When considering a potential career there are many factors to look at. One of the most important factors is of course: earnings potential.
Trying to determine the salary of an airline pilot can be confusing, as there are so many different numbers floating around the internet. Pay varies widely by company and experience level and can range anywhere from $28,000 per year to several hundred thousand per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median pay for airline pilots of $114,200, but does not show the range of salaries. Payscale.com shows a median of $100,191 and a range of $37,774 to $273,010. These numbers only give us a glimpse of how much a pilot earns and how those earnings change over a career. In the coming paragraphs we will discuss how pilots get paid and why some pilots earn so much more than others.
The airlines are basically divided into two categories: regional airlines and major airlines. Regional airlines typically fly under the banner of a major airline but are not actually part of that airline; an example of this would be Envoy Air operating under the name “American Eagle.” Regional airlines usually fly smaller jets ranging from 50 to 75 passengers and are where most civilian pilots get their first airline job. Pay at the regional airlines is significantly less than at the major airlines. While some pilots choose to stay at the regionals, most use them as a stepping stone to the major airlines. Examples of regional airlines are Envoy Air, Compass Airlines, Mesa Airlines and Trans States Airlines.
Major airlines consist of the names we all know, such as American, Delta and United, along with the cargo carriers FedEx and UPS. Pilots work many years to get hired by a major airline and almost never leave one to work at another. Pilots at the major airlines enjoy strong salaries and good benefits.
Pilots are hourly employees, there are some other ways in which pilots earn money, but for the most part they get paid by the flight hour. Due to the constraints placed on pilots by the FAA, most of us fly about 85 hours per month. There are more work hours involved, such as preflight planning, but time in the cockpit, and thus the pay, is usually about 85 hours monthly. In addition to flight time pilots are also paid per diem, which serves to reimburse pilots for the food and beverage expenses that they incur on the road. For this discussion, we will add in $4,000 per year to every annual salary to reflect per diem.
Using this formula of 85 hours per month and the hourly pay rates found at www.PilotJobs.com first officers at Compass Airlines earn between $29,500 their first year to $48,880 their fifth year. A captain at Compass earns between $81,520 in their sixth year of work (six years with the airline, not as a captain) to $113,140 in their twentieth year. Keep in mind that a pilot who is participating in ATP's Tuition Reimbursement Program will earn an additional $6,000 during their first year of employment with a participating airline.
Once a pilot has worked at a regional for a few years they try to make the leap to the major airlines.
New hire pilots at United Airlines make $84,580 their first year of employment, while second-year pay jumps dramatically to $128,440. From there the pay can vary depending upon what equipment the pilot is on, but most fifth-year first officers at United are earning at least $155,980. A tenth-year first officer can easily break $200,000 if they want to pick up a few extra hours here and there.
The payoff in aviation comes when one becomes a captain for a major airline. A new captain at United makes $254,920 per year on the 737 while a senior captain on the 777 earns $315,100 per year. Again, these pilots can make more if they are willing to work harder, some as much as $400,000 or more per year.
In addition to the annual earnings quoted above pilots take part in company health insurance, life insurance and retirement plans. In many cases, these plans exceed what employees in other fields receive.
To summarize, pilots can expect to make between $29,500 and $113,400 while at the regionals and between $84,580 and $400,000 at the major airlines. That is excellent pay for a job that so many of us love doing.
Chris makes the encouraging point that careers flying for the airlines are available right now for people willing to begin flight training to enter that lucrative and exciting career. Chris made the right choice when deciding on where to get the best airline career oriented flight training and it has obviously paid off for him. Once you decide to fly for the airlines, get there ahead of your competition by training with ATP.
How Much Can You Really Earn as an Airline Pilot?
Published May 25, 2016 on Pilot Jobs
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Graduates of ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program are flying for virtually every airline in the United States at this time, as well as major airlines around the world. One such pilot is Chris Carey who flies for United Airlines. Chris stays in touch with us at ATP, and from time to time he shares his thoughts and experiences with us and all of you. Chris has updated a very interesting article he sent to us a while ago, and we would like to share it with you:
When considering a potential career there are many factors to look at. One of the most important factors is of course: earnings potential.
Trying to determine the salary of an airline pilot can be confusing, as there are so many different numbers floating around the internet. Pay varies widely by company and experience level and can range anywhere from $28,000 per year to several hundred thousand per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median pay for airline pilots of $114,200, but does not show the range of salaries. Payscale.com shows a median of $100,191 and a range of $37,774 to $273,010. These numbers only give us a glimpse of how much a pilot earns and how those earnings change over a career. In the coming paragraphs we will discuss how pilots get paid and why some pilots earn so much more than others.
The airlines are basically divided into two categories: regional airlines and major airlines. Regional airlines typically fly under the banner of a major airline but are not actually part of that airline; an example of this would be Envoy Air operating under the name “American Eagle.” Regional airlines usually fly smaller jets ranging from 50 to 75 passengers and are where most civilian pilots get their first airline job. Pay at the regional airlines is significantly less than at the major airlines. While some pilots choose to stay at the regionals, most use them as a stepping stone to the major airlines. Examples of regional airlines are Envoy Air, Compass Airlines, Mesa Airlines and Trans States Airlines.
Major airlines consist of the names we all know, such as American, Delta and United, along with the cargo carriers FedEx and UPS. Pilots work many years to get hired by a major airline and almost never leave one to work at another. Pilots at the major airlines enjoy strong salaries and good benefits.
Pilots are hourly employees, there are some other ways in which pilots earn money, but for the most part they get paid by the flight hour. Due to the constraints placed on pilots by the FAA, most of us fly about 85 hours per month. There are more work hours involved, such as preflight planning, but time in the cockpit, and thus the pay, is usually about 85 hours monthly. In addition to flight time pilots are also paid per diem, which serves to reimburse pilots for the food and beverage expenses that they incur on the road. For this discussion, we will add in $4,000 per year to every annual salary to reflect per diem.
Using this formula of 85 hours per month and the hourly pay rates found at www.PilotJobs.com first officers at Compass Airlines earn between $29,500 their first year to $48,880 their fifth year. A captain at Compass earns between $81,520 in their sixth year of work (six years with the airline, not as a captain) to $113,140 in their twentieth year. Keep in mind that a pilot who is participating in ATP's Tuition Reimbursement Program will earn an additional $6,000 during their first year of employment with a participating airline.
Once a pilot has worked at a regional for a few years they try to make the leap to the major airlines.
New hire pilots at United Airlines make $84,580 their first year of employment, while second-year pay jumps dramatically to $128,440. From there the pay can vary depending upon what equipment the pilot is on, but most fifth-year first officers at United are earning at least $155,980. A tenth-year first officer can easily break $200,000 if they want to pick up a few extra hours here and there.
The payoff in aviation comes when one becomes a captain for a major airline. A new captain at United makes $254,920 per year on the 737 while a senior captain on the 777 earns $315,100 per year. Again, these pilots can make more if they are willing to work harder, some as much as $400,000 or more per year.
In addition to the annual earnings quoted above pilots take part in company health insurance, life insurance and retirement plans. In many cases, these plans exceed what employees in other fields receive.
To summarize, pilots can expect to make between $29,500 and $113,400 while at the regionals and between $84,580 and $400,000 at the major airlines. That is excellent pay for a job that so many of us love doing.
Chris makes the encouraging point that careers flying for the airlines are available right now for people willing to begin flight training to enter that lucrative and exciting career. Chris made the right choice when deciding on where to get the best airline career oriented flight training and it has obviously paid off for him. Once you decide to fly for the airlines, get there ahead of your competition by training with ATP.
When considering a potential career there are many factors to look at. One of the most important factors is of course: earnings potential.
Trying to determine the salary of an airline pilot can be confusing, as there are so many different numbers floating around the internet. Pay varies widely by company and experience level and can range anywhere from $28,000 per year to several hundred thousand per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median pay for airline pilots of $114,200, but does not show the range of salaries. Payscale.com shows a median of $100,191 and a range of $37,774 to $273,010. These numbers only give us a glimpse of how much a pilot earns and how those earnings change over a career. In the coming paragraphs we will discuss how pilots get paid and why some pilots earn so much more than others.
The airlines are basically divided into two categories: regional airlines and major airlines. Regional airlines typically fly under the banner of a major airline but are not actually part of that airline; an example of this would be Envoy Air operating under the name “American Eagle.” Regional airlines usually fly smaller jets ranging from 50 to 75 passengers and are where most civilian pilots get their first airline job. Pay at the regional airlines is significantly less than at the major airlines. While some pilots choose to stay at the regionals, most use them as a stepping stone to the major airlines. Examples of regional airlines are Envoy Air, Compass Airlines, Mesa Airlines and Trans States Airlines.
Major airlines consist of the names we all know, such as American, Delta and United, along with the cargo carriers FedEx and UPS. Pilots work many years to get hired by a major airline and almost never leave one to work at another. Pilots at the major airlines enjoy strong salaries and good benefits.
Pilots are hourly employees, there are some other ways in which pilots earn money, but for the most part they get paid by the flight hour. Due to the constraints placed on pilots by the FAA, most of us fly about 85 hours per month. There are more work hours involved, such as preflight planning, but time in the cockpit, and thus the pay, is usually about 85 hours monthly. In addition to flight time pilots are also paid per diem, which serves to reimburse pilots for the food and beverage expenses that they incur on the road. For this discussion, we will add in $4,000 per year to every annual salary to reflect per diem.
Using this formula of 85 hours per month and the hourly pay rates found at www.PilotJobs.com first officers at Compass Airlines earn between $29,500 their first year to $48,880 their fifth year. A captain at Compass earns between $81,520 in their sixth year of work (six years with the airline, not as a captain) to $113,140 in their twentieth year. Keep in mind that a pilot who is participating in ATP's Tuition Reimbursement Program will earn an additional $6,000 during their first year of employment with a participating airline.
Once a pilot has worked at a regional for a few years they try to make the leap to the major airlines.
New hire pilots at United Airlines make $84,580 their first year of employment, while second-year pay jumps dramatically to $128,440. From there the pay can vary depending upon what equipment the pilot is on, but most fifth-year first officers at United are earning at least $155,980. A tenth-year first officer can easily break $200,000 if they want to pick up a few extra hours here and there.
The payoff in aviation comes when one becomes a captain for a major airline. A new captain at United makes $254,920 per year on the 737 while a senior captain on the 777 earns $315,100 per year. Again, these pilots can make more if they are willing to work harder, some as much as $400,000 or more per year.
In addition to the annual earnings quoted above pilots take part in company health insurance, life insurance and retirement plans. In many cases, these plans exceed what employees in other fields receive.
To summarize, pilots can expect to make between $29,500 and $113,400 while at the regionals and between $84,580 and $400,000 at the major airlines. That is excellent pay for a job that so many of us love doing.
Chris makes the encouraging point that careers flying for the airlines are available right now for people willing to begin flight training to enter that lucrative and exciting career. Chris made the right choice when deciding on where to get the best airline career oriented flight training and it has obviously paid off for him. Once you decide to fly for the airlines, get there ahead of your competition by training with ATP.
