US commercial airline pilots are among the best-paid in the world, with the BLS reporting that the average American pilot earned around $200,000 in 2024. However, that single number hides the major gap between first-year first officers and experienced captains. The captains employed by the major US airlines are often some of the best-paid in the experienced captain cadre.

So what are the salaries of major US airline captains? First of all, there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a major airline. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) typically considers 18 US airlines to be major airlines (17 now after the collapse of Spirit). However, many will talk about the Big Three (United, Delta, American) or the Big Four (adding Southwest Airlines). Arguably, Alaska (especially after its Hawaiian acquisition) qualifies as a fifth “Big” major airline.

Delta Air Lines’ Captain Pay

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Delta Air Lines claims to be the oldest US airline, and it is in the running for being the largest airline in the world, depending on the metric used. It is currently the most valuable publicly traded airline in the world, with a market capitalization of around $48 billion (some airlines like Emirates are now publicly traded). Delta has a mainline fleet of around 1,000 aircraft. Of that, it is the second-largest widebody passenger airliner fleet in the United States, including 81 A330s, 40 A350s, and 57 Boeing 767s.

Like other major carriers, Delta tends to attract many of the most experienced captains, including captains who have worked their way up through the proverbial ranks flying with regional carriers, then perhaps low-cost carriers, before flying with Delta. In all airlines, the pay scale and the aircraft flown are primarily based on experience. So, the most experienced and highest-paid Captains tend to fly widebody aircraft.

According to American Flyers, in 2026, a Year 1 First Officer can expect to have a salary of around $117,735 flying for Delta. A Year 6 Captain can expect to earn around $334,178, while senior captains with 12 years of experience earn around $349,540. This mostly aligns with salary estimates by Thrust Flight, which put 2023 Delta Year 1 captain salaries at $313,000, Year 5 at $323,000, and Year 12 at $341,000. It should be noted that the actual pay of pilots may be considerably higher, as bonuses, allowances, etc., can boost income by 10-30+%.

United Airlines’ Captain Pay

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United Airlines is often considered the largest airline in the world, although this depends on the metric used. It has a mainline fleet of around 1,107 (the largest in the world), and it has the second-largest commercial passenger widebody fleet in the world after Emirates. It is currently the second-most-valuable publicly traded airline in the world, with a market capitalization of around $32 billion, placing it between Delta and Ryanair.

Like Delta, United attracts many of the most experienced US commercial captains. For many, flying United’s fleet of widebody aircraft represents the pinnacle of their income-generating career. Some may semi-retire afterward to fly private jets or something similar at a lower pay rate and enjoy a more balanced lifestyle. American Flyers estimates United’s pilots have salaries slightly above Delta’s. Year 1 First Officers earn around $119,968, Year 6 captains earn $340,756, and Year 12 captains earn $356,443.

These are the highest captain salaries listed by American Flyers, except those flying for the cargo airline, FedEx. It should be noted that this doesn’t necessarily mean United compensates its captains more than Delta’s. Airline compensation is complicated and a complete package that not only includes base salary but also insurance, sometimes profit sharing, pensions, allowances, and more.

American Airlines’ Captain Pay

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American Airlines is one of the “Big Three” US-based airlines. It operates a fleet of around 1,027 mainline aircraft, including 67 Boeing 777s and 70 Boeing 787s. Compared with the other two “big” carriers, American tends to fly shorter routes, which boosts the number of flights it operates. If the number of flights is the metric for measuring airlines, then American would be the world’s largest airline.

That said, American has a comparatively low market capitalization of around $9 billion, the 17th-biggest in the world, placing it behind Southwest ($20 billion) and Qantas ($10 billion). But when it comes to captain salaries, American remains competitive with the other major airlines. American Flyers lists the First Officer (Year 1) salaries at $117,735 (identical to Delta), Year 6 Captain salaries at $335,680, and Year 12 Captain salaries at $351,339.

This is the second-highest Year 12 captain salary listed for any US commercial passenger airline after United Airlines. As with Delta and United, many pilots serve the pinnacle of their flying careers flying “big airplane, big routes” with American. Pilots often view captaining the 787 or 777 on trunk routes to Europe, Asia, or Australia as career capstones after decades of progression. These captains can earn $350,000-$500,000 in base pay, pushing to above $600,000 once complete compensation is accounted for.

Southwest’s Captain Pay

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Southwest Airlines is a very different type of airline compared with the “Big Three.” Its massive fleet of over 800 aircraft is the fourth-largest mainline fleet in the world, earning it a place in the “Big Four.” But for senior Captains, the opportunities offered by Southwest are different. Southwest exclusively operates narrowbody Boeing 737s and only operates domestic routes and near-abroad leisure destinations for which it can charge US dollars. This means it doesn’t fly to Canada, because its system can’t accept Canadian dollars.

The salaries offered by Southwest are lower than those of the Big Three, partly because of its different model and because it only operates narrowbodies. A Year 1 First Officer earns around $75,600, while a Year 1 Captain earns $216,900, a Year 5 Captain $227,700, and a Year 12 Captain $246,600. The Year 12 Captain salaries are similar to those of smaller US-based carriers like Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue, and Spirit (when it existed).

However, they are below the salary range for American, Delta, and United Year 12 Captains flying Boeing 737 or A320 narrowbodies. Those Big Three Captains are listed as having a salary in the $337,000-344,000 range. It’s also worth noting that Southwest uses the unique Trip for Pay (TFP) system based on the trips/segments rather than pure hours. This system bases compensation on distance and trip type rather than standard hourly “block” time. Some lists can end up underestimating Southwest’s pilot pay if they don’t just do TFP calculations correctly.

Alaska Airlines’ Captain Pay

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Alaska Airlines has grown to be a very large carrier and one with an expanding global reach. The BTS estimates Delta Air Lines has a 17.8% domestic market share, followed by American Airlines (17.5%), Southwest (17.0%), United Airlines (16.7%), and Alaska Airlines (6.3%). Add in Hawaiian Airlines (1.6%), and Alaska’s share grows to around 8%.

Not only does Hawaiian Airlines operate a fleet of A330 widebodies on international flights across the Pacific, but Alaska has also taken over Hawaiian’s purchase of Boeing 787s. Alaska is now breaking out of its Boeing 737-only model (somewhat similar to Southwest) and is introducing international long-haul flights with its newly minted Dreamliners. These widebodies attract experienced captains at higher rates, making the Alaska group somewhat more comparable to the Big Three than Southwest in this regard.

Alaska Boeing 737 Year 1 captains earn around $203,400 in base annual salary, Year 5 captains earn $210,600, and Year 12 captains earn $239,400. As part of the Alaska Group, Hawaiian A321 Year 1 Captains earn $227,700, Year 5 $234,900, and Year 12 $247,500. It is unclear how much experienced captains flying the 787s and A330s earn, but it is likely significantly higher.

The Cargo Airlines’ Captain Pay

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Finally, it is insightful to consider how much experienced pilots earn when flying for the leading freighter airlines: FedEx and UPS. Note that DHL is a German airline and so is excluded. What is notable about these two cargo airlines is that they are very widebody-aircraft heavy. FedEx operates a fleet of 476 aircraft, of which 50 are widebody A300s, 151 are Boeing 767s, 59 are Boeing 777s, and 29 are (parked) MD-11s.

UPS operates a fleet of 272 aircraft, of which 52 are A300s, 43 are Boeing 747s, and 102 are Boeing 767s. UPS’s fleet of MD-11s was rapidly decommissioned after the November 2025 UPS Airlines Flight 2976 crash. According to American Flyers, FedEx Year 1 First Officers earn $82,690, considerably more than their UPS counterparts, who have base salaries of $65,275.

However, this flips with FedEx Year 6 Captains earning $287,566, considerably less than the reported $370,216 salary for UPS counterparts. For Year 12 Captains, the gap remains at $300,859 for FedEx Captains and $687,454 for UPS Captains. It is unclear why UPS Captains (represented by the Independent Pilots Association) have managed to negotiate higher current contractual hourly rates at the senior captain level than their FedEx counterparts, even though the aircraft flown are broadly similar. That said, FedEx does have a larger mix of narrowbody aircraft.