What is the average salary of a professional pilot?

Answer 1

The salary for a professional pilot can range from $17,000 for a beginning First Officer at a smaller cargo or regional to over $200,000 for a 15 year Captain at a major/legacy passenger or cargo airline. Salary is not based, typically, on expertise, but on a system of seniority. This means, for example, that a Captain who has worked 12 years at a major airline making $170,000 per year who gets furloughed and transfers to a new airline starts at the bottom of the seniority list again, making around $30,000. Most pilots start as flight instructors in order to build up enough hours required to apply to a small regional airline where they will make typically $17,000-$35,000 as a First Officer for several years, then upgrade to Captain where they would make $45,000-$90,000. After they complete this experience, averaging anywhere from 2-10 years, depending on the industry and availability, the pilot would then qualify to apply to a major carrier, where they would likely remain for the rest of their career.