Pilots are among the best-paid professionals in the world, particularly as they climb up the ranks of seniority. Airline pilots in the United States have secured bumper new contracts in recent years, aided by their stronger bargaining power amid a shortage of pilots, so it is now more lucrative than ever to become an airline pilot.
How much a pilot is paid depends on a variety of factors, including seniority level, role as first officer or captain, aircraft type and annual hours flown. First-year pilots at a regional airline can start on $50,000 per year, while a veteran widebody pilot at a major US carrier can take home upwards of $400,000 annually. Let’s take a closer look at the salary of an airline captain in the US in 2025.
A Captain’s Salary In The US
Airline pilots are paid according to an hourly structure based on the concept of block time. This means their hourly rate starts from the moment the aircraft first pushes back from the gate and finishes when it reaches the gate at its destination airport. While this is not the only form of compensation a pilot receives for their work, it makes up the bulk of their annual paycheck.
Hourly rates for a captain vary considerably according to a range of factors (explored more below). As per Thrust Flight, on the lower end of the scale, a Year 1 captain at a regional airline can expect to earn around $140-150 per hour, while at a mainline carrier, this can jump up to $220-230 per hour or more. The pay scale doesn’t rise that much for a regional captain, typically maxing out at around $200 per hour. But senior captains at major airlines have a much higher ceiling, particularly with larger aircraft types, exceeding $350 per hour at Year 12 and beyond.
Pilots will have a contracted monthly minimum guarantee, ensuring they are always paid for a specified number of hours flown. For example, a pilot who has a contract stipulating 75 minimum hours would always be paid this amount even if their monthly hours flown fall below this figure, due to factors like cancellations or other delays. But if they clock in 79 hours for that month, they would then be paid accordingly. Generally speaking, airline pilots tend to log around 80 monthly hours, so we will use this as the standard for calculating annual salaries.
Annual Salaries Of A US Captain
The gulf in pay between a captain of a regional airline and a mainline carrier is considerable, with the latter typically earning over twice as much by the end of the year. As mentioned, seniority is a huge factor in pay. Junior captains can expect to earn at least $130,000 per year with a regional airline, which is much higher than the $50,000-60,000 a first officer at the same airline would get. At a larger mainline carrier, this gets bumped up to around $200,000 per year for captains in their first year.
US FlightCo provides an estimate of how much senior captains are earning each year at the five largest US carriers, noting that salaries are the highest they have ever been, thanks to recent new contract agreements. These estimates are based on 80 monthly flight hours for certain aircraft types at each carrier:
|
Airline |
Pay Rate (Year 12+ Captain) |
Estimated Annual Pay |
|---|---|---|
|
Delta Air Lines |
$361/hour (Airbus A350) |
$325,000 – $400,000+ |
|
United Airlines |
$338/hour (Boeing 787) |
$300,000 – $380,000 |
|
American Airlines |
$330/hour (Boeing 777) |
$290,000 – $375,000 |
|
Alaska Airlines |
$269/hour (Boeing 737) |
$230,000 – $300,000 |
|
Southwest Airlines |
$284/hour (Boeing 737) |
$250,000 – $325,000 |
Bear in mind that these salaries are calculated based on flight pay only. Pilots also receive other forms of remuneration, such as per diem pay, which is paid out as a meal and travel allowance on an hourly basis. This is usually around $3 per hour on domestic flights and up to $5 per hour on international assignments, and adds up to quite a lot by the end of each month (plus it isn’t taxed). Pilots are also entitled to premium pay if doing overtime, and this can be anywhere from 1.5 to 3x their base hourly pay on such flights. As explained by ATP Flight School,
“Airline pilots are compensated through a multifaceted pay structure that includes a base salary, hourly pay, and a range of benefits. This structure is designed to account for various factors such as experience, seniority, and the type of aircraft flown. Typically, pilots receive a base salary that is paid monthly, which can range from $50,000 to over $200,000 per year depending on the airline and the pilot’s experience.”
Factors Influencing Hourly Rate
With hourly pay as the bread-and-butter of a pilot’s annual earnings, there are a number of factors determining how this is calculated. Each airline offers its own standard pay structure, with larger carriers like American, Delta and United typically paying out the highest rates. Firstly, let’s clarify when exactly block hours come into play. Pilots clock in as soon as the aircraft pushes back from the gate before departure, and will keep accumulating time on the job until the plane reaches the gate at its destination.
Much like flight attendants, this means they aren’t paid for pre-flight or post-flight duties, such as pre-flight checks, briefings and during boarding. So, how are these hourly rates determined from pilot to pilot? There is a pay scale based on years spent at the airline, with pay rising each year. The gulf in pay between a novice first officer and a senior FO is greater, with Year 12 FOs usually earning at least double what a Year 1 FO would. Contrast this to a captain, where the starting Year 1 pay is already very high, so the increase in pay as the years go on isn’t as steep.
Seat position is crucial, with captains taking home anywhere from 50% to 200% more than first officers, depending on aircraft and seniority. Then there is the aircraft type involved, with pilots of larger aircraft commanding a higher hourly rate. For example, at Delta, a Year 1 captain of an Airbus A350 would get over $300 per hour, but a Year 1 Boeing 737 captain would command around $240 per flight hour.
Fast-Track To Captain
Many carriers are promoting first officers to the captain position more rapidly than ever due to an industry-wide shortage of pilots. For example, the pipeline to become a captain at a regional carrier ordinarily takes between two and five years, but many airlines have recently been promoting pilots within just six to 12 months due to shortages.
Some regional carriers also offer Direct-Entry Captain (DEC) programs, but these are not for brand-new pilots who have just gotten out of flight school. Instead, this is to encourage experienced pilots from other airlines or backgrounds, like military pilots, to make the switch.
This is helping younger pilots climb up the salary ladder a lot quicker than expected, making the career path of being a pilot even more enticing.
Becoming A Pilot Is Expensive
With the industry still in dire need of pilots, there hasn’t been a better time to embark on the career path to becoming a pilot. But it is a challenging and often expensive career choice that may not be for everyone.
To even be considered for a pilot position, applicants need to meet rigorous experience and qualification requirements, including hitting minimum flight hours, obtaining the necessary license and passing medical and background checks.
Unfortunately, this will all need to be paid for by the individual themselves, unless they are lucky enough to get accepted into a scholarship program. For example, British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy has covered the full cost of becoming a pilot for dozens of candidates. As summarized by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority,
“With an initial investment required of almost £100,000 ($133,000) before you are in a position to even apply for a job, it is important that you make sure it is the correct career for you.”
Pilot Pay Continues To Rise
Pilot pay worldwide has been steadily increasing over the years, none more so than in the US, where pilots at major airlines have secured major salary increases. According to ATP Flight School, the average commercial pilot salary in 2024 was over $122,000, which was a $10,000 year-on-year increase.
The median airline pilot salary was over $226,000 in the same year, representing a 12% yearly increase and a massive rise from the $130,000 figure from 2016. Other financial and life perks are also on the up, with airlines eager to attract new pilots with attractive signing bonuses and other benefits.
There will continue to be huge demand for new pilots as the years go on, due to industry growth and existing pilot retirements. With commercial air travel expected to double by the 2040s, Boeing has projected the need for up to 660,000 new pilots over the next 20 years to keep up.
