Regional salary
 

What is the yearly salary of a Regional Airline (ASA, Comair, Air Wisconsin) Captain with say 15-18 years in?

Here are a couple links that show a bunch of airlines' pay rates:

http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/a...2005030344.htm

http://www.willflyforfood.cc/Payscales/PayScales.htm

enjoy

Honestly, it's not bad. I've been doing some research by talking to people outside of aviation, looking particularly at people with my college major: meteorology. You hear alot of people upset with their salary on this forum, especially the regional dudes. Through my research I actually found something sorta funny: I'd probably have greater earnings potential spending a career as a regional airline pilot than spending a career as a meteorologist or related scientist. I hear pilots on the forum saying how us young guys should give up flying and go into "normal jobs" where we'd "make more money". If I were to change paths and use my meteorology degree instead of my pilot qualifications, THAT would actually be the pay cut. Crazy, huh?

You need to compare apples to apples, because I guarantee that hour for hour you will make much more as a meteorologist. The pay as fourth or fifth year captain in the regionals works out to about 8-10$ an hour. Some with duty rig and better work rules may be better, but for the time you spend away from home and the crappy schedule, christmas, thanksgiving, birthdays, etc.,etc.etc, the pay is very low. It is very time consuming and can be hard. Any captain should make 100,000 a year in the regionals for what you put on the line and the responsibility, not to mention the cost of getting your ratings and the terrible pay up to date. People see the end result and think pilots are so rich, there is much more to it.

There are many variables, but if you make some assumptions about a 15 year captain...

1) Decent line w/ no reserve
2) Enough days off to pick up volunteer flying
3) The option to minimize long layovers, or just do daytrips...
4) The option to make extra money as a check airman.

$70-$100K is a reasonable pay range, let's call it 85K. If you do one 3.5 day trip per week (minus three weeks vacation), you get paid: $20/ hour away from home.

If you are on duty an average of 12 hours each day, you get paid: $40/ hour of duty.

If you use your travel benefits a lot, you might want to factor that in...aside from commuting we use over $20K/year of travel, which is alot.

Now the good news about time away from home is that it's not all bad...I work out more on trips, and when you're actually asleep, it doesn't really matter where you are.

Your right, and it can also be variable for a meteorologist, because different weather jobs have different life styles. A forecaster at the NWS or a private firm will do shift work, often times weekend/overnight/holiday. All you do is show up and forecast for 8 or 10 hours (from experience, accurately predicting the weather is very hard). If you do environmental consulting then it's more 9-5, plus perhaps some travel/field work, and you often times have to take work home with you. Then you have your research professors who teach and do more liesurly research work. Those jobs are nice. It costs alot of money for them too, because to attain the highest levels you need a masters or PhD on top of your BS, which can be very expensive if you have to pay for it yourself.

A person's salary, in any career field, is always a very subjective thing. You may be able to make more as an environmental consultant but you may hate the work, and would rather forecast. Unfortunately, not only is it hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison, but even then it may not tell you the whole story. Airlines pilots are (usually) paid per flight hour with additonal pay from per diem, duty rig, etc. A meteorologist is almost always paid on a fixed salary, with shift forecasters also getting an override for overtime, holiday, etc. There could be other bonuses as well. My analyses, therefore, just looked at the amount of dollars you walk away with at the end of the year. Beyond that, your "satisfaction" is going to stem from how much your enjoying your job.

I'm working part time at a mall retail store while going to school. It's a good company, good products, decent salary (would get free health benefits if I was full time). My manager makes about $65K by running the store, managing everything, and dealing with angry jackass customers. Christmass time was a stress nightmare. It's a cool, good job for a college student like me, but I wouldn't want to do it forever.

The biggest thing in the end is if you can look at your life and say your happy. My closest mentor is a super-senior 777 FO at Continental (mid 40s), and he's gotten pay cuts just like everyone else at the legacies. He typically does those long-ass flights from EWR to asian cities, and is divorced (I don't think it had to do with his being away from home), but has two great kids. He says he's loving his job and loving life.

MikeB525,
Real quick since we are talking about meterologist. Whats the lifestyle and salary of a TV news Meteorologist. My degree is in Broadcasting and I used to see those guys when we visted the TV stations.

How much does your 777 FO make per year? Here is my story. I am 37 years old commercial single engine pilot with around 460 hours. I will get my multi and CFI this summer. I was originally wanting to be an airline pilot. But after hearing and reading all the negativity on this board and others (which I dont understand why these people tell others not t pursue aviation yet they have been doing it themselves for years) that I am reconsidering. I realize there are other flying jobs out there as well. I am considering flying for law enforcement. I have found a department that flies 172's/182's. After some experience there, if I dont stay , I may go to the FAA and be a aviation safety inspector or flyi for thre flight inspection field office. Or I may teach aviation at a regular college or university. I dont mean a starving CFI.I mena an actual college professor in the aviation deparrtment. That would require me to geta MAsters degre in aviation or education which Iwant to do anyway.

I am not limiting myself to justairlines. I know thats what everyone thinks about. And dont get me wrogn. It would be great to fly from LAX to Hawaii to Japan. But I am not sure if I want to start out at a regional being 29 years old making 20K

I Think Dogpilot is off a little bit.

"The pay as fourth or fifth year captain in the regionals works out to about 8-10$ an hour"

Thats about $21K a year. I'm a 6 yr. CA at a regional and made over 70K.
Not the best, but a little better than $10.

N6724G - A little confused here. Are you in broadcasting or metrology? Are you 37 or 29? I'm maybe wondering if you are really 17 and getting ready to go into college.....Hmmmmmnnn?

But I'll play along and hopefully this info will help. As posted above there are websites that give exact pay for specific airlines as they are regulated by a contract. As for people on these forums saying to stay out of aviation you really need to consider the source of the info. I for one am close to 40, been in the biz since I was 18 and have worked for 6 companies from tour flights to Island hopping, to regional and major airline work only to have been furloughed after 9/11. Am I ticked off? Not really. Life hands us some crazy turns and we adapt. If you can't or don't like adapting then definitely stay out of aviation!! The biggest problem hitting the airline industry now is the 'race to the bottom.' There are regionals that are willing to work for less and less $$. They in turn slash current contracts and/or offer pilots food stamp wages and there are pilots STANDING IN LINE for these jobs! It's no different now than back in the day when I flew Canyon tours and made $700/mo. But then I knew there were regional jobs that would pay more and a major airline job that would win me the lottery. But if you have been following aviation and have seen that UAL has 1800 furloughed, AA 2800, DAL 540, US Air 2000, and my old Co NWA at 700 and climbing. The management at the majors wants to hand over all the short hop and small plane flying to its regionals - ie. Loss of pilots and flying at the majors, and therefore less jobs at that high pay scale.

For your situation best-case scenario, you go to a flight training academy pay big $$ and end up with a regional job inside of a year. You are then stuck there at $20k/yr for 4 years until upgrade then go to $45k/yr. You can hang there forever and grow to $80-100k/yr depending on if you want to fly a lot or become and instructor or Chief Pilot. You could then go to a cargo company or charter company and fly larger aircraft with not so good work rules but be making larger $$. And finally go to the majors in say 10+ years once all the kinks are worked out and retirements have swung the hiring back into motion.

Take some time, read some posts on all of the forums including major, regional, cargo and fractional and also do some time at your local airport talking to some pilots (corporate, fractional and regional.) If I were you and have the metrology degree, not the broadcasting, I would stay there and look into working for a carrier that needs in house weather. Netjets has a very impressive weather dept and most majors also have in house weather. I have no idea what it pays. You could also get your dispatchers license and go that route. With those two choices you are home nightly and will get so see your kids grow up!

Good luck.

Baja.

$70k at 250 hrs a month TAB / 30 days = $9.33 I think that was where he was going with the low wages. If you were to compare your $70k with a regular 9-5 5 days a week for $70 I think we all know who wins there?!?!?

BTW - your 6 yr capt job at $70k is the same as a 6 yr capt was at Pan Am flying the whale in 1980. Go figure eh???

Baja.