The answer is not so simple. There are several factors that determine just how much pilots make. These include the airline, seniority level, the type of plane, routes flown, and country.

One good thing to note is that pilots are paid by hours flown, not by the number of flights they complete. Pilots are only allowed to fly a certain number of hours per calendar year so as not to over-exhaust themselves. They are allowed to fly a maximum of 900-1000 hours per calendar year (Europe and USA respectively).

Seniority Level

Naturally, the first element that determines how much a pilot gets paid is their years of experience. Indeed, seniority is the most important factor in determining your level of pay. The more years you have, the higher your salary will be.

Generally, the path to become a Major Captain for an airline goes as follows:

Flight school
Become a flight instructor - this is needed to fly your mandatory 1500 hours before you can become a pilot
1. Another point here is that the rules differ for pilot students that are outside of the US. Minimum flight hours differ, and most students outside of the US do not need to go through this step to become a First Officer.
Become a First Officer
Become a Major Captain

The first years of being a flight instructor will not be the moment you earn a lot of money yet. Indeed, pay for flight instructors ranges between $30,000 (approx. €25,600) to $60,000 (approx. €51,200) per year. However, as previously stated, this applies mainly to the United States. If you want to pursue a career in commercial aviation outside of the US, your starting salary will reflect the level of First Officer, rather than flight instructor.

The starting salary for a First Officer revolves around $50,000 (approx. €42,600) to $120,000 (approx. €100,000) in the US, and European First Officers earn around €45,000 to €55,000 per year. These salaries for First Officer can increase up to €95,000 in Europe and up to $250,000 (approx. €213,000) in the US.

Once you reach the rank of Major Captain, your salary tends to see a significant increase. Indeed, salaries can range between $130,000 (approx. €110,000) to $300,000 (approx. €256,000) per year. The higher end of that scale is naturally reserved for captains that have reached a certain level of seniority, near the 12-year mark of their career.

The variation in pay also depends on other factors, so let’s take a look at those.

Type of Airline

The first determining factor is the type of airline you want to fly for. Indeed, the salaries will range between regional, major, or cargo airlines.

Regional Airlines

Regional airlines are airlines that fly under a major airline banner, but operate smaller aircrafts, and fly shorter routes. The main employer of regional airlines is the United States, although you can find these airlines in many other countries across the world. The range in pay for regional airlines therefore is most applicable to the United States.

Regional airlines tend to attract less pilots. This incentivises regional airlines to create more attractive signing packages than major airlines. Indeed, they may offer larger signing bonuses. For example, SkyWest Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Southwest Airlines in the US, offers a $5,000 signing bonus, on top of their $104,000 first-year salary, whereas major airlines tend to be more reticent about offering signing bonuses as they have more coveted jobs. However, these legacy airlines tend to have cadet programmes that guarantee you employment after you complete their programme.

In Europe, regional airlines have starting salaries between €40,000 and €55,000 per year.

Major Airlines

As previously mentioned, these airlines are much more coveted, and thus can afford to have less generous signing packages. Salaries however can reach up to €310,000 per year for senior captains. The average salary for these major airlines tends to revolve around €220,000 per annum.

There is a misconception that low-cost airlines would pay less, however this is not the case. Indeed, on Ryanair for example, which is the primary low-cost European airline, states that their captains can earn up to €180,000 per year. This is on par with other legacy airlines.

In the United States, the salary range for major airlines is substantial. Indeed, salaries range between $98,000 (approx. €83,600) to $450,000 (approx. €384,000). Delta Airlines seems to be the highest paying airline currently, with their pilots earning an average of $201,000 (approx. €171,500).

If you have previously flown with one of these major airlines and you experienced a flight disturbance, you may be entitled to up to €600 compensation! Click the button below to check your flight and see if you are eligible.

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Cargo Airlines

Cargo airline pilots are also paid large salaries. Indeed, working for companies such as FedEx can provide salaries that are potentially higher than captaining commercial flights. These high salaries are due to the combination of many factors, specifically because flying larger planes and longer routes increases your pay. Furthermore, the profitability margins on cargo planes are higher, as there aren’t any people to take care of during the flight (i.e., no food or drinks needed for anyone but the pilots and crew). The difference in pay could also be explained by the hours that the pilots need to keep, as cargo flights tend to operate at night, and thus takes pilots away from home more often.

Cargo airline pilots’ salaries range from $50/h (approx. €43) to $350/h (approx. €300). These salaries are applicable around the world, they are not specific to the US. The highest paying cargo airlines at the moment are Singapore Airlines Cargo, UPS, and FedEx Express.

Routes flown

The routes you fly usually also determine your salary as a pilot. If you are captaining major international routes, you are naturally going to be paid more, as your flights are longer, you are more often away from home, and there is an increased responsibility attributed to you. Pilots who fly regional airlines will therefore be paid less, as their flights are shorter and less physically taxing.

Although international long-haul flights have a higher salary, it is seen as a “promotion” to transition from regional to long-haul flights. This means that those who have seniority will more likely step up to long-haul, and therefore earn higher salaries. As previously mentioned, regional airlines have starting salaries anywhere between €40,000 to €100,000, with increases reaching up to €200,000.

Long-haul pilots can earn anywhere between €60,000 to €450,000, although the high-end of that salary bracket is rarer. Some pilots mention that once you have reached a certain level of seniority, the short-haul day service is preferable to the long-haul, but with this demotion would come a pay-cut, and many of these pilots are unwilling to accept the easier hours.

In Europe however, pilots can earn bonuses for each flight segment completed, which is particularly beneficial for those doing short-haul flights. These bonuses can potentially add €10,000 to €25,000 annually to their salaries. This can therefore even out the salary differences if you are more junior.

Pilots and cabin crew usually receive per diem and housing allowance rates when working. Per diem rates depend on the destination the pilots are flying to. Those who fly further and to more challenging destinations therefore earn more in per diem and allowances. This is thus advantageous for pilots who fly international long-haul routes. This again tips the scales more towards those who captain long-haul flights. These per diem rates are tax free, and can add €8,000 to €15,000 to pilots’ annual salaries.

Type of Plane

The type of plane determines the pay you get. Bigger planes lead to higher salaries, as there is an increased responsibility, and they are less easy to navigate.

The type of plane is intricately linked to the flight routes, which was covered in the previous section. To reiterate, the longer your flight route, the wider your plane, and the more you get paid. Smaller planes are usually reserved for regional flights.

Some airlines categorise their planes into blocks and pay their pilots according to which block of planes they are flying. For example, the Boeing 777, Boeing 747 and A330 are one block of planes, and so airlines will pay their pilots a standardised salary based on this. Some airlines pay all of their captains the same rate, and first officers earn a percentage of that amount (around 65%).

Ultimately, the pay differences between types of planes is usually decided by the airline; there is no standardised metric to calculate salary in this case.

Country

Naturally, the most determinant factor in salary is the country in which you work. Here is the pay averages for (regional) captains in different countries:

Netherlands: €60,000 - €150,000 annually
United Kingdom: €90,000 - €190,000 annually
France: €80,000 - €170,000 annually
Germany: €85,000 - €180,000 annually
Switzerland: €110,000 - €220,000 annually
United States: €130,000 - €250,000 annually
Singapore: €200,000 - €235,000

Conclusion

Pilot salaries are determined by 5 main factors: Seniority level, type of airline, routes flown, type of plane, and country in which you are working. On average, in the Netherlands, the average salary for pilots is around €100,000.

Even if you are not a pilot, if you have experienced a flight delay or cancellation, you may be eligible for up to €600 compensation. Click the button below to see if your flight is applicable!

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How Much Do Pilots Make?