The best official national benchmark for U.S. airline pilot pay is a median annual wage of $232,140 in May 2025. That is the median for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers—not a separate salary figure for experienced pilots or senior captains. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says airline pilots’ wages generally rise with experience and seniority, but it does not publish a seniority-specific national median.
How much do experienced airline pilots make in the U.S.?
The BLS May 2025 median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $232,140. A median is the midpoint of the wage distribution: half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. It is a useful national benchmark, but it is not an average or a guaranteed salary for a particular pilot. BLS reports the figure as a May 2025 wage estimate.
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The BLS says airline pilots usually begin as first officers and receive wage increases as they accumulate experience and seniority. However, its published national figure combines workers at different experience levels, so it does not establish a distinct “experienced pilot” or senior-captain salary.
What is the range of airline pilot pay?
BLS wage distribution thresholds give a sense of how widely pay varies across the occupation. For May 2025, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $106,710, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $463,830. These are percentile cutoffs, not the minimum and maximum salaries, and they do not show how much of the difference is attributable to experience.
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How does airline pilot pay compare with commercial pilot pay?
BLS reports a separate May 2025 median annual wage of $123,220 for commercial pilots. This is a different occupational category from airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, whose median was $232,140. “Pilot salary” is therefore not a single comparable figure across all pilot jobs; the role and occupational category matter. The BLS occupational profile distinguishes the two categories.
How does industry affect the reported median?
Within the BLS airline-pilot occupational group, May 2025 median wages differed by industry. These are industry-wide medians, not salary guarantees or experience-specific rates.
| Industry | May 2025 median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Couriers and express delivery services | $334,930 |
| Scheduled air transportation | $293,240 |
| Support activities for transportation | $202,680 |
| Federal government, excluding postal service | $141,140 |
These BLS figures describe workers in each industry, not the pay scale at a named airline or the earnings of a particular seniority level. BLS provides the industry breakdown.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What else affects total pilot compensation?
Employer and negotiated terms
Pay and benefits can depend on an employer’s contract and work rules. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says pilot groups at most commercial airlines in the United States and Canada are unionized and negotiate pay, work rules, and benefits. Its pay-and-benefits information is identified as current as of July 2025 and subject to change, so it should not be treated as a current universal pay table. See ALPA’s pay and benefits overview.
Per diem and additional pay
BLS says airline pilots receive an expense allowance, or per diem, for each hour away from home and may receive extra pay for international flights. Those items are compensation context, but BLS does not quantify them in the occupational median. They should not be added to $232,140 as though the result were a published or measured salary total. BLS describes these compensation elements.
Working time and schedules
BLS reports that airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month and spend an additional 150 hours on other work, such as checking weather and preparing flight plans. Schedules vary and may include overnight layovers. These monthly figures distinguish flight time from other duties; they are not a basis for calculating an hourly wage from the annual median without additional information about pay and hours. BLS summarizes pilot work schedules and duties.
What regional airline pay trends can—and cannot—tell you
A 2026 Government Accountability Office report describes rising wages for regional airline first officers from 2017 to 2024 and notes that some regional airlines offered bonuses while responding to attrition to network airlines. That is historical context for regional first officers; it is not a 2025 salary estimate for experienced pilots. Read the GAO report on the regional pilot pipeline.
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