How much do commercial airplane pilots make a year?

Answer 1

JetDoc is basically correct. We do not get rich anymore flying airplanes. You can make a comfortable living, but nothing like it used to be. Starting pay at the regionals is around $20,000/yr. They will top out around $100,000/yr after about 15 years. At the major airlines you will start at around $30,000 to $50,000/yr. They will top out around $200,000. Of course this all depends on the airline you are with and the airplane you are flying. The larger the plane, the higher the pay.

We do only get paid when we are actually flying. In other words, from the time the door closes until the door opens at the destination. All of the time we are working before boarding is not paid. So remember, just because your flight is delayed, does not mean that the pilots are wanting to pad their paychecks. More than likely, they aren't even getting paid yet.

Answer 2

It depends on what kind of airplane they're flying, and who is paying them to fly it...

A very senior (20+ years with the same company) union airline pilot flying heavy jets for one of the major airlines could make as much as $200,000 (US) in a good year, while a young new commercial pilot working as a flight instructor may only earn $50 or $100 dollars a week.

For the rest, it's somewhere in between, heavilly weighted toward the lower end of the scale. Very few pilots of any sort are getting wealthy flying airplanes in this day and age.

Answer 3

From what I understand, they are actually paid by the minute from the time they walk onto the jet way in the departure city to the time they disembark and exit the jet way in the destination city. Friend of a friend was a pilot.

Answer 4

£100,000 plus a year.