NopeNoVNAV

Is there a thread on compensation and expected career compensation?

jerryleber

.......

Guppydriver95

Kit Darby has a website. To sum up, 40 year career at U- 22 ish million total comp. 40year at D 21.5. 40 year at SW- don’t recall, but not significantly less.

e6bpilot

This data is all old.
They are all a virtual tie now that the contracts are settled and that will probably continue into perpetuity.

There will, of course, be variations based on work habits, fleet and base choices, and relative seniority based on number of pilots retiring/already hired at the major of your choice.

This thread will turn into a bragging match between pilots with severe confirmation bias, but all the data points to making a choice based on where you live or intend to live and then riding it out until retirement. I am interested to see the money brag thread at the end of this year. When you take out the bonuses and outliers, I am willing to bet the various majors are within a couple percent of each other.

greatmovieistar

SWA pilots are the first to tell everybody they know that they make more than anybody. Is it true or not? Who knows

jerryleber

I think you are correct that the chart was prior to the new Southwest contract. I think that was the only contract not included.

Guppydriver95

they have more opportunities for premium, at least in the recent past. Things change over time.

e6bpilot

Funny, if you look at the compensation thread over the last few years, I think the widget pilots have definitely taken that role over since SWA pilot compensation was pretty lacking until about 6 months ago.
I think every pilot group has those that work their butts off and brag about it nonstop. SWA used to really promote that, but over the last two contracts, that has really changed since you can work very little and do pretty well at SWA these days if you play your cards right.
As for who knows, that's why I pointed the OP to the compensation threads. They give a pretty good picture of what is what. There are outliers on both sides of the payscale. If you throw them out like any good statistician, you end up with a good idea of what the average Joe earns. SWA got a new contract, so it's hard to say right now, but I would be willing to bet that if you throw out those outliers, the end result is within spitting range of one another.

Twincezzna

I think it depends on how much you're willing to work. A 25 year old hire at United based in SFO could be a wide body captain for 20+ years and pick up extra trips. They could potentially make 5 million more than a 25 year old based in Miami that sits on the beach reserve on the 737, upgrades to wide body FO after 5 years, then wide body captain at 55 when they can hold a good schedule.

rickair7777

They make more than anybody who does five leg days in 737's. If you have a 40-year run then widebody pay, or lack thereof, is going to factor heavily into your career earnings.

But 40 years is a loooong time in this industry... a lot can happen in 40 months, to say nothing of decades.

At this point as far as anyone can predict the money is going to be great at any first or second tier major, with considerable flexibility to trade QOL for cash. So consider where you want to live and what kind of flying you want to do. That might change over time too, so it might be nice to have multiple fleet options. 40 years would be a long time on a guppy... I'll go out on a limb and guess that most folks wouldn't make it to the finish line.