pilot wages

aircanada · 03-17-2002, 01:07 PM

what are pilot's wages like,can someone give me a figure,just curious

HerpaBryce · 03-17-2002, 01:46 PM

Go to http://www.air-transport.org/public/...y2.asp?nid=889 and look around. Theyt have a chart.

JOHN JOHNSON · 03-17-2002, 04:04 PM

I know all airliners' wages/benefit varies and my question is..... Suppose if a pilot work for Delta Airline and worked about the same years of service, Let's say....15 years pilot (both) and One prefer to work with such as MD-80/737's with load of under 150 psgrs and One would be with MD-11 or 777 with 300-/+ of psgrs which double the duties than the 150 psgrs aircraft. Does their earning equal or differ? Same example with an airliner with A-318 and the 747-400 say BAA or UAL etc.... Oh by the way what about special aircraft say.... A Concorde vs 747-400 salary as another example.....Thanks

Just curious.

UALsprtofSEA2 · 03-18-2002, 05:51 AM

I believe the bigger the plane the bigger their paycheck will be.

Scott

justin · 04-06-2002, 07:51 AM

I can't see the reason why pilots of big jets are higher paid to be honest, as I think it should be the other way round. The most hazardous part of a flight when the pilot may have to earn his pay by taking charge is take off and landing, and RJ and feeder pilots doing shuttle runs go through far more take off and landing cycles hence they have a higher probability of hitting trouble. A 747 going say London- Tokyo will take off and land once in 12 or 13 hours, whereas an A320 or 757 going London - Manchester is doing 45 minute hops all day requiring a lot more effort from the flight crew. Just my opinion,

Justin

TL925 · 04-06-2002, 12:00 PM

The reasons bigger planes get bigger money is based purely on seniority. Pilots work their way up the ladder from props eventually to the wide bodies. Airlines only take their top pilots for their larger planes, hence the reason for the higher pay. It takes years to get to planes like a 747 or A340, so even when pilots reach those planes, they typically don't have more than ten years of so left until retirement age.

justin · 04-07-2002, 06:30 AM

I think this may be slightly different in other continents, as I've noticed a lot of BA's long haul flight crews are quite young and often their shuttle flight crews appear more senior, and many Asian airlines seem to use younger flight crews, although I guess some of the Asian airlines are basically wide-body airlines anyway. I haven't flown in any US airlines since I went across the pond in a TWA 747, which shows how long ago it was

I keep meaning to go somewhere with AA as I love their polished metal image, and I'd like to try a few others but sadly almost all of my travel is going East or South so I never get the chance

Justin

Scott · 04-08-2002, 12:08 AM

Justin, I believe some European and Asian carriers offer a different seniority system than is commonly seen in the U.S. Each "seat", ie. captain, first officer, and engineer pay identical wages adjusted for longevity, thereby mitigating the upward mobility necessary for increased compensation. Therefore, a 4th year 737 first officer earns the same as he/she would in a 747. Long-haul flying is frequently seen as more physically onerous with longer periods away from home. Of course, the tendency would be to have junior pilots "stuck" with the big iron and 7-day trips.
Regarding the other topic of pay, I would agree that 6 cycles a day in a narrowbody is more challenging than a hop accross the pacific. In the U.S. aircraft compensation is a complex formula involving speed, weight, range, seat capacity, to name a few parameters. To my knowledge, this has remained essentially constant for decades. I suspect no one is willing to challenge this as the ***** would surely hit the fan!

Clip · 04-08-2002, 12:48 AM

Justin makes a good point about shuttle pilots. The New York and Boston shuttles typically go very senior. My brother picks up a lot of these trips as a US Airways captain, but it baffles him that crews actually like those routes. Back and forth to the same place for two or three days straight seems incredibly boring.

As for flying the big birds ... it depends on the person. I know people who opted to fly the 727 their entire careers when "better" aircraft were within their grasp. They just liked the plane. Period. My dad followed the more traditional route and retired flying captain on the MD-11 internationally. Again, there are choices. He commuted to PDX from DFW for several years so he could fly the MD-11 internationally. My brother lives in CLT but is based in Washington. He can hold A320 captain in Washington, but not in CLT. If he wanted to fly from CLT, he'd probably have to "back step" to first officer on the 757/767. That's not something he wants to do at this point in his career. Years ago, he chose to go from 757/767 co-pilot to captain on the F100. Terrible routes, dinky aircraft -- but at least he was in the left seat.

JOHN JOHNSON · 04-08-2002, 02:51 AM

How long he fly on the MD-11? just curious.

Any "rumor" among the pilots whichever they prefer better such as L-1011, MD-11, and 777 if he worked with Delta Airline. The last time I asked a pilot about that question and I was told that most DL pilots really not like the 777 and would rather fly MD-11 or the 767 after L-1011 retired. (That was as of July 2001)

Oh I must mention...... As we know that pilots making as much as between $100,000 to 300,000 a year depending on airliners and does this include expenses on such as hotel, foods, and etc when pilots are in another town? Is that part of reason why pilot incomes are so expensive? another curiousity......

justin · 04-08-2002, 05:46 AM

This seems to be a very interesting thread. I work in a multi-national crewing environment (oil drilling in the mid East) and it's quite interesting that the different nationalities have very different approaches to pay and conditions. My american friends at work are paid very well, but their other terms and conditions (pension, sick pay, leave pay etc.) are not good, my European colleagues have excellent conditions (more leave than you can shake a stick at on full pay, free pension etc.) but pay isn't that great, while I and my British collegues are somewhere between the two. Without wanting to sound crazy or a pseudo-intellectual I think this may reflect a wider cultural difference whereby American people value their personal independence and expect to lead their life as they like and pay for themselves, while in Europe people see an interventionist government providing everything in life as a good thing, with the UK somewhere between the two. In my own job seniority is not a factor other than for salary, so while a guy with 30 years gets a lot more money than me, we do the same job with the same authority if we hold the same grade. In fact, in engineering there is a warped inverse mentality, usually the best engineers get assigned to the real clapped out garbage as they need somebody good to keep them in service, so it pays not to be too good at the job ha ha!!

To JJ, pilots and flight crew do not pay their expenses whilst away.

Justin

Clip · 04-08-2002, 01:57 PM

JJ,

My dad flew the MD-11 for three years. He also flew internationally on the L-1011. He greatly preferred flying the MD-11, for a variety of very small reasons, such as the early "crudeness" of the L-1011 FMS and the "feel" of the plane itself. He never flew the 777. And Justin is correct, expenses such as hotel are not paid for by the pilots.

Canamwing · 04-09-2002, 12:35 AM

In Canada a pilot is consider a peace of ****

I fly as an instructor and let me tell you paper boys make more money. I'm sick of flying schools telling people that flying is the way to go. If you have a connection to a flying job then go for it. If you don't know anyone then kiss your life and money good bye.

In Canada it only matters who you know. The air Tranat pilot that glided to a safe landing last year was in prison for drug smuggling.
This has nothing to do with his skill, I agree, but this also proves that networking is the only way to find the flying job.

Scott · 04-09-2002, 12:56 AM

Keep the faith, Richard! I don't know about job politics in Canada, but flight instructing in the U.S. is also a low paying job. It is generally acknowledged that the greater payoff is simultaneously logging precious hours along with your student. It remains the most cost effective method of accumulating flight time. Of course, you must still eat and have a roof over our head in the interem. While most airlines in the U.S. are not currently hiring, keep in mind they all have a share of Canadian ex-pats.

03-17-2002, 01:07 PM	#1
aircanada Collector Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 136	pilot wages what are pilot's wages like,can someone give me a figure,just curious __________________ 767 rules the skies

03-17-2002, 01:46 PM	#2
HerpaBryce Master Collector Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New Orleans, LA Age: 18 Posts: 833	Go to http://www.air-transport.org/public/...y2.asp?nid=889 and look around. Theyt have a chart. __________________ See my airliner renderings here - http://community.webshots.com/user/banages See my collection here

03-17-2002, 04:04 PM	#3
JOHN JOHNSON Mysterious Collector Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,196	Wage differ? I know all airliners' wages/benefit varies and my question is..... Suppose if a pilot work for Delta Airline and worked about the same years of service, Let's say....15 years pilot (both) and One prefer to work with such as MD-80/737's with load of under 150 psgrs and One would be with MD-11 or 777 with 300-/+ of psgrs which double the duties than the 150 psgrs aircraft. Does their earning equal or differ? Same example with an airliner with A-318 and the 747-400 say BAA or UAL etc.... Oh by the way what about special aircraft say.... A Concorde vs 747-400 salary as another example.....Thanks Just curious.

03-18-2002, 05:51 AM	#4
UALsprtofSEA2 Master Collector Join Date: May 2000 Location: Chicago Age: 45 Posts: 895	the bigger the better I believe the bigger the plane the bigger their paycheck will be. Scott

04-08-2002, 12:08 AM	#8
Scott Insane Collector Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Escondido, Ca. USA Age: 50 Posts: 2,763	Justin, I believe some European and Asian carriers offer a different seniority system than is commonly seen in the U.S. Each "seat", ie. captain, first officer, and engineer pay identical wages adjusted for longevity, thereby mitigating the upward mobility necessary for increased compensation. Therefore, a 4th year 737 first officer earns the same as he/she would in a 747. Long-haul flying is frequently seen as more physically onerous with longer periods away from home. Of course, the tendency would be to have junior pilots "stuck" with the big iron and 7-day trips. Regarding the other topic of pay, I would agree that 6 cycles a day in a narrowbody is more challenging than a hop accross the pacific. In the U.S. aircraft compensation is a complex formula involving speed, weight, range, seat capacity, to name a few parameters. To my knowledge, this has remained essentially constant for decades. I suspect no one is willing to challenge this as the ***** would surely hit the fan! __________________ Fly the Friendly Skies of United uniTED takes wing Feb 12, 2004

04-06-2002, 07:51 AM	#5
justin Insane Collector Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 2,005	I can't see the reason why pilots of big jets are higher paid to be honest, as I think it should be the other way round. The most hazardous part of a flight when the pilot may have to earn his pay by taking charge is take off and landing, and RJ and feeder pilots doing shuttle runs go through far more take off and landing cycles hence they have a higher probability of hitting trouble. A 747 going say London- Tokyo will take off and land once in 12 or 13 hours, whereas an A320 or 757 going London - Manchester is doing 45 minute hops all day requiring a lot more effort from the flight crew. Just my opinion, Justin

04-06-2002, 12:00 PM	#6
TL925 Master Collector Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: London Age: 26 Posts: 529	The reasons bigger planes get bigger money is based purely on seniority. Pilots work their way up the ladder from props eventually to the wide bodies. Airlines only take their top pilots for their larger planes, hence the reason for the higher pay. It takes years to get to planes like a 747 or A340, so even when pilots reach those planes, they typically don't have more than ten years of so left until retirement age.

04-07-2002, 06:30 AM	#7
justin Insane Collector Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 2,005	I think this may be slightly different in other continents, as I've noticed a lot of BA's long haul flight crews are quite young and often their shuttle flight crews appear more senior, and many Asian airlines seem to use younger flight crews, although I guess some of the Asian airlines are basically wide-body airlines anyway. I haven't flown in any US airlines since I went across the pond in a TWA 747, which shows how long ago it was I keep meaning to go somewhere with AA as I love their polished metal image, and I'd like to try a few others but sadly almost all of my travel is going East or South so I never get the chance Justin

04-08-2002, 12:48 AM	#9
Clip Model Goddess Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 37 Posts: 1,313	Justin makes a good point about shuttle pilots. The New York and Boston shuttles typically go very senior. My brother picks up a lot of these trips as a US Airways captain, but it baffles him that crews actually like those routes. Back and forth to the same place for two or three days straight seems incredibly boring. As for flying the big birds ... it depends on the person. I know people who opted to fly the 727 their entire careers when "better" aircraft were within their grasp. They just liked the plane. Period. My dad followed the more traditional route and retired flying captain on the MD-11 internationally. Again, there are choices. He commuted to PDX from DFW for several years so he could fly the MD-11 internationally. My brother lives in CLT but is based in Washington. He can hold A320 captain in Washington, but not in CLT. If he wanted to fly from CLT, he'd probably have to "back step" to first officer on the 757/767. That's not something he wants to do at this point in his career. Years ago, he chose to go from 757/767 co-pilot to captain on the F100. Terrible routes, dinky aircraft -- but at least he was in the left seat. __________________ Jet Delta's Big Flies

04-08-2002, 02:51 AM	#10
JOHN JOHNSON Mysterious Collector Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,196	Hey Clip, How do your dad like fly the MD-11? How long he fly on the MD-11? just curious. Any "rumor" among the pilots whichever they prefer better such as L-1011, MD-11, and 777 if he worked with Delta Airline. The last time I asked a pilot about that question and I was told that most DL pilots really not like the 777 and would rather fly MD-11 or the 767 after L-1011 retired. (That was as of July 2001) Oh I must mention...... As we know that pilots making as much as between $100,000 to 300,000 a year depending on airliners and does this include expenses on such as hotel, foods, and etc when pilots are in another town? Is that part of reason why pilot incomes are so expensive? another curiousity......

04-08-2002, 05:46 AM	#11
justin Insane Collector Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 2,005	This seems to be a very interesting thread. I work in a multi-national crewing environment (oil drilling in the mid East) and it's quite interesting that the different nationalities have very different approaches to pay and conditions. My american friends at work are paid very well, but their other terms and conditions (pension, sick pay, leave pay etc.) are not good, my European colleagues have excellent conditions (more leave than you can shake a stick at on full pay, free pension etc.) but pay isn't that great, while I and my British collegues are somewhere between the two. Without wanting to sound crazy or a pseudo-intellectual I think this may reflect a wider cultural difference whereby American people value their personal independence and expect to lead their life as they like and pay for themselves, while in Europe people see an interventionist government providing everything in life as a good thing, with the UK somewhere between the two. In my own job seniority is not a factor other than for salary, so while a guy with 30 years gets a lot more money than me, we do the same job with the same authority if we hold the same grade. In fact, in engineering there is a warped inverse mentality, usually the best engineers get assigned to the real clapped out garbage as they need somebody good to keep them in service, so it pays not to be too good at the job ha ha!! To JJ, pilots and flight crew do not pay their expenses whilst away. Justin

04-08-2002, 01:57 PM	#12
Clip Model Goddess Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 37 Posts: 1,313	JJ, My dad flew the MD-11 for three years. He also flew internationally on the L-1011. He greatly preferred flying the MD-11, for a variety of very small reasons, such as the early "crudeness" of the L-1011 FMS and the "feel" of the plane itself. He never flew the 777. And Justin is correct, expenses such as hotel are not paid for by the pilots. __________________ Jet Delta's Big Flies

04-09-2002, 12:35 AM	#13
Canamwing Master Collector Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 544	In Canada a pilot is consider a peace of **** I fly as an instructor and let me tell you paper boys make more money. I'm sick of flying schools telling people that flying is the way to go. If you have a connection to a flying job then go for it. If you don't know anyone then kiss your life and money good bye. In Canada it only matters who you know. The air Tranat pilot that glided to a safe landing last year was in prison for drug smuggling. This has nothing to do with his skill, I agree, but this also proves that networking is the only way to find the flying job.

04-09-2002, 12:56 AM	#14
Scott Insane Collector Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Escondido, Ca. USA Age: 50 Posts: 2,763	Keep the faith, Richard! I don't know about job politics in Canada, but flight instructing in the U.S. is also a low paying job. It is generally acknowledged that the greater payoff is simultaneously logging precious hours along with your student. It remains the most cost effective method of accumulating flight time. Of course, you must still eat and have a roof over our head in the interem. While most airlines in the U.S. are not currently hiring, keep in mind they all have a share of Canadian ex-pats. __________________ Fly the Friendly Skies of United uniTED takes wing Feb 12, 2004

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