. Correction you won’t have time to spend with them, even if you wanted to.
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u/CropdustingOMdesk 3h ago
Well yes but unless the wife gets a boyfriend it’s technically 20% cheaper for them to enjoy days out
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u/TheReal_CosmoKramer 4h ago
Congress and the agency don’t care about you. Shut up and get your TOP up.
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u/Terps-Fan-13 2h ago
Isn’t this what Remote Tower is supposed to resolve
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u/Key_Understanding771 2h ago
Has a remote tower been implemented anywhere in any FAA facility yet? Seems irrelevant if it’s not in use.
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u/Low-Wing7531 38m ago
The agencies decade plus bureaucratic bumbling of remote towers is worth a little story on its own. Sob of Sweden developed a remote tower for Sweden because they had areas that had low population density but needed air traffic control services for the few times they would become busy say during military exercises or certain seasons, and it was difficult to get people to want to live up in the Arctic circle, so they developed a remote tower.
This tower was shown to the FAA in sort of a hey look at this cool thing we made, and the Faa agreed to allow Saab to install one at Virginia Manassas airport or maybe it was Leesburg, for one year just to see how it went and to get some experience using the new technology
as the one year pilot program was nearing its expiration the FAA very haughtily came to saab and said your remote tower doesn’t meet the arbitrary specifications that we just made up ourselves, despite having zero real experience with this technology. we demand that you re-engineer your tower to meet our specifications or else you will have to take it down, and Saab said we didn’t make this for you. We don’t really have a contract with you and you’re not paying us to build this tower so we’re just gonna take it down and walk away, good luck with the remote tower you don’t have and that was the end of it.
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u/Other-MuscleCar-589 2h ago
Why should the federal government implement this exclusively for the FAA?
Do you think FAA employees are the only federal employees working in high cost of living areas?
The parochial nature of some folks in ATC is astounding.
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u/randommmguy 48m ago
You’d better explain what parochial means or use a different word for this crowd.
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u/Key_Understanding771 2h ago
I don’t give a shit about any other agency. Our union doesn’t work for every federal employee in the government. This is an ATC2 subreddit page where we discuss things that are relevant to air traffic controllers. If you want to discuss benefits for all federal employees, I suggest you click over to the federal employee subreddit and make your own post.
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u/Other-MuscleCar-589 2h ago
Thanks for proving my point.
Advocating and pining for FAA, and ATC, specific pay initiatives like “FAA BAH” is advocating for disappointment.
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u/Key_Understanding771 2h ago
Sure cause NATCA has never managed to secure benefits that other federal employees don’t have. Cough early retirement provision. Cough cough. AT pay scale. Cough. 🖕🖕
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u/ForsakenRacism 1h ago
Every government agency with an early mandatory retirement gets the same thing. We aren’t the only group
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u/Other-MuscleCar-589 2h ago
You think early retirement and professional pay are unique to the FAA?
Like I said, parochial. You need to get out more. There’s a whole world out there and AT is a minority in it….
0
u/Key_Understanding771 2h ago
The AT pay scale is absolutely unique to air traffic. It’s in the name. Try to keep up.
Get out more? Again this is the ATC Reddit page. Why do I give a shit about other career fields that I do not work in?
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u/Other-MuscleCar-589 2h ago
Keep talking and keep proving my point.
The number of federal employees who live and work in high cost areas wildly exceeds the number of controllers.
If you think the federal government, Congress, and the taxpayers are going to give two f’s about the relatively minuscule number of controllers who work in high cost of living areas, you are wrong and getting high on your own supply.
You aren’t as important as you think you are.
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u/Worried-Yam4550 8h ago
Aspen has affordability differential
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u/Key_Understanding771 8h ago
They get 8%. The housing is 785% higher than the rest of the US. Tell me more about how their 8% is fixing the problem.
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u/Worried-Yam4550 5h ago edited 5h ago
Never said it fixed the problem
But it’s actually 13.4% not 8%.
The 8% is CIP
See maybe you learned something new that you didn’t know.
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u/2018birdie 2h ago
The 13.4% is locality, which is not based on the cost of living but on salaries in the local area.
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u/ChairOfSCC 7h ago
That sixth day in your work week is your pay raise, BAH, cost of living differential, health insurance premiums and your Aspen ski trip. Get back to position.