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The Airbus A350-1000 is emerging as the largest airliner that US-based airlines are willing to purchase (specifically, Delta). Meanwhile, American and United did order some Boeing 777-300ERs, but otherwise, they prefer the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In the United States, the trend has been away from large widebodies to smaller widebody aircraft like the A330neo, 787 family, and A350-900.
Interestingly, even though there are around 70 commercial operators of the Boeing 777 (including cargo airlines) and 38 Airbus A350 operators, there are currently no US-based carriers that operate both types. This somewhat complicates comparing pilot pay of the two aircraft, as pilot salaries have to be compared between airlines, not within airlines. That said, there is essentially no difference in pay for pilots flying the A350 or 777, assuming the pilots are flying with comparable airlines (e.g., the Big Three), have a similar rank, and similar years of experience.
US Airlines Operating A350s & 777s
In the United States, it is not possible to compare the salaries of pilots flying the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 777 within the same company. This is because no US carrier operates both of those widebody types. American Airlines and United Airlines both operate all-Boeing widebody fleets. American has retired all its Boeing 767s and 747s and now operates a fleet of 67 Boeing 777s and 70 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
United Airlines operates a fleet of 53 legacy Boeing 767s, 96 Boeing 777s, and 87 Boeing 787s. United and American were the only US-based carriers to purchase Boeing’s final second-generation 777-300ER variant. No US-based carriers have ordered the upcoming third-generation Boeing 777X. United was expected to be the only US carrier to operate both the Triple Seven and A350, but it recently quietly axed its plans to purchase 45 A350s and appears to now be sticking with Boeing widebodies.
Delta Air Lines is the only US-based carrier operating the A350. It has a fleet of 41 A350s, which operate alongside a fleet of 81 A330s and 57 Boeing 767s, which Delta is phasing down. The only other US scheduled passenger airlines to operate widebody aircraft are Hawaiian Airlines (A330s) and, most recently, Alaska Airlines, which now operates Boeing 787 Dreamliners taken over from Hawaiian.
Why Don’t Any US Carriers Fly The Airbus A350 Apart From Delta Air Lines?
One of its major rivals could start flying the Airbus widebody next decade.
Widebody Aircraft Reserved For Senior Pilots
The short answer to the question about what the difference in pay between A350 and 777 pilots is, is very little, if anything. Pilots are paid based on seniority and fleet pay category; they are not paid based on Airbus or Boeing branding. The Boeing 777 is the flagship aircraft of American and United, while the A350 is the largest aircraft operated by Delta. These are both the biggest that those airlines have on offer.
It’s not just the United States; pilots are generally paid about the same around the world for flying the A350 or 777 within the same country, and especially the same airline. Pilot pay is mostly influenced by location (e.g., Pakistani pilots are paid less), then by experience, and then by other factors like bonuses, allowances, etc.
Pilots bid for widebody aircraft based on seniority. So even if an airline may pay pilots more for flying a heavier aircraft, those aircraft are reserved for the most experienced pilots anyway. Senior Captains flying widebody aircraft for major airlines are some of the best-paid pilots in the world, and the high salaries make it hard for the Air Force to retain its pilots. A senior commercial pilot can make double that of an experienced military pilot.
Delta, United, American Pay The Same
Airline Pilot Central lists United Airlines’ large widebody (777, 787, 767-400) pay scale as starting from $444,000 in the first year and rising to $484,000 with the twelfth year of service. That payscale is for 2026. For Delta Air Lines, Airline Pilot Central has the heavy widebody (Boeing 777, A350, A330, and Boeing 767-400ER) payscale as starting from $427,000 in the first year, growing to $465,000 for those with twelve years of flying.
As stated, Delta doesn’t operate Boeing 777s, and so its inclusion is redundant, other than to show that if it were operating them, it would be paying its pilots the same. The American relevant aircraft weight category includes the 777, 787, 767-400, A350, A340, and A330; again showing it would pay A350 pilots the same as 777 pilots if it had them. The payscale is for 2024 and so is a little out of date, but it starts at $410,000 for the first year and rises to $447,000 in the twelfth year.
Big Three Airlines Widebodies (per Planespotters.net) | American Airlines | Delta Air Lines | United Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A330 | – | 81 (+16) | – |
Airbus A350 | – | 41 (+39) | – |
Boeing 767 | – | 57 | 53 |
Boeing 777 | 67 | 96 | – |
Boeing 787 | 70 (+19) | 0 (+30) | 87 (+135) |
In the US, A350 Captains are typically listed as having a starting base pay of around $350,000, while $777 pilots are typically listed as starting from around $340,000. The difference is mostly attributable to Delta being a top payer, and it is the one employing the A350 Captains. In the US, one of the biggest factors with pay is the employer; the Big Three airlines typically offer some of the best pay.
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United & American Focus On Dreamliners
After a long-running dispute and delaying the deliveries for its fleet of 45 A350-900s, United Airlines quietly officially removed the aircraft from its expected delivery schedule. The removal follows a multi-million dollar legal dispute with Rolls-Royce, the producer of the aircraft’s engines. United claims Rolls-Royce broke a long-term engine contract in 2025, and it demanded the return of its $175 million upfront deposit plus damages. Rolls-Royce denies it is at fault.
Instead, United is looking to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as the future of its fleet. It has at least 135 Dreamliners on order, including 14 Boeing 787-8s, 65 Boeing 787-9s, and 56 Boeing 787-10s. United is purchasing both A321 and Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies, although the 787 is the only widebody it is ordering. American Airlines had an order for 22 A350s once upon a time. These were inherited from its merger with US Airways, but it canceled them back in early 2018.
Compared with United and even now Delta, American has a fairly modest outstanding Boeing 787 Dreamliner order for just 19 aircraft. Most of its outstanding orders are for A321neo (120), A321XLR (35), and Boeing 737 MAX 10 (115) narrowbody aircraft. It is unclear when it will place its next order for widebody aircraft, although it is highly possible it will order more Boeing 787s.
Why Long-Haul Pilots Are Paid More To Fly The Boeing 787 Than The 777 At US Carriers
United Airlines pays its 787 pilots more, while American 787 and 777 pilots earn the same basic salary.
Delta’s Fleet Of A350s
Delta is among the world’s largest operators of the A350, with 41 currently in service, all of which are the shorter A350-900 variants. It has 19 more A350-900s on order. These include four remaining from previous orders and 15 more orders placed in 2025. Delta said at the time, “With today’s announcement, Delta’s A330-900 fleet will increase to 55 aircraft, and the A350 fleet will reach 79 aircraft, including 20 A350-1000s that Delta expects to begin receiving in early 2027.”
Those extra 15 A350-900s are expected to start arriving in 2029. This was a part of an order for 31 wide-bodied aircraft (the other 16 being Airbus A330neos. The order exercised Delta’s options on ten aircraft and added options for 20 more. The most recent delivery arrived in mid-May 2026. That aircraft (registered N532DZ) is now 0.2 years old. Besides the -900s, Delta also has an order for 20 stretched A350-1000s with first deliveries in 2027.
One reason why Delta wants to stick with Airbus is commonality. Not only does commonality simplify pilot training, but it also simplifies maintenance. Delta notes, “Rolls-Royce is proud to have Delta Air Lines as our largest partner in the Americas, and we look forward to continuing to grow the fleet with their selection of more A330neos powered by the Trent 7000 and A350-900s powered by the Trent XWB-84 EP – all supported by our unparalleled TotalCare services offering.” This said, Delta placed its first order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in early 2026, with the first to be delivered in 2031.
The Boeing 777X Too Big For US Market
For now, it appears that Delta Air Lines is content with a fleet of Airbus A330neos, A350s (-900s & -1000s), and a fleet of stretched Boeing 787-10s. United is doubling down on the Dreamliner, and it would seem American will do the same. Alaska is now ordering Boeing 787s to grow its long-haul intercontinental network.
There is no indication that any of these airlines is interested in ordering the upcoming Boeing 777-9, which is expected to enter service in 2027. The Boeing 777X is particularly popular in the Middle East, where Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad account for more than half of the current orders. Its popularity outside that region is more modest, with some orders from Asian and European carriers.
But what these airlines have in common is a single large hub. US carriers operate dispersed major hubs (United has around half a dozen). This makes it more difficult for US-based carriers to fill up these larger aircraft, and they prefer smaller aircraft like the Boeing 787 and A350-900. Unless something unexpected changes, no scheduled US passenger airliners will be flying both the A350 and Boeing 777 any time soon.
