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What is the starting pay for American Airlines pilots?

As a first officer for American Airlines your pay starts at $90 per hour and quickly grows to $137 per hour in year two if you are flying on the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. The following numbers are an estimate of what you can expect to earn as an American Airlines first officer salary. Updated as of June 2023.



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Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and Singapore Airlines are commercial airlines that pay the highest pilot salaries.

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The estimated total pay for a Airline Pilot at Delta Air Lines is $172,083 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 $115,617 per year.

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How much does a Pilot make at JetBlue in the United States? Average JetBlue Pilot yearly pay in the United States is approximately $145,564, which is 120% above the national average.

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Here's a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for airline pilots.
  • California average airline pilot salary: $208,070.
  • Illinois average airline pilot salary: $194,810.
  • Colorado average airline pilot salary: $186,620.
  • Texas average airline pilot salary: $183,000.
  • Alaska average airline pilot salary: $171,030.


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American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world and offers excellent career growth opportunities for pilots. They have a comprehensive training program and a clear career progression path. American Airlines also offers competitive salaries and benefits.

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In the United States, the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) limit pilots to 36 flight hours in a week, 100 hours in 672 hours (28 days), and 1,000 hours in a 365-day calendar period.

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As of Sep 22, 2023, the average annual pay for an Entry Level Commercial Pilot in the United States is $50,643 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $24.35 an hour. This is the equivalent of $973/week or $4,220/month.

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Instead, commercial pilots are paid per flight hour. Meaning a pilot is only paid while their airplane is running. A pilot's salary is calculated by multiplying the number of flight hours by their hourly rate. For example, the year 1 pay rate for an Envoy first officer is $90 per hour.

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Airline Pilot professionals have also rated American Airlines with a 3.7 rating for work-life-balance, 4 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.3 rating for culture and values and 4.2 rating for career opportunities. What American Airlines locations are top rated by Airline Pilot employees?

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Flight instructors and pilots who fly short-haul domestic flights are able to be home every night more or less; however, airline pilots who fly longer routes are unable to go home every night and can be away from home for up to two weeks at a time.

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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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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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Airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month and work an additional 150 hours per month performing other duties, such as checking weather conditions and preparing flight plans. Pilots have variable work schedules that may include some days of work followed by some days off.

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How Much Do Pilots Make an Hour? » According to The May 2021 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for commercial pilots is $99,640 per year. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers is $202,180.

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