American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines first officers (FOs) routinely make $100,000-plus in their first year of employment in the role. In fact, the figure for a debuting FO is closer to the $120,000 mark at the so-called “Big Three,” according to the United States’ largest flight training provider, ATP Flight School.

Needless to say, the amount that an FO might take home can be vast for what is effectively, despite the timely and expensive process of getting there, an entry-level position in the airline space.

Pilot Pay Not As Simple As A Single Figure

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Airlines do not actually offer their pilots a single, fixed rate of pay annually. Rather, what a captain or FO will take home at the end of the year is governed by several factors, including their base salary, hourly pay, and a range of other benefits. The base salary represents the simplest factor, being the fixed rate that a pilot will receive monthly. Per ATP, this can range from $50,000 to over $200,000 during the course of a year in the US, depending on airline and experience.

Alongside base pay, hourly flight pay is the foundation of a pilot’s compensation and, like the former, ranges significantly from around $50 to over $200 an hour in the US. This is calculated through actual flight time – from pushback to engine shutdown usually – so could theoretically see a pilot’s wage vary massively. Most airlines guarantee a minimum number of flight hours each month, though, in order to avoid such disparities. Flight hours are also capped annually under federal law, so pilots should be able to gauge their pay pretty simply.

While base and hourly pay reflect the core of what a pilot will earn, they represent only part of the picture. Health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off are among a string of benefits that captains and FOs are typically offered by their employers. Retirement plans, in particular, can be massively rewarding but may slip under the radar since they are not explicitly reflected in the headline salary number.

Delta, United, And American’s Pay

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Why comprehensive benefits are offered to pilots is down to airlines wanting to look attractive. Competition between carriers does not just center around drawing passengers; it also stretches to recruiting talent. Salaries have risen consistently in recent years, driven by the likes of airline expansions, boosting the need for pilots. In the US, this led to 3.4%, or $7,460, increase in the mean annual salaries of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers to $226,600 in 2024, as reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the ATP figures, United trumps its closest rivals, Delta and American, on pay for FOs during their first year of employment currently. At $119,968 on average annually, the number edges past the $117,735 American and Delta employees at the same stage would make. United’s figure applies to those on the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 and accounts for 73 flight hours a month, with the airline’s website listing the rate for each at $125.52.

Salaries at major US airlines as of this year, per ATP:

Naturally, the list above reflects approximate rather than set-in-stone salary bands for different levels of pilot at the named airlines, but it does provide a useful reference. Each airline’s salary reflects its specific hourly flight pay, so here Southwest Airlines’ may seem like the most attractive option, but its high offering is due to 14 additional flying hours a month against United, say. American’s salary also appears higher than the up to $90,000 advertised online, in part due to something called “per diem”.

Per Diem Might Boost Salary By $7,000+

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On top of the base and flight pay discussed above, pilots might also receive a per diem allowance when away from their home base overnight. The rate of this varies, typically starting at $1.70 and ranging up to several dollars per hour. Though it might not sound like a lot, per diem pay ticks up 24 hours a day, so it can really fuel salaries for the likes of long-haul crew.

In ATP’s rankings (above), an average of $7,000 worth of per diem pay was incorporated into the annual rates. Such pay is intended to cover the likes of meals, accommodation, and incidental expenses while away from home for work. Given that airlines often cover the likes of accommodation, being scheduled for a layover can be a real money-maker for pilots as a result.

Note the $7,000 in additional pay quoted above relates solely to narrowbody pilots of A320s and 737s. Here, layovers are far from the norm, with such aircraft mainly used on short-to-medium-haul routes, where a same-day return could be expected for a pilot. As such, one could expect long-haul international pilots to really reap the rewards of per diem pay. This itself can increase due to location, given potentially higher food costs overseas, and even comes with tax advantages, translating to likely additional pay in the tens of thousands of dollars annually for many.

Other Benefits: Profit Sharing And Retirement Contributions

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US-based pilots, as mentioned, enjoy a range of other benefits that impact their pay both directly and indirectly. Profit sharing is offered at some airlines, for instance. Among the major non-salary benefits, direct pension contributions made by airlines can similarly be lucrative for employees over the long term.

Delta and Southwest are among the US airlines that have profit-sharing schemes. At the former, employees receive 10% of the first $2.5 billion worth of profit generated by the airline, with 20% then shared out on earnings above that level. This system saw $1.3 billion of 2025’s profit allocated to employees, equating to “more than four weeks of extra pay on average,” Delta announced in January. Per employee, this was estimated to effectively make for an 8.9% bonus. In relation to the $117,735 figure provided by ATP, the same payout this year would equate to $10,478 for a first-year FO at the airline.

Though less to do with take-home pay, pension contributions for US FOs and captains can also be incredibly strong. Again, due to competition among airlines to attract talent, many provide non-elective contributions of 16% to 18% of gross pay. This can be regardless of whether the account holder contributes anything themselves, but naturally depends on the airline. For a junior on $115,000, that potentially means in excess of $20,000 each year quietly accumulating value in the background on top of the already healthy income.

US Pilot Pay Among Highest In World

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One might not be shocked to read that, given all the information above, pay for airline pilots in the US is among the highest throughout the world. Where the average stateside was $226,600 in 2024, those in the equivalent role in Europe, Asia, and Australia could have reasonably expected to earn less than half of their American-based counterparts.

A European airline pilot, over the course of the same year, averaged €80,000 (around $90,000), per the European Cockpit Association. The equivalent role in Asia fetched a median pay of $100,000 in the meantime, according to the International Air Transport Association. Pilots operating in Australia then pulled in AU$120,000 (around $80,000), official statistics for 2024 showed.

Median annual salaries for pilots from different regions in 2024, from ATP data:

There are exceptions, of course. Those flying for major airlines, especially in senior positions, would more than likely have earned significantly above the average across the board. Like in the US with United, American, and Delta, those working for the likes of British Airways and Lufthansa in Europe, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific in Asia, and Qantas in Australia tend to see the benefits of working for major airlines.

First Officer Pay Varies Massively

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So the question of how much an FO in the US will actually take home this year is a tricky one. A Delta 737 FO in their first year, receiving their base and hourly flight pay, per diem, and a profit share equivalent to last year, might expect to total just over $135,000, based on the metrics used in this article. After tax, that same pilot might fetch as little as $92,000 or as much as $104,000 – very roughly – depending on the state in which they live or operate from.

Add in any of the other variables like experience, a different airline, how much per diem pay is accumulated or tax-free, additional flight hours, any bonuses, and so on, and a clear, overarching picture is difficult to paint.