End of year salary survey
 

I saw a thread like this last year and thought it was helpful when making a decision on which airline is best for each person who isn’t at their last job yet. I’m perfectly happy at UAL although only here less than 6 months so my figures are not the greatest for determing which airline is best for each person. This is not meant to be a _____ measuring contest, rather a realistic survey of what it is like at every airline. If you could post your; airline, years for pay, take home salary, airframe, hours flown, days worked, in domicile or out, bonus and other compensation for a total compensation. Thanks and Merry Christmas everyone!

UAL
1st year (<6 months)
~44k (training pay of 90 hours a month in the beginning)
320
165 in 4 months on the line
52 (18 a month while on rsv and last month only 4 while in domicile and on rsv)
3 months out of domicile and 1 in
No bonus yet 1st year but the standard 16% 401k contribution for an approx total compensation of 53k for almost 6 months with United.

End of year salary survey
 

SWA
4th year FO
Gross pay on the last pay stub of the year $189,746
752 hours in the last 365 days. (one trip left this year)
$26,140 contributed via the NEC (B fund)

Not sure how many total days at work. I’m usually bidding 15-17 days off per month. I don’t fly extra very often.



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Ah yes, the yearly **** measuring contest.

SWA
1st Year FO (1.5 months on 2nd year pay)
Gross of $116,105
Block 746:10 in last 365

I pickup a bit (a lot) so the amount of days off fluctuated but around 2 weeks off per month just scattered about. Not the greatest for QOL but I had no choice due to the pay cut required to come to SWA.

14.2% in 401K

We shall see what the profit sharing will be but the experts (whoever they are) say it should be around 10% this year.

Hope this info helps. It helped me a lot when I was thinking of making the switch. Please don’t look at these surveys as a measuring contest but a real world way to gauge what can be put into your account to feed your families and put a roof over their heads. We are professionals, live as such, and should be compensated accordingly. Anyways my $0.02.

Safe flying everyone.

Contest

...

Southwest

Year 2-3 FO living in the domicile
Gross pay on the final pay stub: $207,037 (includes PS excess check from 2017)
Per Diem: $7,414
401k NEC company contribution: $28,525
2018 Profit Sharing: still unknown.

Total compensation: $242,976

Block: 781 hours


I will echo StayFrosty and also say that this is not a yearly **** measuring contest, but rather useful real-life data for those doing homework and pondering their next move.

I honestly LOVE this thread. I don’t think anyone (at least 98% of posters) are bragging or attempting to show off. It’s just good, useful info for all involved!! And it’s motivation for those of us in our 40s still trying to make the jump into the big leagues.
Thank you for posting!

AA-year 5 airbus FO. $204k (including per diem and profit sharing) 401k was an additional 31k. I had a couple premium trips. First 7 months commuted to a line, last 5 lived in base and bid short call reserve. As a line holder I probably averaged 90 hours a month and 18 days away from home. As a reserve I've averaged 53 hours a month, flying an average of 10 days.

DAL 2/3 Year FO (70/30)

Total Taxable compensation: $145,000
Block < 550 hours
Average days off 18-20
No premium trips
401k: $36,000 (16% DC + 8% personal)
Commuter
2017 Profit Sharing $13,000

It’s a valuable metric. Consider the fact that in other professions corporations go to great lengths to keep the information secret.

SWA end of year 3
$148,700 pay only with per diem.
No premium, no extra flying.
720 block in 365.
NEC $20K.

Piedmont CA 2/3

Total Compensation: $93,000
Average days off: 9-11
Block: >800
3x Premium 1x or 2x per month
401k DC: $726
Vacation: 34 days

Deductions: FICA + union dues + med and dental= 24% . (22K)

All but one month on year 2 at SW.

370 block (habitual reserve bidder)
~$140k gross
~$20k NEC
Usually averaged 12-13 days not on call but 22-23 days off if you include unused reserve days. The perks of living in domicile.
Profit sharing TBD

Spirit

5 year CA
$273,000 gross
$5700 per diem
$23,595 DC

640 block

F9 4 yr FO
741 block hrs
$153,225.44

Youknigted 3 years. 3,4 year pay. Reserve. Sovereign Citizen.
Total compensation: 42 BTC and a Christmas meal.
Taxable income: 0

Yr 2 ALK FO

120k Taxable income
15% 401K (15.5 next yr)
Guessing around 6% for profit sharing
Don't work much drop everything I can.

Year 2/3 FO FDX (May)

Line Holder Commuter, 8 months of work (4 months mil leave) haven’t flown a night hub turn all year.

$149,562.03 Gross Pay
$13,070.12 Company B Fund Contribution

570 hours of flight time.

Missing Half of December pay stub and unused vacation hour payouts.

Estimate ~100 hours at 3rd year pay rate missing from above numbers. So $17,800 + $1,602 B Fund.

Good luck!

Just a heads up..... Flica and union dues are no longer deductable under the new tax law.

Spirit 4 year CA
$225,000 Gross
$19,700 DC (should be $21,000 at the end)
8 days of 200% pay trips
515 block
Commuter

Mostly year 5 (few months of year 4) AA 737 FO:

Gross (everything but 401k): $207,200
Company’s 401k DC: $32,400

No premium and I take my vacation, but I did work 171 days for the year. That’s a little more than 14 per month. I favor high value trips, so while 14 days per month isn’t bad, it’s a lot of flying while out on the road - almost 800 block hours.

Jetblue E190 FO
Half 2nd yr pay pre-CBA rate
Half 3rd yr pay CBA rate
Gross: $120,000
15% DC
550 block

Allegiant 2/3 yr FO
live in base
Fly a lot in busy months bid reserve slow months
130K
525 hrs flown
Plus 10% 401K

UAL A320 Capt. 12 year pay
4 months as a 756 FO/ 2 months in training
287K gross
36.5K 401K b&c fund
13K spill over to health retirement acct.
blocked 580

DL 717 CA
Year 12
$340K not including per diem, not including 16%DC until 401k limit.
720hrs block

Swa yr 3 FO
$179k
$6400 of that is per diem, $2800 is cash from profit sharing spillover
$25k to the 401k - B fund
$14.5k profit sharing (from 2017)
~ total for 2018 - $218,500

Around 780 hrs flown. Pick up a couple day trips or a 2 day a month. Avg 15 or so off a month.

I personally find this thread enlightening every year and use to as a sort of measuring stick for how everyone stacks up in the industry, certainly not to make myself feel better. It always amazes me how different people with different bidding strategies and flying habits at different places are doing pay wise. You always hear this and that or read things but until people lay it out here, it is hard to add context.

For me:
SWA year 4/5 FO commuter so rarely sit reserve.
Kid in private college and I am writing checks to pay for tuition so I work more than that average pilot but am not a varsity level “player”. Average 135tfp per month.
This year has seen a big manning swing in the right seat (hopefully temporary) so a plentiful inventory of open time used to mean I could manipulate my schedule and work 14-15 days and end up in the 130-140 tfp range, but that has changed and since summer there has been zero premium open time.

Total gross on paystub - $218,114
Perdiem - $7,173
Company 401k - $30,972
Profit sharing - $23,518 (2017 contribution paid this year)
Block - used to hover around 700-750 but since October has been above 800.
Days worked - depends on the month. Summer 14-16 days, now around 16-18 days to make up for lack of quality open time.

American Eagle "Envoy"
-21 years
-166k
-108 days worked (no weekends, no holidays)
-81 overnights
-commuter
-31.7k 401k, (8% match and 18.5k contribution)

12 year UAL guy


Jan through early June a 777FO
Late June mid July training
Late July through Dec 320CA


Total gross including per diem and profit sharing in addition to the regular earnings: $313,300


B-Plan: $46,000


Total $359,300 more or less.


Block for the year: 675hrs


Don't know the days off. Training jacked that up anyway. 2019 will be a better judge.





On paper looking only at total earnings, I made five grand less this year by upgrading... whoops... So that's why I'm more senior as a 320CA than a 777FO :confused::o:D






In actuality, it has a lot to do with the $14k less profit sharing between 2017 and 2018 along with not working hard..er playing the game.. on the 777 the first half of the year like I did the year prior. The delta between the two seats should be considerably better in 2019.


As it stands my regular earnings for 2018 is $285,600 for 1125hrs of pay (with a sizable portion of the 2018 hrs being on the lower 777FO pay rate) vs $279,500 for 1234hrs of pay in 2017.

I disagree with the 'measuring' analogy. Although some may be guilty, most are not and provide valuable insight for those looking to make vital career decisions. It's hard for applicants, particularly those coming from the military, to decipher the work rules of every airline. Pay scales can be misleading when applied to W-2s.

Good stuff

Year 2 NK FO

Still one more pay check to go for 2018

Line holder, in base, hustled some months, took it easy other months.

$115.3k gross pay
$11.1k employer 401k contribution
$9.5k medical/dental/vision/ STD
$6.1k per diem

$142k total compensation

Year 2 Southwest

Gross: 133K
Per Diem: $5700
Company NEC: $18.9K
Assumed PS of 10%: $13K
TOTAL: $171K

No Open Time pick ups. Grabbed a trip from pilot give away every other month of so. Live in base, so all numbers below assume an unused reserve day as a day off (about 24 for the year).

Total Work Days: 147
Total TAFB: 2,532 Hours = 105 Days
Average work days per month: 12.3
Average days off per month: 18.2

Total Block: 670 Hours

Total TFP (hours): 1300 (1130)
Average per month: 109 TFP (95 hours)

13 year B6 A320 CA

Worked my ass off some months, total slacker (reserve in base, or minimum line) others...

645 block for the year, average of 14 days off/month.

$365.7K total, broken out as follows:

$290K Regular, vacation and per diem.
$21K in PTO sellback, basically selling back sick/vacation bank.
$35K company 401(k) contribution.
$19.7K "signing bonus" for new CBA.

FWIW live in base, can't hold weekends in the bid but drop or sacrifice credit during the month to improve QOL.

Does swapa break it down like that for us or did you have to do the math?
Ie days worked /off tfp etc

Sw FO yr 2/3
Live in base only picked up 13 days for the yr. Average 17 days off a month
Gross- 142,306
Per diem - 5272
NEC - 20,207
Total- 167,785
Block- 657

Easiest flying job I've ever had

I tracked it myself.

11 yr DL 717 Cap
268k including 30 k in profit sharing
Does not include 36.5 in 401k contributions from DL

Worked 280 hrs,
Mostly sat reserve in base and did not work much as I am 60 % ish in category. On call for 17 days usually with 3 average days per month of short call. Usually only worked a 4 day trip every month on average , had a line 3 total months in 2018 because I was bored or currency tending or just needed to get out of the house.

I aspire to be on the less work more pay program...

UPS FO, year 4/5

$214,235 gross earnings excluding perdiem
---$5,101 in Open Time & JA pay
---$7,897 in Premiums and Late Arrival Pay
---$12,116 in sick check

$23,918 into MPP (DC Plan)

<470 block hours
134 total days worked
19 hotel layovers

5th/6th year Frontier FO

$92,500 in income & per diem. One pay check to go

$8,000 in company contributions to my 401K

Almost exactly 100k in total compensation with about $11,000 in deductions for Health ins, Ltd, vision, hsa, union dues, etc.