Per Diem
 

Looking at airline pilot central I am seeing the average per diem for a regional guy is about $1.50/hr that you are away from base. I have never been paid per diem this way... as in by the hour. How much are you guys averaging a month in per diem? I am wondering how much per diem helps as far as total "income" goes.

Besides income from your hourly pay + per diem are there any other sources of income? (i.e. bonuses for flying over a certain number of miles in a month)

haha we're frequent fliers..that's for sure..but a pilot getting paid extra for miles flown..nahhhh

You receive per diem at the airlines for every second you are "on duty".

If you have to sit ready reserve at the airport..you're considered on duty.
If you're on an overnight at some hotel..you're on duty.
If you're flying, you're on duty.
Deadheading..etc.

Things not paid..are travel to and from work that's not deadheads (commuting)...sitting just plain reserve at a crash pad in some crappy city..or playing xbox on your days off.

You can NEVER plan on per diem..but figure you'll spend anywhere from 150-300 hours "on duty" in any given month..depending on your schedule (reservist/line holder).

If you know your schedule in advance (line holder) you can do the math and figure it out. Hours from check in, to check out of a trip are paid per diem.

If you're on reserve..it's almost impossible to predict, so don't go budgeting for it..just figure it as pocket cash when it comes.

If it helps, when i was on reserve i'd make 200-300 extra a paycheck in per diem..the good months it was 400+.

There may be bonuses paid to pilots based on certain things. If you pick up open time flying on days off..you MAY be entitled to 150% of your regular pay. If your company hits all targets operationally for a quarter, you MAY receive profit sharing.

Check the contract of whatever airline you're interested in to get specifics on that stuff...there are many differences in the airline world.

Why do people count per diem towards their income? Per Diem is money for you eat, drink, etc. while on the road.

If you are counting on per diem as part of your income you are underpaid and screwing yourself. Especially on reserve where you may get very little per diem.

NEVER CONSIDER YOUR PER DIEM AS PART OF YOUR INCOME.

I would agree it's not "income" per say. But $30 a day extra - or whatever it may be - is worth considering.

When I was doing four commutable 4 day trips a month, 16 days on 14 days off, my TAFB (time away from base) was usually in the 270-290 hour range. Multiply that by the rate to come up with a number in dollars that per diem would equal. Whenever your "rest" period occurs away from domicile, the per diem isn't taxed. When you are doing day trips (start and end in domicile in the same duty period), that per diem is taxable.

True. But the sad, pathetic truth is this. On first year regional pay, the per diem that is tacked onto your paycheck can account for between 25-30% of the money that goes into your bank account. Sad fact.

Budgeting per diem as income allows management to justify lower wages. Don't budget per diem to pay bills or living expenses.

Absolutely it shouldn't, especially on reserve. However, being on reserve for July, my per diem for the month was $650.

Wow they tax per diem. That is a new one for me as well. It gets taxed when you buy your food and drink... why is it getting taxed again? :eek:

Which sound like barely enough to make life on the road and being seperated from your family, for how many days, bearable.

I never expected my family to rely on my per deim to pay bills.

Have I struck a nerve? :confused:

Like I said, it's on day trips. I'm not an accounting expert, but I believe it has something to do with an IRS rule about where your "rest" period takes place. Out of domicile, not taxable. In domicile, taxable.

I like my scotch, but even I wasn't able to knock back $650 worth. I can't remember, are you furloughed UAL? If I remember, they USED to have 10-11 days off for reserve pilots. Do the math, if you "worked" every day in a month, you'd hit that figure also.

Agree, see my above post.

I don't count it as income, but I never came close to spending it all (when I was with the airlines), either.

$500/month saved back over a year, tax free, is a good chunk of change. Plus, if you use it to eat out all month, your waistline will show it.

Boy will it!

So tell me about this profit sharing stuff...

At my last job if we flew like mad one month exceeding a certain number of miles we would get a little extra in the pay check. If we flew a normal amount we got paid the normal amount.

It was a great arangement because at the end of the month when you felt all used up... depositing that extra money miraculously rejuvinated you. :) How do the airlines do it?

So just where are you coming from??

[quote=dojetdriver;864618]
I like my scotch, but even I wasn't able to knock back $650 worth. I can't remember, are you furloughed UAL? If I remember, they USED to have 10-11 days off for reserve pilots. Do the math, if you "worked" every day in a month, you'd hit that figure also.
quote]

I don't care for scotch myself but like to eat well while on the road. Yes I am F'ed. I just never planned my budget around per diem, if you don't get it fine if you do get it and it exceeds you needs on the road it's a bonus which the wife never had a problem finding a need for. Just don't plan on it.

I flew on-demand charter.

Can I assume you had no per diem then?

No, we had per diem.But enough about me. What's up with this profit sharing?

I have never seen profit sharing work. I prefer better pay per hour and I'll save my own money.

I like to eat healthy on the road. Which contrary to popular opinion, isn't that hard, nor expensive. I've commuted for over 10 years, the less crap I gotta cary on me, the better. Which means other than Cliff bars, I don't pack my own food.

As stated previously, see an earlier post. What I was getting at was that I couldn't spend $650 on overnights in a month. But that's just me. For the guys that need to splurge everywhere, whatever.

Same reason that your income is taxed by the fed, the state, and some places county or city, then hit with sales tax (and if you are buying liquor you don't want to know how many extra layers of the "base price" are actually taxes that you then get hit with sales tax paying on THAT tax)

The airlines just leave you all used up at the end of the month.

The "miraculous rejuvination" is when you pretend there will be a pilot shortage at the majors.