Discussing pilot salaries is no easy task. This is because pay rates vary across different sectors. Then, pay rates vary by aircraft type, whether one is a first officer or captain, and time of employment.

The most common route for pilots is to fly commercially for airlines. According to CAE, a flight training company, as of August 2023, there were 351,000 commercial pilots worldwide. At the same time, CAE published a study that predicted a need for an additional 252,000 commercial pilots by 2032.

In the United States, when considering a career as a pilot, there are three main routes one can take outside of the United States Air Force (USAF). The first is to be a commercial pilot for an airline, whether it be a regional carrier or a mainline commercial operator, like United Airlines. The second is to fly cargo aircraft for companies like UPS, FedEx, and Atlas Air. And the final is to be a corporate pilot, flying for companies like NetJets.

Pilots can also fly corporately for individual aircraft owners, though that is rare. There is a select number of people who also choose to make a career out of being a flight instructor at flight schools. But for the sake of this article, let’s break down commercial and cargo.

Commercial Pilots

As mentioned above, salaries range by airlines, aircraft types, seniority, and roles. Pilots are paid per flight hour, but the data shown below is rounded out annually.

According to ATP flight school, a starting salary for a first officer at a mainline airline in the United States is $81,943 based on 72 flight hours per month. The highest first officer salary with nearly the same amount of monthly hours is $117,900.

Lukas Souza United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 LAX-2

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

According to ATP, Sun Country Airlines and Frontier Airlines are the only two US carriers to start first officers out below $100,000 annually. For Sun Country, the $81,943 is calculated at 72 hours per month, while at Frontier, the $97,000 salary is calculated at 72 hours per month.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines currently have the same starting rate for its first officers on Airbus A320/Boeing 737 aircraft, $104,506 annually, calculated at 72 hours per month. United Airlines pays more, with $111,445 based on a 73-hour month.

Alaska Airlines’ salary calculated by ATP is based on a 75-hour month, and comes out to $114,928. At Southwest Airlines, the $121,171 salary is based on an 87-hour month.

Captain salaries have more variation, as shown in the table below:

Airline

Salary (year 6)

Hours/month

American Airlines

$286,814

72

Delta Air Lines

$298,759

72

United Airlines

$315,583

73

Alaska Airlines

$310,984

75

Southwest Airlines

$303,996

87

Frontier Airlines

$319,723

75

Spirit Airlines

$313,467

72

Avelo Airlines

$240,300

70

Sun Country Airlines

$220,966

72

Breeze Airways

$230,200

70

Pilots at the ‘Big Three’ carriers, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, have the potential to earn even more than the figures listed above. This is because the three airlines operate widebody aircraft, and the pay rates for those are significantly higher.

For example, on a Delta Airbus A350, a captain would start out with a $369,000 annual salary based on 75 flight hours and an additional annual per diem of $7,000. By year 6, that captain could be making $384,300, and by year 12, $402.300.

N514DN Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-941 at Miami Airport

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

In September 2023, United Airlines pilots agreed to a new contract after years of negotiations. The new package was approved by 82% of its pilots and represented an increase of $10 billion over the previous deal. At the time, United CEO Scott Kirby said,

“I’m happy for our pilots who ratified an industry-leading contract today. We are the largest and best airline in the world because of our people, and I’m happy to give them a great contract that ensures we can continue to the United Next growth that is creating great careers for everyone here at United Airlines – and a great route network and customer service for our large and growing customer base.”

Cargo pilots

Data from ATP shows that the starting first officer salary for UPS and FedEx pilots is much lower than most mainline carriers. At UPS, the salary, based on 75 flight hours a month, is $63,442. The data does not specify which type of aircraft this is for.

At FedEx, a first officer starting on the Airbus A310, flying 85 hours monthly, would make $82,690. Though FedEx has a higher starting first officer pay, UPS beats its captain salaries at years 6 and 12. A six-year captain at FedEx averages out to $287,566 annually, while at UPS, a captain with the same experience will make $358,789.

fedex dc-10

In year twelve, a captain at FedEx will average $300,859, while at UPS, a captain will average $375,472. Though the US has some of the highest salaries for cargo pilots, Singapore Airlines Cargo pays significantly more than FedEx and UPS. According to Aviation Job Search, Singapore Airlines Cargo pilots earn an average of $118,953 annually.

According to a previous report from Simple Flying, which compiled data from Thrust Flight which was last updated in November 2022, here are some salaries for captains at other cargo companies:

Airline

Entry (1-3 yrs)

Average (4-8 yrs)

Senior (8+ yrs)

Air Transport International

$147,000

$234,000

$255,000

Atlas Air

$92,000

$160,000

$172,000

Kalitta Air

$154,000

$244,000

$266,000

Southern Air

$142,000

$160,000

$196,000

Atlas Air final Boeing 747 taking off from Paine Field (PAE)

Photo: Lukas Souza / Simple Flying

Below is a table comparing first officer salaries at the same companies:

Airline

Entry (1-3 yrs)

Average (4-8 yrs)

Senior (8+ yrs)

Air Transport International

$83,000

$151,000

$181,000

Atlas Air

$87,000

$108,000

$137,000

Kalitta Air

$116,000

$162,000

$193,000

Southern Air

$87,000

$108,000

$137,000

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