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What does “pilot pay” mean?
Three different figures can be described as a pilot’s pay, but they answer different questions:
- An occupational wage statistic: BLS’s May 2025 median is an annual wage for a broad group of airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers. It is not a first officer’s contract rate or starting salary.
- A contract hourly rate: An airline pay table may specify a rate by aircraft and seniority step. The rate is not an annual salary.
- Annual earnings: What a pilot earns over a year depends on credited pay, guarantees, seniority, premium flying and other compensation. An hourly rate alone does not establish that total.
BLS does not publish a first-officer-specific national median for 2025 in the figures cited here. Its occupation-wide data combine pilots at different seniority levels and in different seats; BLS says airline pilots usually start as first officers and receive wage increases as experience and seniority accumulate. BLS: Airline and Commercial Pilots
What did a senior first officer earn per hour in the 2025 comparison?
A like-for-like example is ALPA’s contract comparison for a 12-year B-737-800 first officer. The table gives rates effective January 1, 2025; these are hourly contract rates for that aircraft and seniority step, not starting pay or annual salary.
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| Airline | 12-year B-737-800 first-officer rate effective Jan. 1, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $249.76 per hour |
| Delta | $254.99 per hour |
| American | $256.33 per hour |
| United | $254.99 per hour |
| Southwest | $265.37 per hour |
These rates are a specific comparison point, not a range for all U.S. first officers. ALPA’s document says American, United and Southwest use the same rate for the B-737-800 and MAX8. Its tables include later effective dates as well; the figures above are the 2025 column only. ALPA: Airline Pilot Pay Rates
Why can’t an hourly rate simply be turned into annual salary?
A contract rate needs a pay-credit assumption before it can be annualized. A monthly guarantee is one possible input, but a guarantee is not the same as actual hours flown or a promise that every pilot’s year will look identical. Comparisons should also distinguish base pay from bonuses, per diem, premium flying and benefits.
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Alaska’s current compensation page lists a 70-hour monthly pay guarantee alongside its first-year rate. That page is current as reviewed in 2026, so its guarantee should not be assumed to describe 2025 contract terms without checking the applicable contract date. Alaska Airlines: Pilot Compensation
Block time is not all the time a pilot spends working. ALPA defines it as the period from aircraft door closure until the door opens at the destination. Its aspiring-pilot FAQ says, “Most pilots fly about 80 hours of block time a month,” while noting that airport and predeparture duties are outside that block-time figure. This is ALPA’s general description, not a formula for calculating annual pay. ALPA: Aspiring Pilot FAQ
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What else affects a first officer’s compensation?
Pay scales vary by airline and contract, as well as by aircraft and seniority. ALPA says pilot groups negotiate compensation, work rules and benefits, and that collective bargaining differs across groups. It describes the process this way: “There is no cookie-cutter approach to collective bargaining.” ALPA: Pay and Benefits for Airline Pilots
Base hourly pay is not the whole compensation picture. BLS notes that pilots may receive per diem for hours away from home and extra pay for international flights. It also says pilots and immediate family members usually receive free or reduced-fare flights. These items are separate from the hourly rate in a contract table. BLS: Airline and Commercial Pilots
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How should you compare pilot pay figures?
Before comparing two published figures, check that they describe the same kind of pay and align on the details that drive the amount:
- Airline and contract
- Aircraft type
- Seat (first officer or captain)
- Seniority year or step
- Rate effective date and pay unit
- For an annual estimate, monthly guarantee or credited hours
- Whether bonuses, per diem, premium flying, retirement contributions or benefits are included
Without those details, a larger hourly figure may reflect a more senior step or a different aircraft rather than what a new hire—or a typical first officer—will earn.
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What is known about first-year rates in 2025?
The sources cited here do not provide a complete, comparable text table of 2025 first-year first-officer rates across U.S. airlines. ALPA’s July 2025 pay overview includes charts, but the chart values are not available in the page text reviewed here. As a result, these sources do not support a reliable nationwide starting-pay range. ALPA: Pay and Benefits for Airline Pilots
Two current airline pages offer figures for context, but neither should be mislabeled as a 2025 rate. Alaska’s page lists a first-year first-officer rate of $124.72 per hour per contract, but does not make its historical applicability to 2025 clear. United’s page gives $125.52 per flight hour for new hires in 2026, not 2025. Alaska Airlines: Pilot Compensation United Airlines: Pilot Careers
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