Radar

Per diem is different for every carrier dependent upon respective contract. My current employer pays $1.xx per hour for every hour that you are on duty. Duty time, as it relates to per diem (in this case), starts when you check in -but no earlier than fifteen minutes before check in time - and ends fifteen minutes after the reported "in" time (in the gate at the end of the trip).

There is also a difference between taxable and non-taxable per diem. If I understand it correctly, per diem earned on a trip where you overnight - ie, wake up or go to sleep out of domicile - is non-taxable. However, if you don't overnight then your per diem is taxable. Several carriers do not pay per diem if you do not overnight.

As to how it is paid out, in my case, it is added to our paycheck monthly. We are paid on the first and sixteenth and per diem is added to the mid month check for the previous month. Of course this could be different for various carriers.

In my case per diem is to pay for food and drinks while on the road. The company pays for hotel and transport between the airport and the hotel. In some cases there is a car provided, but mostly it means the hotel shuttle and your feet get you about unless you pay for a cab out of your own pocket.

It does add up... Can be a couple hundred dollars per month.