Airline Pilot Salary: What Pilots Earn, 2015 to 2025

What Airline Pilots Earn: The 2025 Numbers

BLS counts pilots in two groups. Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers (occupation 53-2011) fly for scheduled passenger and cargo airlines. Commercial pilots (53-2012) fly everything else for pay: charter, air ambulance, tours, aerial work, flight instruction and corporate flight departments.

Half of airline pilots earned more than $232,140 and half earned less. The middle half of the group earned between $182,280 and $384,440, and the top tenth earned $463,830 or more. The mean is higher than the median in both groups because a small number of very highly paid pilots pull the average up.

The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook combines the two groups and reports a 2025 median of $210,020 for aircraft pilots and flight engineers, with 154,900 jobs, of which 104,600 were airline pilots and 50,400 were commercial pilots. It adds that airline pilots receive a per diem for hours away from home, and may get extra pay for international flights.

How Pay Has Changed Since 2015

1. $117k2015
2. $128k2016
3. $137k2017
4. $140k2018
5. $147k2019
6. $161k2020
7. $202k2021
8. $212k2022
9. $219k2023
10. $227k2024
11. $232k2025

Amounts rounded to the nearest thousand dollars. Each column starts at zero.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS</> Embed this chart

The airline pilot median rose every year in the series, from $117,290 in 2015 to $232,140 in 2025, a gain of 98%. The biggest single jump was between 2020 and 2021, from $160,970 to $202,180. BLS builds each May estimate from survey responses collected over three years, so a change in one year can reflect earlier data coming into the sample.

1. $76k2015
2. $77k2016
3. $79k2017
4. $82k2018
5. $86k2019
6. $93k2020
7. $100k2021
8. $104k2022
9. $113k2023
10. $123k2024
11. $123k2025

Amounts rounded to the nearest thousand dollars. Each column starts at zero.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS</> Embed this chart

Commercial pilots gained 62% over the same period, from $76,150 to $123,220. Their median was almost flat between 2024 and 2025, at $122,670 and $123,220.

Pay by Industry

Almost nine in ten airline pilots (90,840 of 103,560) work in scheduled air transportation, where the median was $293,240. Couriers and express delivery services, which covers the package carriers, paid a median of $334,930, the highest on the list. The federal executive branch employs about 2,720 pilots in this occupation at a median of $141,140.

Commercial pilots spread across many industries. Charter and other nonscheduled air transportation is the biggest employer, with 18,580 pilots and a median of $133,150. Flight instruction sits under technical and trade schools, where the median was $93,650, and air ambulance flying under ambulance services at $100,330.

Pay by State

These are the places where airline pilots are counted by BLS, which is where their employer reports them and not always where they live. BLS state estimates carry more sampling error than the national figures, and a state with a few thousand pilots can move noticeably from year to year. The BLS file also lists state medians, but for an occupation this small they swing widely, so the table shows the mean. Use the national median as the benchmark and the state table as a guide to where the jobs are.

What the Big Airline Contracts Pay Per Flight Hour

Most airline pilots are paid by the flight hour under a union contract, with a monthly guarantee. The BLS reports annual totals, but the hourly rates in a contract show how pay is built. Treat the contract figures below as estimates. The full contract pay tables are not published in one place, so these numbers come from trade and aggregator reporting of 2026 rates and one airline's own careers page. Where sources disagree we show the range.

The first three rows use the rates View from the Wing reported in April 2026. Other 2026 pay guides give different figures, from $455.96 for American and Delta to $483.74 for United, so the top widebody rate sits somewhere between about $456 and $484 depending on airline and source. The Horizon Air rows are the starting wages on Alaska Air Group's careers page for Horizon, which also says its total rewards package amounts to up to $90,000 for first-year pilots. The last column is simple arithmetic: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook says airline pilots average about 75 flight hours a month, or 900 a year. It leaves out profit sharing, retirement contributions, per diem and bonuses, so a real pay statement will differ.

Contracts move in steps. The Delta pilot agreement, in effect since March 2023, set a raise of 18% that year and 5%, 4% and 4% on January 1 of 2024, 2025 and 2026, and it becomes amendable on December 31, 2026. We have not seen the contract tables themselves, so we show the most widely reported figure and the range. American has another scheduled raise on January 1, 2027, and Delta's contract becomes amendable at the end of 2026, so these rates will move. For exact numbers, check the airline's pilot union.

What It Takes to Be Hired at an Airline

Pay at the top of the scale goes to pilots who first spend years building flight time. The FAA rules set the minimum, and airlines add their own.

• Airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate. Under 14 CFR 61.159 you need at least 1,500 hours of total time as a pilot, including 500 hours of cross-country, 100 hours of night, 50 hours in the class of airplane and 75 hours of instrument time. The minimum age is 23 (14 CFR 61.153).
• Reduced hours. 14 CFR 61.160 lets graduates of approved aviation programs apply with 1,000 hours (bachelor's degree) or 1,250 hours (associate degree), and military pilots with 750 hours. The minimum age for these routes is 21.
• Commercial certificate. The step before is a commercial pilot certificate, which needs 250 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.129, and an instrument rating (14 CFR 61.65).
• Medical. A first-class medical certificate is needed to act as pilot in command with an ATP certificate (14 CFR 61.23). See our guide to FAA medical conditions.
• Retirement. Under 14 CFR 121.383, a pilot may not serve in airline operations after their 65th birthday.
• Flying limits. 14 CFR 117.23 caps flight time at 100 hours in any 672 consecutive hours and 1,000 hours in any 365 days.

Most pilots build the hours as flight instructors, then fly for a regional airline, then move to a major airline or cargo carrier as seniority and openings allow. Our guide to paying for pilot training covers the cost of the first steps, and the private pilot privileges guide explains what each certificate allows.

The Hiring Outlook

The BLS projects employment of aircraft pilots and flight engineers to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. That is about 11,300 new jobs, and about 16,400 openings a year once retirements and transfers are counted. Boeing's 2026 Pilot and Technician Outlook forecasts demand for 674,000 new pilots worldwide over the next two decades. Forecasts are not guarantees, and airline hiring follows demand for travel, so it rises and falls.

What the BLS Numbers Leave Out

• Self-employed pilots.
• Profit sharing, retirement contributions and other benefits, which are large at some airlines.
• The difference between captains and first officers, between aircraft types and between airlines. A regional first officer and a widebody captain sit at opposite ends of the same table.
• Seniority. Most airlines set pay by years of service and bid seats by seniority, so pay rises sharply in the first years.

For a particular airline, the pay scale in its current pilot agreement is the number that counts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an airline pilot make?

The median annual wage for airline pilots was $232,140 in May 2025, according to the BLS. The middle half earned between $182,280 and $384,440, and the top tenth earned $463,830 or more.

How much does a commercial pilot make?

Commercial pilots, who fly charter, air ambulance, tours and similar work, had a median of $123,220 in May 2025. The lowest-paid tenth earned $58,850 and the highest-paid tenth $266,620.

How much has airline pilot pay risen?

The BLS median for airline pilots rose from $117,290 in May 2015 to $232,140 in May 2025, an increase of 98%. The median for commercial pilots rose 62% over the same period.

How much do first-year regional pilots earn?

Horizon Air lists a starting first officer wage of $92.72 an hour and says its total rewards package amounts to up to $90,000 for first-year pilots. Other regionals publish different rates, so check each airline.

What do the top captains at the biggest airlines earn per hour?

Trade reporting in 2026 puts a 12-year widebody captain at roughly $456 to $484 an hour depending on the airline and source, with $465.13 the most widely quoted figure. At $465.13 and the BLS average of 75 flight hours a month, that is about $418,600 a year before profit sharing and retirement contributions. Treat these as estimates, since the contract tables aren't published in one place.

How many hours do you need to become an airline pilot?

1,500 hours of total time for an ATP certificate under 14 CFR 61.159. Graduates of approved aviation programs can apply with 1,000 or 1,250 hours, and military pilots with 750 (14 CFR 61.160).

What age do airline pilots have to retire?

65. 14 CFR 121.383 bars pilots from serving in airline operations after their 65th birthday.

Will there be enough airline pilot jobs?

The BLS projects 7% growth in aircraft pilot jobs from 2025 to 2035 and about 16,400 openings a year. Boeing forecasts 674,000 new pilots needed worldwide over the next two decades. Hiring varies with the economy.