How Many Years Does It Take To Make Over $400,000 As A Pilot?

Summary

  • Pilot salaries in the US are increasing rapidly due to shortages, with some experienced captains earning over $400,000.
  • The progression to top roles and salaries can be lengthy, starting from regional airlines with salaries between $50,000 and $100,000.
  • Differences exist between airlines, with top the 25% at United Airlines earning up to $675,000.

It is generally accepted that being an airline pilot is a well-paid job. As with most jobs, pay increases with time and experience. This is especially so these days in the US, where a shortage of pilots combined with strong unions has pushed top-end pay very high. Experienced captains with the main airlines can earn top salaries.

High salaries for experienced pilots

Pay levels for new pilots in some areas may start relatively low, but they should rise quickly. This makes sense as the role is highly responsible, and there are significant upfront training costs that most pilots have made (plus time spent building hours before moving to an airline).

Pilot pay rates in the US have increased rapidly in recent years, with significant shortages being experienced and expected to worsen. This is especially the case for the most senior and experienced captains.

There have been reports that some such experienced pilots are earning in excess of $400,000 per year. This is certainly high, but some experienced captains (likely with well over 20 years of experience) are earning this much.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for all US pilots as at May 2023 was $250,050. This has increased since, with some airlines offering pay raises recently.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data is actually broken down further into pilot categories. This makes for interesting reading – airline (Scheduled Air Transportation) pilots are among the highest category, but those working for cargo carriers average even higher. The table below summarizes some of their analysis for 2023:

Role

Number employed (US, May 2023)

Annual mean wage (USD)

Couriers and Express Delivery Services

4,610

342,560

Scheduled Air Transportation

79,790

257,840

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (charters etc)

850

162,480

Federal, State, and government pilots

2,800

125,830

Pilots in company management or executive roles

1,920

152,670

Salary increasing over the years

The progression to the top roles (and salaries) can be long. After all, training for most takes up to two years, and in the US, new pilots then need to build hours up to 1,500 before applying to airlines. This can take up to two years again and is often done as a flying instructor.

A student pilot with their instructor.

Photo: venuswix | Shutterstock

Most will then join a regional airline for several years before moving to a major carrier. This is a standard route in the US, with additional type hours requirements for the major airlines.

Starting salaries for pilots at regional airlines are between $50,000 and $100,000 (for the full package of various elements). Salary details here are based on research from the website The Pilot Guys.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-400ER Landing

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

To see how quickly salaries increase once at a major airline, we will consider salaries for Delta Air Lines
. Simple Flying looked into this recently in detail (based on data from Thrust Flight for 2023 estimates). This showed a typical starting salary of $110,000, rising quickly with seniority.

Rank and experience

Salary estimation

First Officer – year 1

$110,000

First Officer – year 5

$208,000

First Officer – year 8

$233,000

Captain – year 1

$313,000

Captain – year 5

$323,000

Captain – year 12

$341,000

Looking further at the top captain earnings, we turn again to analysis from The Pilot Guys. It considered the different groups of pilots, and showed that the top 25% (the most experienced) are earning up to $404,000. These rates are higher at other carriers, such as up to $675,000 at United Airlines.

Aircraft Captain

Photo: Svitlana Hulko | Shutterstock

To reach these higher levels, you would expect then to have worked two years before joining an airline, around four years at a regional airline, and then over 16 years (possibly more) increasing in seniority at a major airline.

Differences between the airlines

The case above looked at Delta Air Lines as a typical example. According to the ATP Flight School, Delta Air Lines is one of the top-paying airlines in the United States for captains with 12 years or more of experience. Captains at Delta Air Lines can earn a salary of $279,408.

Rates, though, are different between the airlines, with differing challenges, workforces, and union representation. Analysis from the Pilot Guys showed earnings for the top 25% of pilots of the following:

  • United Airlines – between $299,000 and $675,000.
  • Southwest Airlines – between $338,000 and $613,000.
United Airlines Boeing 787-10 landing at Los Angeles International Airport LAX shutterstock_1894185601
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

Lower salaries in other countries

While $400k may be possible in the US, rates are generally lower elsewhere. Research by the website The Pilot Guys showed an average pilot salary in the UK of £82,000 ($104,000), with maximum levels at British Airways
of up to £233,000 ($295,000).

There are several other considerations, such as pension contributions, which are generally higher in the UK. Rates are similar in Europe, and there are high rates, too, in Asia, with captain salaries of $400k possible in certain countries and airlines.

British Airways pilots and cabin crew.

Photo: British Airways

While top salaries can vary a lot depending on need, things are a bit clearer with average salaries. Many European countries are high up here. Simple Flying looked recently at some analysis from Yahoo! Finance (for March 2024 data), which showed the following countries for the top 10 average pilot salaries:

Rank

Country

Average annual salary per Yahoo! Finance

1

Switzerland

$172,610

2

Luxembourg

$146,809

3

United States

$132,569

4

Denmark

$127,515

5

Belgium

$122,930

6

United Kingdom

$121,028

7

Canada

$112,169

8

Germany

$111,419

9

Australia

$110,314

10

Norway

$109,352

11

Netherlands

$109,056

12

Austria

$108,685

13

Ireland

$104,995

14

Japan

$104,840

15

United Arab Emirates

$104,699

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