Delta Air Lines pilots are paid under an hourly contract-rate system, not one universal annual salary. In ALPA’s table effective January 1, 2026, a Delta captain with 12 years of longevity on a Boeing 737-800 has a contractual rate of $388.27 per hour; a 12-year first officer on the same aircraft has $265.19 per hour. Those are flight-pay rates, not guaranteed yearly earnings. Aircraft type, seat, longevity, credited work, schedule and other contract provisions determine what an individual actually earns.
Delta’s published 2026 hourly rates
The most useful way to quote Delta pilot pay is to identify all four details: aircraft, seat, longevity and rate date. The following examples are ALPA’s 12-year rates effective January 1, 2026.
| Aircraft | Captain | First officer |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 717 | $349.38/hour | $238.62/hour |
| Boeing 737-800 | $388.27/hour | $265.19/hour |
| Boeing 767-400ER | $404.92/hour | $276.56/hour |
| Boeing 767 | $404.92/hour | $276.56/hour |
These figures are specific 12-year contract rates, not the pay of every Delta pilot. A new-hire first officer, a pilot on another aircraft, and a pilot at a different longevity step will have different rates. ALPA’s comparison includes additional equipment and rate steps beyond the examples shown here.
Why there is no single Delta pilot salary
An hourly rate does not equal annual income. Airline pilots are generally paid for credited “block” time—the period from aircraft-door closure at departure until the door opens at the destination—rather than every hour spent preparing, commuting through the airport or waiting between assignments.
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ALPA’s aspiring-pilot FAQ says most pilots fly about 80 block hours per month. That is broad industry guidance, not a Delta-specific promise or an individualized schedule. The hourly rate is intended to account for work outside block time, and contractual rules can provide guarantees or additional pay depending on the assignment and circumstances. The available sources do not establish one representative annual salary for all Delta pilots, so multiplying a published rate by an assumed number of hours would create a figure that may look precise but is not a typical or guaranteed paycheck.
Captain versus first officer
Captains command the flight and generally occupy the higher-paid seat. On the 12-year B-737-800 scale, the published captain rate is $388.27 per hour compared with $265.19 for a first officer. The difference is not a universal percentage across Delta’s fleet because each aircraft has its own rate table and pilots progress through longevity steps.
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How Delta’s contract changed pay
Delta’s pilot agreement became effective March 2, 2023 and is amendable December 31, 2026. ALPA’s announcement described the agreement as providing a 34% increase in pay over the contract’s life and more than $7 billion in cumulative increases over four years. That $7 billion figure is the agreement’s cumulative value for the pilot group, not wages received by one pilot.
A later Delta Master Executive Council notice says baseline composite hourly rates increased 4% on January 1, 2025, with the final scheduled 4% increase taking effect January 1, 2026. The notice characterizes the agreement’s cumulative pay-rate increase as 36.7%. This describes changes to contract rates over the agreement’s life; it is not a claim that every pilot’s personal year-over-year income rose by 36.7%.
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Per diem is separate from flying pay
Per diem is an expense allowance, not part of the hourly flight rate. ALPA explains that it is generally paid for each hour a pilot is away from base, including time spent sleeping, to help cover incidental expenses. Delta’s contract history ties per-diem adjustments to U.S. government CONUS and OCONUS meals-and-incidental-expenses rates; Canada qualifies for international per diem under the described provisions.
The amount a pilot receives therefore depends on time away from base and the applicable contract rules. It should not be added to the published hourly rate as though it were guaranteed salary.
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How Delta compares with other major airlines
For a fair wage comparison, match aircraft, seat, longevity and effective date. In ALPA’s 12-year B-737-800 table effective January 1, 2026, the base rates are:
| Airline | Captain | First officer |
|---|---|---|
| Delta | $388.27/hour | $265.19/hour |
| United | $388.27/hour | $265.19/hour |
| American | $390.30/hour | $266.58/hour |
This is a base-rate comparison only. It does not compare guarantees, credited-hour rules, per diem, retirement contributions, premium pay, scheduling provisions or the full value of each airline’s contract.
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What determines an individual pilot’s total compensation?
- Aircraft assignment: published rates differ among fleets.
- Seat: captain and first-officer scales are separate.
- Longevity: pay rises through contract steps as service time increases.
- Credited work: block hours, guarantees and other contractual pay items affect a month’s earnings.
- Schedule and premium duties: qualifying assignments or circumstances can change credited pay.
- Time away from base: this drives per-diem payments under the contract.
- Benefits and retirement provisions: these matter for total compensation but are not included in the hourly figures above.
What the published numbers can—and cannot—tell you
The rates establish the contractual value of an hour for a specified Delta aircraft, seat and longevity. They do not establish a typical annual salary, a guaranteed monthly income or the amount any particular pilot takes home after taxes and deductions. The 2026 B-737-800 examples are therefore best used as transparent reference points rather than as personal earnings estimates.
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