Compare your pay

[PilotOnTheRise]

Thanks for all of the info. guys. hopefully this will give me, and others, a better look at how pay works, and what one may can expect for specific airlines. There is obviously a lot more that goes into it than just guarantee multiplied by hourly rate; which is all airlinepilotcentral.com gives.

A few questions for you all.

One of you said you made $28K as a first year FO at ExpressJet. Another mentioned making $53K as a second year FO at SkyWest. This seem high compared to what most say about regional pay; not that $28K is good, but far better than $19K, which is reported as typical first year pay.

Are the above normal as far as expected first year vs second year pay, etc?

Also, I've asked this before in another thread, but to verify. For those of you who say you are a 4th year CA, or 6th year CA, etc., does this mean you have been a captain for 4 years, or 6 years, or that you just make 4th year CA pay, or 6th year CA pay, and have only been a captain for a few years or so. In others words -- time in seat, or time with company?

 

[BRA]

They always throw out those numbers of 15K or 19K. I think most are better then this. I think people get those by considering being on reserve the whole 1st year, and getting zero per diem. At colgan some guys are upgrading before the 1st year is even up. No 2 people seem to ever make the same thing after the year up though. No 2 people really ever get the exact same thing. Everyone makes there situation work for them.

 

[ClearRight]

Payrates are based on time with company. So we're all talking about our years with with the comany as opposed to time in seat.

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

They always throw out those numbers of 15K or 19K. I think most are better then this. I think people get those by considering being on reserve the whole 1st year, and getting zero per diem. At colgan some guys are upgrading before the 1st year is even up. No 2 people seem to ever make the same thing after the year up though. No 2 people really ever get the exact same thing. Everyone makes there situation work for them.

Most first year FOs I've talked to seem to make more than 19K, most more like 25K, not that 25K is a good salary, but better than 19K, as I said. Seems most 2nd year FOs make closer to 40K, with a couple I've seen say they make 50K or close to it.

Just curious because so many throw out the 19K salaries for first year, etc.

 

[MarineGrunt]

Payrates are based on time with company. So we're all talking about our years with with the comany as opposed to time in seat.

Stupid question alert:

I've been a ramper at SKYW since Feb 2004. I've been told that if/when I am hired on flying, that I will keep my date of hire. I know my travel benefits will keep this date, but will my original date be used for my pay or will my new (pilot) seniority date be used?

 

[ClearRight]

ah- I'll revise my answer to say time as pilot with a company.

...so your newhire pilot date will dictate your pay.

 

[MarineGrunt]

ah- I'll revise my answer to say time as pilot with a company.

...so your newhire pilot date will dictate your pay.

What I figured. Woulda been schweet though!!!

 

[eight8kcabpilot]

Great Lakes

1st year FO pay 15.33/hr
after one year 12,500 plus about 1500 in perdiem
TOTAL=14000

Toward the end of the year I was getting better schedules and bringing home 1,300 per month.

2nd year capt 27/hr

Livin the dream

 

[OCP]

Great Lakes

1st year FO pay 15.33/hr
after one year 12,500 plus about 1500 in perdiem
TOTAL=14000

Toward the end of the year I was getting better schedules and bringing home 1,300 per month.

2nd year capt 27/hr

Livin the dream

Why do you do that to your self? What do you think is going to be bigger and better in the long run?

 

[BRA]

Why do you do that to your self? What do you think is going to be bigger and better in the long run?

Anything would be wouldn't it? Any RJ regioanl would. When I sat left seat at colgan I don't believe I ever flew with an FO that wasn't better off financially then me. I may have been making more per hour at colgan, but they all had one or more of the following: no college loans, working wife with a good job, well off parents, 2nd business, money in the bank from their previous career. I was never in a position where I felt bad and needed to offer to pay for lunch or coffee or anything like that. I never heard any stories about how they didn't know how they would make their rent or car payment either. In fact i believe more then a handful didn't even need there check twice a month either, really.

 

[eight8kcabpilot]

I don't know what will be bigger and better, but I do believe I am in a better position than most. We have lost guys to Frontier, FedEx, Alaska, Midwest, Ryan, Kalitta, NetJets, FlightOptions, and several others in the past few months. All of these people have less time in the airline industry than a lot of regional FOs.

I think this company has more job security than most, and it is a quick trip to 1000PIC. And if one day they do close the doors, we will have a party.

I think the pay sucks, but I would rather be here than at Mesa where I would be taking flying away from other pilots and leaving them without a job. We have our niche and rarely bother anyone else.

After a couple thousand hours in a turboprop without an autopilot, and flying into small mountain towns and landing in gusty wyoming crosswinds, I bet I will be a better pilot than if I went and flew an RJ instead.

I can't wait to upgrade so I can actually afford to eat. Rammen noodles and PPJ sandwhiches are gettin old.

 

[ClearRight]

After a couple thousand hours in a turboprop without an autopilot, and flying into small mountain towns and landing in gusty wyoming crosswinds, I bet I will be a better pilot than if I went and flew an RJ instead.

Ain't that the truth!? I've become such a lazy pilot with my buttons and TV screens!

 

[FCPhotography]

Pinnacle

FO 2nd year $27,000
Credit 90-95/Block 95-100
Always Extended
Complimentary reach-arounds

I would not wish this job on anyone.

 

[FCPhotography]

What is a PPJ? If it is cheap I might be interested.

.............PBJ is good too but they are getting expensive.

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

Pinnacle

FO 2nd year $27,000
Credit 90-95/Block 95-100
Always Extended
Complimentary reach-arounds

I would not wish this job on anyone.

You going to stick it out there, or jump to another regional? Seems a lot are leaving Pinnacle for others these days.

 

[FCPhotography]

We are going to stick it out for a while. We have family in MSP and I drive to work. I am starting a lawn business this spring and find a lot of fun with that. I try to mimimize my time at work and make the money elsewhere, at least while I am an FO. I have been averaging being gone about 4-8 nights a month.

 

[FCPhotography]

With a little luck you can make as much money in landscaping as you can as a regional CA and you are home most of the time. I mowed yards in DC when I was a CA on RES and made more from mowing than I did from being on call.

I like being outside at a leisurely pace so it works for me.

 

[dogman50]

First year SkyWest pay. 15,044.23 On reserve the entire time. I would pick up an extra 5 or so hours a month on my days off. (This includes two and a half months no pay for traning). Deduct aprox 1000.00 for uniform and jepps, and that puts me at 14,044.23

 

[dogman50]

sorry, my total in the first post was inaccurate. 16,890.54 is the correct total.

 

[Burt Reynolds]

First year SkyWest pay. 15,044.23 On reserve the entire time. I would pick up an extra 5 or so hours a month on my days off. (This includes two and a half months no pay for traning). Deduct aprox 1000.00 for uniform and jepps, and that puts me at 14,044.23

does skywest not pay for any of your uniform or jepps?

 

[dogman50]

Not your first year, but you do get a uniform allowance starting year two. Once you pay for your inital jepps they cover the revisions. Also they do now pay for training.

 

[mamba20]

PSA 2nd year FO

Terrible block 75 or so
Credit 76-95 depending on if I've been to ATL or PHL

401k lol right, like I have enough left over to put money into that.

 

[higgy]

NJA
5 year Ultra/Encore Capt.
Base Salary 106,000
L.C.A.10,000 per year extra
difference pay 3,000 per year extra
Hourly overtime 74.00 per hour
Holiday/extended pay 774.00 a day
Schedule usually 14 to 16 days a month on the road. Could go as high as 18 days a month max

 

[dkwid]

SkyWest
2nd year RJ FO
95-100 block / month; 110-120 credit / month
2005 $53,115
2% 401k match
$1.60 / hr per diem

I have to know how Skywest pays..........in order to get 120 credit every month....is this number based off duty? Time away from base?

Is there some bonus block pay? Sounds to good to be true. Do you have to sleep on the airplane six nights a week?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ClearRight]

It's all about work rules. There's premium pay (1 for 1 after 12 hours duty), cancel pay at 100%, minimum daily guarantee (3:45), better of block vs. actual, stand-ups pay 1 hour for every 2 on duty, jr. man that rolls into a regularly scheduled trip will pay the better of the two, etc...

 

[dkwid]

It's all about work rules. There's premium pay (1 for 1 after 12 hours duty), cancel pay at 100%, minimum daily guarantee (3:45), better of block vs. actual, stand-ups pay 1 hour for every 2 on duty, jr. man that rolls into a regularly scheduled trip will pay the better of the two, etc...

That I understand, 1 for 2 duty is pretty much a standard rig. Are you payed daily based on duty vs. block, whichever is higher. So lets say you always fly 100 block (give or take and stay legal for the year). It seems to me, and I am a bit dim, that you would have to be working 12 plus duty hours almost everyday to achieve 120 credit.

What am i missing? You can be specific I'm not fragile.

Thanks again.

 

[ClearRight]

oh, and then there's the whole "pick up trips while displaced from a check-airman captain" game FO's can play. That way they get displacement pay plus whatever the picked up trip pays.

I never went out of my way to play the game so I rarely go over 100 hours...

 

[dkwid]

oh, and then there's the whole "pick up trips while displaced from a check-airman captain" game FO's can play. That way they get displacement pay plus whatever the picked up trip pays.

I never went out of my way to play the game so I rarely go over 100 hours...

Sure, that makes sense. Would you say exceeding 100 would be the exception than?

With our rigs I can't imagine even reaching 100,,,,it is done but I value home time.

 

[psysicx]

Can you pick up extra time at Lakes to make more then $14,000?