Captain Pay
 

Wondering if you could give me a relistic number for captain pay. Is 100k possible or is that more on the upper end.

Easily possible, even as a regional captain. Upper end would be mid 100s and up. Unless you're at an outfit like Mesa or somewhere comparable. Then I'd say 100 would be the upper end.

Just depends on how much time you are willing to invest in a second class career at the regionals. You can make that as a captain with enough longevity at most regionals (if they even exist in several years) or you could strive for a legacy and make that as an FO within a couple of years.

Not that I have a desire to stay at the regionals but why call them a "second class career." It's the same as any other job flying a plane and getting a check.

Have you compared your current pay scale to an equivalent spot at DAL or FDX or UPS lately? Have you considered that you can work at a regional for 10 years, and get all that experience and skills, the same as the guy at Delta who worked for the same 10 years, and make a third (or less) than said Delta pilot, and when your lucky straw is drawn to move up, all those skills and experience equal zero, and you start out at the bottom again?

Well, he does work for Mesa, so there's that.

Some people don't value themselves only by what their
W2 says.

A few captains at my company with 10 years at the company have recently told me that they make around $120,000 per year. A 17 year captain told me he made $160,000. We do have a very senior captain who works like crazy and makes $200,000 but he works really really hard. A few junior captains with about 6 years and holding a line are just breaking the 6 figure mark.

11 year SkyWest LCA, 145k.

When flying at the regional level, you are merely a sub contractor. The mainline partner can yank "your" flying at anytime and leave you on the street holding your hat.