What Does a Commercial Airline Pilot Make?
The Basics: How Pilots are Compensated
As a commercial airline pilot, salary is only part of the compensation package. The average annual salary for a commercial airline pilot can vary greatly depending on factors such as the type of aircraft flown, size of the airline, region, experience, and pilot type. In this article, we will explore what a commercial airline pilot earns, breaking down the main factors that affect their salaries.
Annual Salary by Experience Level
| Experience Level | Annual Salary (USD) |
|---|---|
| First Officers (<2 years of experience) | $80,000 – $90,000 |
| Captain/Line Captains (2-5 years of experience) | $110,000 – $140,000 |
| Check Captains/Routing Captains (5-10 years of experience) | $120,000 – $170,000 |
| DCM/DPM/HFC (Directors Captain Mentor/Pilot Mentor or Headquarters Flying Captain) (>10 years of experience) | $180,000 – $220,000 |
As seen in the table, experienced pilots (check captains/routing captains and above) tend to earn higher salaries, even in excess of $250,000. Additional sources of income, like flying instructor work, ferry flights, and aircraft owners, can increase pilots’ total income by up to $100,000 more.
Total Compensation: Factors Beyond Just Salary
Airline pilots’ pay packets extend far beyond mere salaries. Benefits, benefits sharing, bonuses, per diem allowances, medical benefits, and pension/retirement schemes all come into play.
Inflight Allowances and Accommodation:
- Flight Per Diem (DP) allows pilots to reimburse their meals, hotel accommodation, and miscellaneous expenses whilst away on flights.
- Flight Roster Allowances are monthly, tax-exempt amounts given to flight attendants, which supplement pilots’ daily DP’s.
- Layovers/Berth Overnights can grant extra income per flight (for instance, the EU requires airlines pay up to 40 E€ (~ 45$ USD) for layover/berth overnight)
Bones Flying Hours: Most airlines apply ‘bone flying hours.’ Each flying hour (time on flight duty) in addition to 10h per week on reserve/days off gets a pilot bonus payment (~$7,500 USD).
