Becoming a commercial pilot is a very rewarding career, both financially and in terms of job satisfaction. Commercial pilots must go through extremely challenging and thorough training and they are compensated accordingly.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2019 median salary for airline and commercial pilots was $121,430. However, the salary range can vary widely depending on seniority, aircraft, and employer. Pilots can make anywhere between $30,000 and $600,000 (top pilots) per year. A pilot’s compensation depends on a variety of factors: seniority, employer, and type of aircraft flown.
In addition to salary, pilots also partake in their employers healthcare plan, life insurance, disability insurance, and retirement plans. On average, these retirement plans are extremely generous and outperform other industries.
Airline pilots are hourly employees and are paid based on flight hours. Due to FAA regulations, most pilots fly roughly 80 to 85 hours per month. However, you should expect to work more than 85 hours per month, as pilots are not paid for pre-flight hours, only for time in the cockpit flying.
In addition to hourly pay, pilots are also compensated per diem to reimburse them for expenses incurred while working. Per diem reimbursements can vary between $5,000 and $10,000 per year.
As you can see, pilots can make a lot of money while flying; however, the ranges discussed above are very broad. Let’s take a deeper look into how much money pilots can make at different stages in their career while flying for various carriers. In this article, we will analyze four subsections of the industry: regional airlines, legacy airlines, major-national airlines, and cargo carriers.
Before we begin, I want to thank our friends at Cleared2Retire for providing the compensation numbers we will review throughout the article. These numbers are based on 2020 pay scales from a variety of carriers and airlines.
Cleared2Retire is a FREE retirement calculation tool built specifically for pilots. It was started by a legacy airline pilot with the goal of helping other pilots plan for retirement. Their product encompasses all forms of compensation (salary, 401k, etc.) to give you a detailed look at your projected earnings and retirement readiness. Take a look into your future with their career progression tool that accounts for aircraft, seat progression, and employer when calculating your retirement.
Regional Airlines
Regional airlines are smaller airlines that typically fly smaller jets that hold between 50 and 75 passengers. Regional airlines are usually the place where most civilian pilots get their first airline job. There are some pilots who decide to remain at the regionals for their entire career, however many use the regionals as a stepping stone to get to a major airline. Some of the largest regional airlines include Republic Airways, Skywest Airlines, Envoy Air, Mesa Airlines, and PSA Airlines.
The pay at regional airlines is less than the pay at major airlines. Regional airline pilots can earn anywhere between $35,000 and $150,000 per year depending on seniority, location, and type of aircraft. However, the average salary of a regional airline pilot is roughly $65,000 per year.
The effective first-year pay for a regional airline pilot can vary greatly depending on the airline. For example, a First Officer at GoJet will likely earn $35,000 in their first year, whereas that same First Officer might earn $48,000 at Piedmont, PSA, or Envoy. Additionally, most regional airlines offer great incentives to new pilots in the form of signing and retention bonuses. Some regional airlines are willing to dish out $25,000 in signing bonuses to qualified pilots. Lastly, don’t forget about your couple of thousand in per diem that will add to your yearly earnings.
Please see the tables below to learn more about the pay at regional airlines. The first table shows the different pay scales for First Officers in their first year and Captains in years six and twelve. The second table shows the different incentives at the regional airlines.
| Airline | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| Endeavor | $48,960 | $95,360 | $109,440 |
| CommutAir | $35,520 | $69,120 | $80,640 |
| GoJet | $35,520 | $76,800 | $93,120 |
| Piedmont | $48,000 | $81,600 | $92,160 |
| PSA Airlines | $48,000 | $88,320 | $99,840 |
| Envoy Air | $48,000 | $86,720 | $98,560 |
| Republic | $44,160 | $96,960 | $111,360 |
| Skywest | $43,200 | $86,160 | $102,960 |
| Mesa | $34,560 | $72,000 | $85,760 |
| Air Wisconsin | $35,520 | $80,640 | $96,000 |
| Horizon Air | $38,400 | $78,538 | $96,960 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates.
| Airline | Incentive Program |
| Endeavor | $10,000 training completion bonus |
| CommutAir | $6,000 retention bonus |
| GoJet | $6,000 retention bonus |
| Piedmont | $18,000 new hire bonus, $33,000 bonus for Direct Entry Captains |
| PSA Airlines | $18,000 signing bonus ($10,000 upon starting, $8,000 after year one) |
| Envoy Air | $18,000 signing bonus ($10,000 upon starting, $8,000 after year one) |
| Republic | $6,000 retention bonus |
| Skywest | $7,500 bonus to pilots with a turbojet type rating or qualified military pilots |
| Mesa | $5,000 bonus for eligible type rated pilots with 500+ hours |
| Air Wisconsin | $8,000 Type Rating bonus |
| Horizon Air | New hire bonus ($20,000 for Q400 pilots, $10,000 for E175 pilots) |
As you can see, first year pay at different regionals varies widely, however they all begin to pay more as you progress in your career.
Legacy Airlines
Legacy airlines consist of some of the most well-known names in the industry: Delta, American, United, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaaian Airlines. It takes years of training and flying to become a pilot at a legacy airline. Once a pilot gets there, they likely finish their careers with that same airline. Pilots at legacy carriers receive great salaries and benefits. Salaries for legacy airline pilots range from $90,000 to $500,000. Some pilots have the ability to earn over $500,000 if they pick up extra hours and fly complex aircraft.
New hire First Officers at legacy airlines can earn close to six figures or even more in their first year. From there, pilots can easily increase their earnings as they become more senior and fly different aircraft.
The tables below outline the pay of pilots at the different legacy airlines. The first table shows the pay for pilots flying a narrow-body aircraft and the second shows the pay for pilots flying wide-body aircraft.
Narrow-Body Aircraft Compensation
| Airline | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| United | $86,886 | $260,485 | $273,643 |
| Delta | $87,289 | $249,421 | $262,247 |
| American | $86,400 | $258,880 | $271,680 |
| Alaska | $89,280 | $226,560 | $255,418 |
| Hawaiian | $34,560 | $221,280 | $231,360 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates.
Wide-Body Aircraft Compensation
| Airline | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| United | $86,886 | $300,838 | $315,674 |
| Delta | $87,289 | $299,270 | $313,968 |
| American | $86,400 | $297,920 | $312,614 |
| Hawaiian | $34,560 | $286,080 | $299,520 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates. Alaska has been excluded, as they do not operate wide-body aircraft.
As you can see, legacy airline pilots do very well for themselves, but keep in mind that the numbers listed above do not factor in annual bonuses and benefits – they are an estimate of the average salary. Therefore, legacy airline pilots are likely earning much more than the figures suggest.
Major-National Airlines
Next, we will take a look at the pay for pilots flying for major-national airlines, which include some very well known airlines. Pay can vary heavily depending on the carrier, so let’s just dive in and compare with the table below.
| Airline | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| Allegiant | $54,067 | $186,778 | $218,235 |
| Frontier | $55,680 | $201,600 | $235,200 |
| JetBlue | $85,440 | $216,960 | $232,320 |
| Southwest | $80,640 | $245,760 | $263,040 |
| Spirit | $55,680 | $203,520 | $237,120 |
| Sun Country | $49,920 | $148,800 | $181,440 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates. These airlines only operate narrow-body aircraft.
As you can see, major-national pilots can do very well if they progress through the pipeline, but the pay does differ significantly depending on the airline. Compensation at major-national airlines is very similar to the pay at legacy carriers.
Cargo Carriers
Now, we can take a look at the pay you might expect throughout your career if you decide you want to fly for a cargo carrier. The tables below show the compensation for pilots at different stages of their career. The five carriers we will examine are ABX, Atlas, Kalitta, FedEx, and UPS. The first table shows compensation for narrow-body pilots, while the second represents pay for wide-body pilots.
Narrow-Body Aircraft Compensation
| Carrier | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| Atlas | $83,520 | $143,040 | $170,880 |
| FedEx | $74,880 | $247,680 | $261,120 |
| UPS | $46,080 | $291,840 | $305,280 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates. ABX, and Kalitta do not operate narrow-body aircraft and are excluded from this table.
Wide-Body Aircraft Compensation
| Carrier | First Officer (Year One) | Captain (Year 6) | Captain (Year 12) |
| ABX | $49,920 | $197,760 | $210,240 |
| Atlas | $83,520 | $172,800 | $206,400 |
| Kalitta | $111,360 | $184,320 | $248,620 |
| FedEx | $77,760 | $289,920 | $304,320 |
| UPS | $46,080 | $291,840 | $305,280 |
These estimates are based on flying 80 hours per month. These are not future predictions and serve solely as estimates.
You may not have known how much cargo pilots actually make. I had no idea and was a little shocked when I learned about their compensation. I highly recommend looking into flying cargo – any cargo pilot I know loves what they do (and they love the pay as well)!
Conclusion
Many people are unaware of the truth behind pilot compensation. I would bet that most people do not think pilots earn more than six figures per year. I know from experience, asking friends and family, that this holds true. Those close to me are shocked when they find out how much pilots are paid.
Hopefully this article has helped clear the air on the pilot compensation question. Please note that these are estimates and should not serve as any sort of prediction for your future compensation. I hope this serves as motivation to complete your training so you can make your way to earning the big bucks. Flying is an amazing experience and the travel, fun, and views associated with flying far outweigh the financial compensation. Good luck in your flying endeavors and stay safe!