Pilotcollin
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have the 2021 pilot salary survey? If so can you post it? Please and thank you.
Pilot salaries
- Thread starter Pilotcollin
- Start date
Pro Pilot, or NBAA?
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Propilot is notoriously low. NBAA would probably give substantially higher numbers.
That said, outside of the unicorn HNWI accounts and maybe a few fortune 100s, you're never going to make as much dough as even a bottom-tier legacy.
You can make an argument that the flying is more fun (it is), the destinations more varied (they are), the accommodations more luxurious (usually true), but if Mammon is your God, you gotta go drive the bus.
That said, outside of the unicorn HNWI accounts and maybe a few fortune 100s, you're never going to make as much dough as even a bottom-tier legacy.
You can make an argument that the flying is more fun (it is), the destinations more varied (they are), the accommodations more luxurious (usually true), but if Mammon is your God, you gotta go drive the bus.
“Yep” to all of that ^^^
The flip side to your last sentence is that there are some of us that value QOL, including actually enjoying the flying/passengers/destinations/time-at-home, etc., more than just the money.
Crockrocket94
Well-Known Member
ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY BORIS!
I just really like cleaning the plane after each flight, and the intra personal experience of hearing the dude in back yell - HEY PILOTS! I need to go to Teterboro for 9 hours today, and then he shows up 3 hours later and wants to go to Van Nuys but is wondering why there is a 3 hour EDCT???
That.. that is where the real value is. Also why didn't you get lemon lime sparking Perrier? This Canada Dry crap is GARBAGE! So im gonna eat a ton of pistachios and throw the shells on the floor behind the seats...
CFI A&P
Exploring the world one toilet at a time.
You forgot about being a Marriott millionaire. "These seven million Marriot points will come in handy when my 3rd wife gets the house and I'm homeless. I figure I'll be able to live at a Renaissance or Residence Inn for a year or so."
Wardogg
Meat Popsicle
I'm with ya man. Just parked in Napa. BMW waiting at the airplane. One down day, 2 leg same day home, and then I'm off until after thanksgiving.
Corporate sucks.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Horses for courses. I was explicitly NOT trying to light off another idiotic "91/135 vs. 121" pursefight, just speaking to the financial side. I can 100% understand and appreciate enjoying all of the factors that make 91/135 more interesting, like crushed-pistachio-cleanup, for example.
If the money weren't in the equation, I would take 91/135 in a heartbeat, no questions asked, warts and all. But my army of pitiless, relentless, fanatically loyal robot soldiers aren't going to build themselves.
BravoHotel
Well-Known Member
I got yelled because there was blue moon on the plane and no Coors. Truck those trucking pistacio shells, and kids, dang yuppie larva ground playdough into my leather seats and then they show up "with just a few things." You forgot a word in their bub, "hundred."
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Stop me if you've heard this one, but I had a family of I think six or seven show up with two Suburbans full of BURNT REMNANTS of stuff that was in their vacation home out in I dunno Aspen or Eagle or whatever. I guess their condo had gotten lit on fire (probably by one of their little crotch-goblins), and they figured they'd just haul everything that wasn't still on fire AND the seven of them home to (no surprise) New Jersey in...a Beechjet. With...a Herring!
I like that they include regionals but not majors or legaciesPro Pilot, or NBAA?
Regional pilots are probably the only ones responding in large enough numbers to get “usable” data.
In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have included the ProPilot link - typically not real useful data in absolute terms (although can be usable for comparative purposes).
The last NBAA survey I kept is from 2017. Not really in a management role anymore so don’t have access currently.
Also don’t have access to anything but a portion of the NBAA survey and incomplete data out of context isn’t helpful. But, my buttons have been pushed and atop my soapbox I stand:
Airline guys seem to ignore the time value of money and the cost of the lifestyle and focus on W-2 size. Yes, the Delta 777 CA flying me to Europe likely earns more than I ever will per year. I also started making roughly RJ captain money when I was 22, never have paid crashpads/commuting expenses/union dues/uniforms/etc. 10 years later I’m making around triple what I made my first year out of school. Every trip I’ve been on I’ve only spent money out of pocket if I wanted to do something touristy. The nest egg builds quickly when you have low CoL and start higher than poverty regional pay commuting to a major city. Boomers with legacy pensions and a beachfront house they paid $75k for might not understand the power of compounding but I’m happy to let the pilot flying me to Europe earn more than me. Because when I’m that age my plan is to not be working.
Airline guys seem to ignore the time value of money and the cost of the lifestyle and focus on W-2 size. Yes, the Delta 777 CA flying me to Europe likely earns more than I ever will per year. I also started making roughly RJ captain money when I was 22, never have paid crashpads/commuting expenses/union dues/uniforms/etc. 10 years later I’m making around triple what I made my first year out of school. Every trip I’ve been on I’ve only spent money out of pocket if I wanted to do something touristy. The nest egg builds quickly when you have low CoL and start higher than poverty regional pay commuting to a major city. Boomers with legacy pensions and a beachfront house they paid $75k for might not understand the power of compounding but I’m happy to let the pilot flying me to Europe earn more than me. Because when I’m that age my plan is to not be working.
Crockrocket94
Well-Known Member
And people who have never flown major 121 don't understand.
GypsyPilot
Mohawk Town
Agreed. It’s amazing how many times I’ve seen part 91 pilots with no 121 experience dismiss the opinions of current 121 pilots with lots of previous 91 and 135 experience.
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
It would take a few years for airline pay to catch up to what I make now, and I'd end up having to work a lot more, but I'm still trying like heck to get on a major. My corporate job is pretty good, fly maybe 150 hours a year, and the shortest notice I've ever had was a week before a trip. Owner is cool, trips are pretty easy, and the airplane is well maintained. But I'll never have the same lifetime earnings as I would with an airline, and never have the schedule flexibility, and "choose your own adventure" kind of career planning that an airline would give me. I want to be 1 of 5000 pilots, not 1 of 2. If I call in sick at the job I have now the night before a trip, its gonna cause quite the disruption. If I call in sick at UniBlueExLta, the cogs of the machine won't stop turning.
All that being said, the hoops the airlines make people jump through to work there is a little ridiculous. I understand its their game, and they make the rules, but WTF.....frustrating for sure.
All that being said, the hoops the airlines make people jump through to work there is a little ridiculous. I understand its their game, and they make the rules, but WTF.....frustrating for sure.