The acute shortage of pilots qualified to fly for the airlines is causing regional airlines to offer huge signing bonuses to pilots. Airlines are offering substantial incentives to their pilots to stay at that airline and not leave for other airlines. Comparisons of these incentives are shown in the table below.
| Airline | Signing/Retention Program | Effective Wages Year One | Captain Upgrade Time/Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavor | $10,000 Training Completion Bonus, $2,000 Pilot Referral Bonus. | $71,000 | 2.0 |
| CommutAir | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI & $6,000 Retention Bonus. $2,500 Pilot Referral Bonus. | $50,500 | 1.5 |
| Silver | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI plus $6,000 Retention Bonus OR a $12,000 Signing Bonus: $3000 paid upon completion of training, $3000 paid after one year, and $6000 after the second year. $2,500 per pilot referral bonus. | $53,100 | 1.5 |
| GoJet | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI & $6,000 Retention Bonus. | $47,100 | 1.5 |
| Piedmont | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI plus $6,000 Retention Bonus drawn from signing bonus OR a $18,000 New Hire Bonus. Direct Entry Captains receive a $33,000 signing bonus. | $76,000 | 1.5 |
| PSA | $18,000 Signing Bonus, $10,000 upon completion of IOE/$8000 at end of year one. | $76,000 | 1.5 |
| Envoy Air | Receive a $10,000 bonus when you complete training, and an additional $8,000 bonus after completing one year of service. $5,000 of the training completion bonus can be drawn as a Tuition Assistance bonus as a Cadet Flight Instructor. | $76,000 | 2.0 |
| Republic | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI & $6,000 Retention bonus. | $64,500 | 1.5 |
| SkyWest | $17,500 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as a CFI. A $7,500 bonus for pilots with current turbojet type rating is available upon completion of IOE. The $7,500 bonus is also available for qualified military pilots. | $55,250 | 1.5 |
| Mesa | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI & $7,500 Retention Bonus. $5,000 bonus for eligible type rated pilots with 500+ hours of experience. | $46,200 | 1.5 |
| ExpressJet | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI plus $6,000 Retention Bonus, $10,000 earned quarterly override paid out in $2,500 increments, $1,000 pilot referral bonus, $5000 Type Rating Bonus. | $59,100 | 1.5 |
| Air Wisconsin | $8,000 Type Rating bonus. | $47,100 | 1.2 |
| Horizon Air | $5,000 ATP Tuition Reimbursement as CFI plus $6,000 Retention Bonus drawn from New Hire bonus. New hire bonus ($20,000 for Q400 pilots, $10,000 for E175 pilots), Up to $5,200 in company performance bonus. Up to $5,400 per diem. | $73,500 | 1.5 |
