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The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers was $232,140 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay starts lower for new first officers and climbs with seniority, aircraft size and the move to captain. Here is how airline pay actually works, what drives it, and what it takes to get to your first airline job.
BLS May 2025 median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $106,710 and the top 10 percent more than $463,830, per the same BLS data.
Pay, schedules and routes are set by seniority under union contracts, so the year you get hired matters.
BLS projects airline pilot employment to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average.
Most airline first officers need an ATP certificate, which generally requires 1,500 hours under 14 CFR 61.159.
Federal law requires airline pilots to retire at 65, which keeps creating openings as senior pilots leave.
The most reliable public salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. In its Occupational Outlook Handbook, BLS reports that the median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers was $232,140 in May 2025. Half of airline pilots earned more than that and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $106,710, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $463,830.
Commercial pilots, the category that covers charter, corporate, tour, ag, banner and flight instruction work outside the airlines, had a median annual wage of $123,220 in May 2025 according to the same BLS data. Many future airline pilots spend time in this category, especially as flight instructors, while they build the hours needed to be hired by an airline.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Airline and Commercial Pilots, May 2025 wage data. These are national figures; individual pay depends on airline, aircraft, seat and seniority.
Airline pay is not a simple salary. At most U.S. airlines, pilots are paid an hourly rate for the flight time they fly, set by a collective bargaining agreement between the airline and the pilots' union. The rate depends on three things: the seat you sit in (first officer or captain), the aircraft type you fly, and your longevity, meaning how many years you have been at that airline.
BLS notes that airline pilots usually begin as first officers and receive raises as they gain experience and seniority. Advancement follows a seniority system set in those contracts, and seniority also decides which routes, schedules and aircraft a pilot can hold. A pilot with ten years at an airline will usually earn a higher hourly rate than a pilot hired last year in the same seat, and will often get better schedules too.
On top of hourly pay, BLS notes that airline pilots receive an expense allowance, often called per diem, for every hour they are away from home, may earn extra pay for international flying, and usually get free or reduced-fare travel for themselves and their immediate families. Many contracts also include retirement contributions, profit sharing and health benefits, which can add significantly to total compensation.
How much do pilots actually fly? BLS says airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month and spend about 150 additional hours a month on other duties such as flight planning, briefings and waiting between flights. Federal rules set maximum duty times and minimum rest periods.
Most new airline pilots in the United States start as first officers at a regional airline, flying smaller jets on shorter routes. First-year pay is at the lower end of the BLS range, but it typically rises quickly with each year of longevity and with an upgrade to captain. Many pilots then move to a major airline or a large cargo carrier, where hourly rates for widebody captains are among the highest in the industry.
Contract negotiations have moved pay meaningfully in recent years. For example, the Air Line Pilots Association reported in March 2023 that Delta pilots approved a contract with 34 percent in pay raises over its life and more than $7 billion in cumulative increases over four years. Agreements like that ripple across the industry as airlines compete for experienced pilots.
Because seniority drives pay, schedules and upgrades, the date you are hired is one of the most important numbers in your career. Two pilots with identical skills can end up with very different lifetime earnings simply because one got hired a few years earlier. That is why many people who are serious about an airline career choose a focused, full-time training path rather than spreading training out over many years.
To serve as a pilot at a U.S. passenger airline, you generally need an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. Under 14 CFR 61.159, an ATP for airplanes requires at least 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot, and 14 CFR 61.153 sets the minimum age at 23. A restricted ATP under 14 CFR 61.160 allows fewer hours for certain applicants, at a minimum age of 21:
The degree-based reductions apply only to programs at institutions holding an FAA letter of authorization, with specific aviation credit-hour minimums. Most civilian pilots build toward the standard 1,500 hours after earning these certificates and ratings:
BLS projects that overall employment of airline and commercial pilots will grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers projected at 8 percent. BLS also projects about 16,400 openings for airline and commercial pilots each year, on average, over the decade, many of them from the need to replace pilots who retire or leave the occupation.
Mandatory retirement is a major driver. Federal law requires airline pilots to retire at age 65, so a steady stream of senior captains leaves the cockpit every year. Hiring still moves in cycles tied to the economy, fuel prices and airline growth plans, so no one can promise a specific hiring date. What you can control is how prepared you are when airlines are hiring: certificates in hand, hours logged and a clean training record.
Our Airline Pilot Program takes you from zero experience through the certificates and ratings above. It is $84,000 (regularly $89,000, with a $5,000 promotion), and financing is available through Stratus Financial with terms up to 15 years, plus in-house payment plans. You can compare all options on our pricing page.
You train at Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, which means real radio work and complex airspace from your first lesson. Our fleet runs from the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, Piper Warrior and Diamond DA20 to the complex Piper Arrow, the twin-engine Piper Seminole and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo with its glass cockpit and CAPS parachute. Instrument procedures can be practiced in our Redbird MCX full-motion FAA-approved simulator. We are open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
The hour requirements explained, from private pilot to ATP.
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