Pilot Compensation Up To $590,000 Per Year

[SubLGT]

Pilots at Delta and American will be getting big pay raises

American Airlines CEO tells pilots the carrier is prepared to increase pay to up to $590,000 per year

Delta’s pilots last week ratified a four-year contract with 34% in cumulative raises.

www.nbcnews.com

American Airlines is prepared to raise pilot pay to match that of Delta’s, including 40% cumulative increases in a potential four-year deal, CEO Robert Isom said in a message to pilots.

Last week, Delta became the first of the biggest U.S. airlines to reach a new contract with its 15,000 pilots. They ratified a four-year deal that grants them 34% cumulative raises and other quality-of-life improvements.......

“Let me be clear, American is prepared to match Delta’s pay rates and provide American’s pilots with the same profit-sharing formula as Delta’s pilots,” Isom said in the message to pilots, sent Tuesday and seen by CNBC.

An agreement could include 21% pay increases in the first year of the contract, Isom said. Factoring in higher 401(k) contributions by the end of a four-year deal, a captain flying narrow-body planes would make $475,000 at the top of the scale, up $135,000 from current pay, while the most senior captains of wide-body planes would make $590,000 per year, a $170,000 increase from today.

 

[Astro14]

It’s about time.

When airlines went through bankruptcy, twenty years ago, pilot pay was cut by huge percentages. 40% reduction in hourly rate at United. With the move down in position, my personal pay was cut, repeat, cut, by 68%.

I was left with 32% of my pay when the company was through shredding the contract. I stayed at those low wages until a few years ago.

Management had the upper hand - through courts and through an economic downturn that cut revenue.

Things have changed.

The pay cuts decades ago meant fewer pilots seeking jobs and created a huge shortage of pilots right as air travel is expanding.

Supply and demand, just like 20 years ago.

Only now, labor has the upper hand.

 

[Astro14]

By the way, if you would like to be one of those pilots, you had to have started 30+ years ago. Those are the guys at the top. That’s not starting pay.

But if you start right now, in 20 - 30 years, you’ll be near the top of the pay scale. A widebody Captain.

Maybe things will be good, like they are starting to become.

Maybe there will be another series of bankruptcies, and furloughs, and you’ll make nothing.

So, who is willing to take on the uncertainty? The risk?

 

[Propflux01]

Either way, I’ll pay more for my ticket. It all evens out in the end From the consumers point.

 

[Joel_MD]

I knew a Northwest captain who was at the top of the pyramid in the late-80s. He had been a management pilot for several years, then went back to flying 747-300s on the long routes to Asia. He told me he made around $190K/year in 1989. That would be roughly comparable to $500K/year now.

 

[Dave Hess]

Good for the pilots they deserve the compensation.

 

[Thermo1223]

Kind of amazing, the people with the MOST responsibility often get paid the least. Nurse, Pilot, Fire, Police....

 

[MRC01]

But if you start right now, in 20 - 30 years, you’ll be near the top of the pay scale. A widebody Captain.
Maybe things will be good, like they are starting to become.
Maybe there will be another series of bankruptcies, and furloughs, and you’ll make nothing.
So, who is willing to take on the uncertainty? The risk?

But it is a job where your "office" has the best view on Earth.
Well maybe astronauts get a better view. But either way it puts everything else to shame.

 

[Astro14]

I knew a Northwest captain who was at the top of the pyramid in the late-80s. He had been a management pilot for several years, then went back to flying 747-300s on the long routes to Asia. He told me he made around $190K/year in 1989. That would be roughly comparable to $500K/year now.

Exactly my point.

This is wages returning to normal.

You only get a couple years at the apex of a career. Decades of learning, training, being at the bottom of the seniority list, and then finally, if you’re lucky, a couple years of Widebody Captain pay.

 

[jhs914]

I want my surgeon and my airline pilot to be competent and well paid comensurate with their competency. They both have my life in their hands. I have no problem with this.

 

[wpod]

In my opinion an airline pilot is a super high skilled occupation, there is so much involved besides steering the plane ! I call it being in the big league. I have mentioned before one on my dear friends was a Naval Aviator and retired as an airline pilot and the training ,medical checkups ,more training , check flights and more that I can comprehend. He is my age 70 years old and and last Christmas called to wish me a Merry Christmas and the first words from his mouth was Steve,, guess what I am still flying the Citation jet, pilots have to fly .

 

[SeanE]

It would be nice if the A&Ps made at least a little more. I mean, a pilot doesn’t have a job if the plane can’t fly

 

[wpod]

By the way, if you would like to be one of those pilots, you had to have started 30+ years ago. Those are the guys at the top. That’s not starting pay.

But if you start right now, in 20 - 30 years, you’ll be near the top of the pay scale. A widebody Captain.

Maybe things will be good, like they are starting to become.

Maybe there will be another series of bankruptcies, and furloughs, and you’ll make nothing.

So, who is willing to take on the uncertainty? The risk?

The CEO will still make the big $$$$ though. I will again say deregulation is the worst thing to happen to the airline industry.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Great news, long overdue.

U.S pilots, in particular, took a severe beating 20 years ago with massive pay cuts and went through a very dark period.

They took pilots ( supply ) for granted for years but now they realize they can't.

Supply versus demand. It's not like they love pilots as they always, in the past, used our wages to subsidize bad airline management decisions or losses.

Up here in Canada, things are quite different as airlines are holding the line on big pay increases with the exception of two ( one gave a 25% raise ) despite it being harder ( but still finding them ) to find pilots and every airline trying to grow its operations.

Canada's largest airline still doesn't have problems recruiting pilots from other airlines but that may change since two others gave massive raises to retain their pilots. We just, overwhelmingly, voted against the agreement our union tentatively agreed to with the company.

The second largest airline had pilot contract talks break down and Federal mediators are getting involved but they are merging with another airline that just gave their pilots a 25% raise so seems obvious what's going to happen eventually once the merger is completed.

The pilot job ( pay/stability ) is like the bipolar stock market. It's up and down and things can change very fast. How long this bull market will last is anyone's guess.

 

[y_p_w]

In my opinion an airline pilot is a super high skilled occupation, there is so much involved besides steering the plane ! I call it being in the big league. I have mentioned before one on my dear friends was a Naval Aviator and retired as an airline pilot and the training ,medical checkups ,more training , check flights and more that I can comprehend. He is my age 70 years old and and last Christmas called to wish me a Merry Christmas and the first words from his mouth was Steve,, guess what I am still flying the Citation jet, pilots have to fly .

I know a lot of skill is needed when something out of the ordinary happens, but flying an airliner seems kind of boring. But that’s kind of what I most people want out of air travel.

As for naval aviators, aren't they officers responsible for enlisted personnel?

 

[Capt W]

The CEO will still make the big $$$$ though. I will again say deregulation is the worst thing to happen to the airline industry.

Bernie...is that you? Thought you were still in DC...

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

It would be nice if the A&Ps made at least a little more. I mean, a pilot doesn’t have a job if the plane can’t fly

I know a lot of skill is needed when something out of the ordinary happens, but flying an airliner seems kind of boring. But that’s kind of what I most people want out of air travel.

As for naval aviators, aren't they officers responsible for enlisted personnel?

I know a lot of skill is needed when something out of the ordinary happens, but flying an airliner seems kind of boring. But that’s kind of what I most people want out of air travel.

As for naval aviators, aren't they officers responsible for enlisted personnel?

Reminds me of when flight attendants tell us that being a pilot is a boring job.

After I stop laughing I ask them..." is there something going on back there in flight that we are not aware of once the door closes"?

It's all perspective I guess.

 

[skyactiv]

The neighbor across the street at my childhood home was a pilot. He was in the USAF during Vietnam. It seemed he wasn’t home much.

 

[Astro14]

Reminds me of when flight attendants tell us that being a pilot is a boring job.

After I stop laughing I ask them..." is there something going on back there in flight that we are not aware of once the door closes"?

It's all perspective I guess.

I once ferried a 767 from EWR to JFK. As a ferry, no passengers, we had wider latitude on rules.

I allowed a flight attendant to sit on the jumpseat during the 30 minute flight (lots of vectors.) and made sure she understood sterile cockpit. She could listen and watch, no questions, no talking.

She was wide-eyed on parking. “I had no idea how busy you guys are!”

Yeah, because you’re not allowed to come into the cockpit when we are busy. It’s called sterile cockpit for a reason.

They see us at cruise and think that’s what the job is…

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

The neighbor across the street at my childhood home was a pilot. He was in the USAF during Vietnam. It seemed he wasn’t home much.

I once ferried a 767 from EWR to JFK. As a ferry, no passengers, we had wider latitude on rules.

I allowed a flight attendant to sit on the jumpseat during the 30 minute flight (lots of vectors.) and made sure she understood sterile cockpit. She could listen and watch, no questions, no talking.

She was wide-eyed on parking. “I had no idea how busy you guys are!”

Yeah, because you’re not allowed to come into the cockpit when we are busy. It’s called sterile cockpit for a reason.

They see us at cruise and think that’s what the job is…

Exactly.