Do Southwest pilots need a degree?

Must pass FAA mandated Drug Test. Authorization to work in the United States: Must have established authorization to work in the United States. Must possess a valid United States Driver's License and a valid passport or a Refugee Travel Document. Education: graduation from accredited, four-year college preferred.



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The estimated total pay for a Airline Pilot at Southwest Airlines is $163,709 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $118,827 per 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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Delta airlines has announced that it is removing the requirement that its pilot candidates have a four-year college degree. It is now “preferred”. The Atlanta-based carrier becomes the last major U.S. airline to remove the college degree requirement.

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No, you do not need a degree to work as a pilot, although having a degree will help in advancing your career at most stages and especially in making the final move to a major airline.

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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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You can still make your way in a professional pilot or airline pilot career. If your goal is to fly for a major airline, they still generally favor pilots with college degrees, but you can still get there without it.

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Major airlines are not concerned about college grades. They are more concerned about experience i.e. number of flying hours. They always want clean sheet pilots with a good amount of flying hours. After all, it is the experience of the pilot that counts in an emergency situation.

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To fly as a commercial airline pilot, you will need 1500 hours of experience, which can be earned in two years. ATP's accelerated commercial pilot training programs provide a structured timeline and shorten the time it takes to gain experience and meet qualifications.

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Commercial Airline Pilot — A Ten Million Dollar Career Established airline pilots are paid very well, with the annual earnings of senior captains around $400,000, some pilots can expect a ten million dollar career in total earnings, illustrated below according to the typical career progression.

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In Europe the average pilot salary is around €125,000. Most experienced long-haul captains in Europe can expect to earn around €250,000 at the latter end of their careers.

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