This thread is fascinating. In nearly every other profession in the US it's pretty much
verboten to discuss compensation with anyone other than one's spouse, and here folks are posting their W2s. Not a criticism, just an observation.
I gotta say, though, folks. Speaking as someone who spent 20+ years in the corporate (non-aviation world) before taking on a second job at a regional airline because I figured 7K hours of piston flying was enough, we airline pilots have it
really, really good.
In my day job — which I'm able to do because I bid weekend flying and split-duty trips during weeknights — I work in advertising. Actually, I run my own 50-person company. In this field, like just about any other corporate pursuit, the very concept of a job that requires one to work 100-150 days per year, and potentially earn compensation in the $300-$500K range, is simply unheard of. You'd be laughed out of any corporate interview (including mine) if you suggested a deal like that.
Typically in the higher echelons of corporate America you'll work about 2,300--2,500 hours per year, which translates into approximately 230-250 days 'worked.' (Then again, you're really 'working' every day, even if it's just three hours on a Sunday. There is no concept of 'off' days anymore...you are chained to your smartphone.)
Whereas, in aviation, when you block in and walk off the airplane, you're done. Aside from a few quarterly online training tasks — which we all do on our overnights or during Airport Appreciation time anyways — and aside from some brushup studying for recurrent, there's almost nothing we have to do when we're not on a trip. At this income level, it's impossible to have that kind of arrangement in corporate America.
All I'm saying is, we pilots are good at complaining. The food, the van times, the flow delays, management, contracts, dispatch, MX, catering, crew scheduling, reserve assignments...we'll complain about it all. But for those of you who had to suffer through a non-airline career before you put on your stripes, you know what I'm talking about. This is the Best. Job. In. The. World.*
*Until, of course, the proverbial **** hits the fan, which is what pilots are really paid for. And the consequences of errors in that situation are far greater than errors made by, let's say, a VP of Marketing in some corner office somewhere. So there's that.
All I'm saying is — compared to the vast, vast majority of professionals, we pilots (well, you major airline pilots, to be specific) have it really, really good. Next time you're up in the flight levels, just think about what you could be doing instead — like most people, sitting in a grey cubicle, working twice as much for half the pay.
Maybe that will make that involuntary extension into your day off, or the hotel van showing up 30 minutes late when you've just spent 16 hours slogging across the country in the middle of Snowmageddon, sting a bit less
