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Do Southwest pilots get to fly free?

Employees have free, unlimited travel privileges for themselves and eligible dependents on Southwest Airlines. Eligible dependents include spouse or committed/registered partner, eligible dependent children under 19 years old (or up to 24 if a full-time student), and parents.



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Career benefits for all Southwest pilots include health insurance, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement plans with company matching, employee profit-sharing, and unlimited space-available travel privileges for employees and eligible family members.

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Our benefits aren't playing around: Fly for free on any open seat on all Southwest® flights (your eligible dependents fly, too) Up to a 9.3% 401(k) Company match, dollar for dollar, per paycheck* An annual ProfitSharing contribution toward retirement—when we profit, you profit**

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Airline Pilots have a minimum of 12 to 15 days off per month,depending on the airline. For example, in a 30-day month, Southwest Airlines mandates that pilots take 15 reserve days. In addition, FAA regulations allow pilots to fly just 1,000 hours a year.

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For instance, Southwest Airlines pilots earn an average annual salary of $222,000. However, some Southwest pilots earn as much as $549,000. Similarly, United Airlines pilots earn an average of $205,000. The average Delta Airlines pilot earns $192,000 with top-earners making $526,000.

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This benefit varies from airline to airline. Family members may fly free when space is available or at discounted rates. Flying stand-by is a common benefit, but it can be challenging when there is a group. Some airlines provide “buddy passes” to pilots to share with friends and families.

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Employees have free, unlimited travel privileges for themselves and eligible dependents on Southwest Airlines. Eligible dependents include spouse or committed/registered partner, eligible dependent children under 19 years old (or up to 24 if a full-time student), and parents.

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The airline handles and pays for accommodations for crewmembers when they are on a trip. Many pilots do not live where they are based and choose to commute. Generally, if pilots need to travel and stay away from home when they are not on a trip, they are responsible for their own accommodations.

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Unique To American Airlines
Unlimited space available travel for free for all employees, domestic partners/spouses, children, parents/in-laws (small fee) and 16 buddy passes/year (small fee).

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Some airlines compensate pilots for significantly long times between flights (usually two hours or more), but this time is only partially paid. The 30-45 minutes spent in the cockpit prior to push is not usually paid, which has a significant effect on the overall pay of pilots who operate short flights.

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Traditionally a pilot at a regional airline might start out earning less than $50,000 per year, but get hired on by a major airline and that goes up quickly into the six figures, and well over $300,000 for senior captains flying widebody aircraft overseas. Some earn over $400,000.

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Flight benefits vary by airline. You may end up with unlimited free flights for you and your kids or a discounted rate. You may also be eligible for a discounted rate with other airlines that your spouse's airline has reciprocity agreements with.

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The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Retirement Savings Plan is a single employer-defined contribution corporate pension fund located in Dallas, Texas.

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Best U.S. Airlines
  • Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines offers unlimited nonrevenue, space-available travel for you and eligible dependents if you're working for them. ...
  • Delta Airlines. ...
  • Hawaiian Airlines. ...
  • Spirit Airlines. ...
  • Qatar Airways. ...
  • Etihad Airways. ...
  • British Airways. ...
  • Emirates Airlines.


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Travel Opportunities Additionally, pilots and their family members enjoy free travel perks, which means that they have the opportunity to travel for pleasure as well as for business. Many commercial pilots, in fact, get free or reduced travel, even after retirement.

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Traditionally a pilot at a regional airline might start out earning less than $50,000 per year, but get hired on by a major airline and that goes up quickly into the six figures, and well over $300,000 for senior captains flying widebody aircraft overseas. Some earn over $400,000.

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As of Aug 22, 2023, the average annual pay for the Boeing 747 Pilot jobs category in Queens is $106,090 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $51.01 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,040/week or $8,840/month.

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