This thread seems to come up every year, and there is justifiably much angst produced. One has to wonder what methodology they use to determine pilot pay. For instance they said that there are about 77000 pilots in the US. I count over 79000 (excluding furloughees) in the APC listing under Legacy, Major, Cargo, and Regional. There are another 5000 under Fractionals alone. Not to mention the sizeable contingent of corporate pilots and flight instructors... So just who are these guys counting, and more importantly who'd they exclude?

Next how do they determine the "Average Pay". Did they take the hourly wage of the highest and lowest earners, take a mean and assume an even distribution? Did they use a median? What's thier methodology?

Based on the text of the full article, I think they are using mean average of gross wages from Federal Tax returns, as they claim railroad engineers are down 15% from last year, and postal workers are up 23%. Its highly unlikely that RR engineers all agreed to a draconian pay cut, or USPS letter carriers got a windfall contract. But thier available overtime hours probably varied that drasticly.

Given the number of furloughs, zero hiring, longevity increases, and lack of retirements due to age 60-65, a 5.1% increase in mean wages is not an unreasonable outcome.

But $119,000 average? Jeeze, Its is hard to imagine. But the junior captain flying a Boeing or Airbus (anywhere) makes better than that. And when you exclude the thousands of pilots making $0.00 its a lot easier to get to that mean.

Clearly the Forbes article is once again a fluff piece, lacking any insight into the subject it tries to cover, or even recognition of glaring problems with its own methodology.

 

Should be true, but, even in the US . . . it's not.

 

You'll work a LOT more, & pay out a ton in medical malpractice insurance. You'll also spend 10+ years getting to a practice, & you'll make squat until you get there. Not much different then the airlines.

 

There are plenty of 320 CAs in the US who make $119,000 a year or more.

 

Sniper, the point was that the government has shown a willingness or more likely a plan to nationalize certain industries. Through TARP, the US government OWNS many US banks. They own GM and Chrysler (or soon will once their BK plan is accepted, forced on the car co's because the gov owns the banks). They are attempting to nationalize the health care industry. Why do you think they are high on the list? I think we are inline to be taken over.

 

Yes, I agree. However, the poster wrote "the junior captain flying a Boeing or Airbus (anywhere) makes better than that", which is not the case. Merely occupying the left seat of a Boeing or Bus does not guarantee you over 119K a year, particularly if you're junior. A look @ APC's hourly guarantees and pay shows this.

If re-regulation comes to the airlines, I don't think many senior pilots will complain. After all, the pensions were intact, the job security was great, and the pay was much better prior to deregulation. The fares were higher too, of course. It would not be in the best interests of the citizens of the US to re-regulate, and I think the income of pilots would rapidly rise from #19 to top 10 billing if this occurred.

Many pilots (junior ones) would lose their jobs too, though. There is no need to have Delta, American, and US Airways all serving the BOS-NYC-DCA market, to point out just one glaring example.

Not going to happen, IMO, though I wish it would.

 

That's because the media can't tell the difference between an Airbus and a Boeing.

Remember when US Airways ditched in the Hudson earlier this year? At first, the AP was calling it a Boeing A320.

 

I'm not talking about re-regulation, I am talking about government ownership. When the Man owns you, he will determine what he will pay you. Look at the moves this government is making. Taking over major companies, setting limits on pay and compensation, and abrogating bankruptcy laws to stiff creditors to reward favored constituencies.

If the government took over a carrier, don't think the senior pilots salaries would go up. They would be lumped with the executives and management as the greedy ones who take all the money at the expense of the "workers". I fear that article is setting the stage for that.

 

You must not have checked NWA 320 CA pay.

1st yr 320 CA $143 X 70 hours = $120,120 per year. That of course is a reserve guarantee, but I don't think you can argue that even "the most junior captains" would be on anything BUT reserve.

Also, I've never flown with a 320 CA who had less then 12 yrs longevity which means they are making $155 X 70 hours = $130,200, or $155 X 65 hours = 120,900.

So you see merely occupying the left seat of the A320 at the new DAL certainly does guarantee you $119,000 a yr. Actually, even for the most junior pilot it guarantees you even more.

 

Lets see 4yr degree with additional expensive flight training, years of work to even get hired at a regional, responsibility for a multi-million dollar piece of equipment and the lives on it, including yours. YAY we're above average wage earners. We're suppose to be. We should be leading the pack.