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Do you know how much your pilot makes?

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BusDriver12

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Posts
58
Amid Pilot Accolades - Do You Know How Much Your Pilot Makes?

Monday, February 09, 2009
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ABC's Good Morning America had a tearful reunion between Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III and his crew and many of the passengers who survived the "Miracle on the Hudson".
"I thought I was going to lose my wife and never get to see my children. I thank you, all of you, from the bottom of my heart," a choked-up Larry Snodgrass told the captain.
Many of the passengers said they thought they were going to die on Flight 1549 and texted their loved ones as the plane descended toward the Hudson River, January 15th.
Unbelieveably, the picture perfect landing, along with careful instructions from flight attendants, allowed about 155 people to scramble aboard waiting ferries and out of the frigid waters.
With talk about capping the salaries of corporate CEOs at $500,000 among those in line for a federal bailout NPR recently asked who is undercompensated (teachers) and who is overcompensated (athletes), and whether airline pilots such as Sullenberger are compensated enough?

US Airways
Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, 58, a former Air Force pilot has flown for US Airways for 29 years. First Officer Jeff Skiles, 49, is a 23-year veteran, reports The Charlotte Observer.
US Airways has twice sought bankruptcy protection, first in 2002 and again in 2004, after which it merged with America West. Pilots agreed to an 18 percent cut in pay and retirement benefits.
It was reportedly the third round of cuts in two years and for some pilots, it delayed their retirement.
The move was said to have saved the airline from shutting down, but it also increased the average age of pilots at US Airways, which is now reported to be 56.
The merger resulted in US Airways pilots making less than their peers at other major airlines, despite their years of experience.

Other Airlines
According to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents 64,000 airline pilots, salaries went down drastically after 9/11 and among all major carriers, with the exception of Southwest and America West Airlines, rates of pay for narrowbody captains declined six to 42 percent.
About 2,000 pilots retired in 2008, according to Air Inc, which follows pilot pay and hiring trends. 500 alone left American Airlines, most departing before they turned 60, largely due to the stock market's collapse, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Airline Pilot Central is a Web site, launched by pilots for pilots, which allows you to look up the hourly wage of pilots of regional and smaller airlines of your choice.
A First Officer of that small regional jet you take can make as little as $22 an hour.
The major or "Legacy" airlines also list the Captain and First Officer salaries of major carriers such as American, Delta, Northwest, United, Continental, US Airways, Southwest, and Alaska.
According to a snapshot report from the summer of 2008 from Airline Pilot Central, pilots for FedEx and UPS make the highest hourly wage at $215 and $205.
At the high end of the commercial captain's hourly wage for a wide body jet captain is - American Airlines at $197, Continental $186; Delta $184 and Northwest $173.
On the lower end of the pay scare are pilots for US Airways clock in at $156.
Pilots fly about 75 hours a month with variations per airline.
Small narrow body jets captain salaries range from $62 to $100 an hour on American Eagle, Comair; Mesa, Us Airways and PSA. A small regional commuter airline can start pilots at $15,000 to $22,000 a year.
One pilot for a regional airline tells airliners.net:
"I personally make $18-20,000 a year. I'm responsible for a 25,000,000 dollar airplane and fly hundreds of people safely to their destination every day. Is that really overpaid? Most major airline pilots make around 100,000. The average in the regionals is closer to 50,000. (FO's around the mid to upper 20's-, captains in the 50's-60's). When I was a flight instructor (for 2 years), I made 12,000 a year."
Many fear with the airline industry's bottom line mentality that airline pilots who are outstanding "old school" professionals such as Captain Sullenberger may be a thing of the past.
 
I'm going to start carrying some copies of this in my flight bag and in my jacket pocket. I've already had one passenger rudely accost me in the terminal as I was walking back to my airplane with lunch. Jumping out in front of me and telling me I was over paid was rather entertaining. I was so shocked I couldn't talk and said nothing- that took some b@lls. Perhaps it would have gone better if I had simply handed them a piece of paper with the above information on it
 
America is in serious trouble. Everyone here wants something for nothing and when they don't get their hero pilot, surgeon, teacher, etc. they sue. And even if they do get him or her there's bound to be some problem that warrants a lawsuit.

We're FUBAR, and it's all thanks to the liberals. Mark my words, this is the beginning of the end.
 
America is in serious trouble. Everyone here wants something for nothing and when they don't get their hero pilot, surgeon, teacher, etc. they sue. And even if they do get him or her there's bound to be some problem that warrants a lawsuit.

We're FUBAR, and it's all thanks to the liberals. Mark my words, this is the beginning of the end.

Ditto to that, man!

I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg of class warfare... People HATE those who have more (completely regardless of how they earned it.) Obama totally feeds this hatred and it will only get worse....

If anyone ever accuses me of making too much, I will ask them what they did during their twenties. As for me I spent pretty much the entire decade living with relatives, working for nothing, and paying pretty much everything I earned in pursuit of a flying job..... I will then tell them they can "kiss my pink ass" if they still think a decade of paying my dues was not enough.

-BTW-I'm still not rich, but I at least don't work at Wal-Mart...
 
You can't forget though that a lot of newb pilots accept the fact of lower paying F/O positions because they figure they will make the big bucks one day. Gone should be the pilot mills that promise you a lavish lifestyle and mega bucks. Even the university 141 schools need an attitude adjustment. With many of the programs hurting for students they market how amazing aviation is right now even tho its a far cry from the truth. Don't believe me call your local 141 school and talk to a recruiter. I almost learned the hard way myself thank god somethings came up from preventing me to finish that route. Sometimes what seems to be the worst thing in the world to happen to you can turn out to be the best.
 
Ditto to that, man!

I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg of class warfare... People HATE those who have more (completely regardless of how they earned it.) Obama totally feeds this hatred and it will only get worse

O it will get way worse. Pushing this stimulus crap will do nothing but put the country in more debt. You can't say welfare is for black because a solid majority of it is white. Not that you said that I'm just about to prove my point here. But the people that stand to benefit the most from it are those in the lower class that think they were born here and they deserve the free money. America used to be a great country of hard working individuals unfortunatly its turned into a smug bastard country full of lazy people that want everything for nothing. Yes I may be young but my generation is in the shi**er and going down fast. Everyday I see kids that expect an A because they paid for it. This is the same for the flight program here too. I paid for it I did my flight time now give me my rating. It's absurd to see that, and it gets better when they go ahead and brag about how much better they are because they went 141. I wish airlines would become anally strict as to who the hire and how hard training is. Too many people who got hired in the last hiring wave do not deserve to be there. It's not safe for one and two they didn't work to get there they paid to get there. They are a good solid reason why pilot pay is BS. End rant thank you for an excellant post though.
 
. It's not safe for one and two they didn't work to get there they paid to get there..

Bull********************. Everyone would have done the same. Yes even Sully if he was an entry level pilot in 2007. It's called timing. The guys starting out now will have to work for it because no one is hiring. Just like in 2020 when there will be no more pilots left there will be abintio 737/A320 students for majors. I was in Kansas city once chatting with a United F.O. He got on there with only 1500 hours when they couldn't find pilots back in the day. He was commenting how hard it is to get on now. Was that guy less of a pilot because he wasn't a shuttle commander prior to UNITED??
 
Dont be pissy cause you went to a pilot mill and now you've ended up at GJ. This wasn't the aim of the thread ok.
 

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