Originally Posted by
Bruchmuhlbach
Maybe someone among you can answer a newbie question for me. For a while now I've been wondering why I'm seeing annual salary figures for first year FOs that are in the teens (ex. $14,000 per year) when the hourly pay rates don't support a figure that low. I assume it has to do with how much an individual actually works. I currently get paid for 80 hours a month at around $15.50 an hour, and pull in an annual salary of over $30,000 before taxes/health/retirement deductions. If an airline has a guarantee of 80 hours a month, and starting pay is something like $20 an hour, wouldn't I be be making more annually than I do now? Does it have something to do with being on reserve for a while? What am I missing?
Depending on the airline you may get reduced guarantee or even nothing during ground training. That can be 2+ months of just a few hundred dollars/month. Guarantee on reserve is usually 75 hours.
2 months x $500 = $1000
10 months x 75 x $20 = $15,000
If you fly a lot you may credit 100+ hours (if you have any work rules) plus per diem can push you to the mid- 20K's.
Also you may have a variety of expenses in training...uniforms and maybe your hotel room.