Highest paid pilots now in U.S.?

[Baby Cakes]

OK, I'm thinking FedEx, followed by UPS are the highest paid pilots in the U.S.A. My friend says ABX Air guys lead the pack. I checked it out, but their guarantee is way low compared to their amigo's at Brown and Purple.

So, thoughts on who are the highest paid in 2006-7?

BC

 

[Jonny Sacko]

Not Me

 

[Bitter]

I think Abx has some of the highest hourly rates. You are right the guarentee is low, but there is lots of OPF worked, and guys are making routinely in the 3-4 hundred K range as captains.

The difference is at Abx, you got to work your tail off, to make what the Fed Ex and UPS guys make from straight pay!!

 

[SWA/FO]

The difference is at Abx, you got to work your tail off, to make what the Fed Ex and UPS guys make from straight pay!!

sitting in hotels.

 

[JimNtexas]

I wonder if the highest paid pilots aren't really civil service pilots, when you figure in pretty good current pay, outstanding medical plans, and the net present value of early retirement with a very low risk defined benefit retirement scheme.

 

[instructordude]

It seems like the Airtran guys make a lot of money, at least the ones on here do.

 

[radarlove]

I wonder if the highest paid pilots aren't really civil service pilots, when you figure in pretty good current pay, outstanding medical plans, and the net present value of early retirement with a very low risk defined benefit retirement scheme.

Not.

I ran into a guy i used to work with who went to work for the Marshal's Service. He was working eight (flight) hours a day, five days a week, fifty weeks per year, no commuting, based in some podunk place I wouldn't want to visit on a dare, making $55k per year. Federal holidays off.

He was flying a small corporate jet, but had to wear a goofy flight suit.

That was a while back, but you can put away a ton o' cash when you're making a quarter million a year, every year, or even more, like $300k.

 

[Phaedrus]

Gimme a flight suit any day over the white shirt uni.
I see SWA/FO and Instructordunce are making their typically enlightening additions...

 

[KCSO780]

Gimme a flight suit any day over the white shirt uni.
I see SWA/FO and Instructordunce are making their typically enlightening additions...

I second that...........

 

[donger]

Having been civil service as a GS-14 with a 25% bonus, the pay was very good, and the retirement at age 57 (mandatory) was also very nice. The blue flightsuit was better than the "poly suit" I wear now. However, the purple company does not require me to punch a clock and sit around the office doing crossword puzzles and sodoku to get my "time in". I can also live anywhere I want. Plus the pay is better in year three compared to what it would have maxed out at the government gig. JMHO...

 

[capt. megadeth]

sitting in hotels.

Sounds like someone is jealous. Teee heeee

 

[fartknocker]

sitting in hotels.

That's in between getting paid 12 hours to fly two legs. Man this job is hard!

 

[mule]

sitting in hotels.

Do you ever just shutup?

 

[calfo]

I was a GS-13 step 5 when I quit the government. All I can say is that I understand how postal people go postal. The seniority system we have now, while far from perfect, is better than watching people getting promoted just because they're incompetant at their current job, and there's no where to hide them.

 

[penguin22]

but their guarantee is way low compared to their amigo's at Brown and Purple.

Think about it....
Figure you fly 80 hours this month.
UPS you make your guarantee and that's it.
FDX; you make guarantee plus 6 hours overtime
ABX; you make guarantee plus 15 hours overtime.

 

[VABB]

Think about it....
Figure you fly 80 hours this month.
UPS you make your guarantee and that's it.
FDX; you make guarantee plus 6 hours overtime
ABX; you make guarantee plus 15 hours overtime.

Think about it....

If you sit reserve at UPS and don't fly at all, you make guarantee (80 hours/mo.) How much at ABX for the same amount of time for not flying?

 

[penguin22]

Think about it....

If you sit reserve at UPS and don't fly at all, you make guarantee (80 hours/mo.) How much at ABX for the same amount of time for not flying?

yup, you're right. It's all part of the game, and how your contract's structured.

 

[Clyde]

sitting in hotels.

But they are very nice hotels.

 

[goflyme]

yea, but how long will abx be making the wage's they are with dhl in the mix. my guess the winner goes to the lowest paid.

 

[luv2fly]

Think about it....
Figure you fly 80 hours this month.
UPS you make your guarantee and that's it.
FDX; you make guarantee plus 6 hours overtime
ABX; you make guarantee plus 15 hours overtime.

Do FDX and ABX get a premium for overtime? If not, I'll take the higher guarantee any day. Depending on pairing density and rigs it may take a serious hit in qol to get the overtime. And, if its straight pay screw that!

 

[Fox-Tree]

Do FDX and ABX get a premium for overtime?

FDX does. 150% for the 1st 12 CH overtime on a trip and 200% for those after that. I just flew a 6 CH 1 day with a day added due to MX - so that was an extra 9 hours. They added 2 extra hotel standby periods so we would be available if the jet came up. We "stoodby" a total of 2 hours but.... since they added 2 "duty periods" we got 3.5 CH per period. So, all told, my 6 hour 1 day trip that turned into a 2 day paid me 22 CH. Nice!

 

[PastV1]

FDX gets 150% for any extra flyings you do. Different if you get extended in the field.

Past....

 

[SWA/FO]

Do you ever just shutup?

no, do you?

 

[SellingDirt]

It seems like the Airtran guys make a lot of money, at least the ones on here do.

LMFAO (just about spit out my coffee through my nose!, that was funny)

 

[Dennis Miller]

Who has the most days off, that's about all I care about. Getting the most pay with the least amount of days off is not a great QOL in anyone's book. Unless you need to be away from home.

 

[RP 04]

Are Fedex pilots required to clean the A/C after they block in?

 

[Bubba Dog]

All of you guys are missing the real problem with night freight,it takes years of your life,not to mention the problems of being asleep or trying to be asleep while everyone else in the world including your family is awake.. In my opinion I would rather make 80K a year and have a great lifestyle and live to be 90 years old.

A study was done on FedEx pilots many years ago concerning loss of sleep and the company would not release the results.

 

[RedDogC130]

I like the fact of driving to the airport for a flight not commuting to ANC or Subic. The pay difference makes up for the lost time at home. Plus I do not need to buy a plane ticket for the family to go see grandma.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Maybe we should be asking how does our pay in the US compares with the pay in Europe, Australia or even ASIA. It is shameful that we have permitted our market to be "The Cheap Labor"

 

[Brown Cow]

.........and at FedEx, you can smash up airplanes, crashland them, flip them over, burn them up, strike their tails, lose parts along the way.......and still get paid a huge amount.