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Welcome to our Commercial Pilot Salary Guide, updated for 2018

Before you read this guide to Airline Pilot Salaries we must stress that this in some areas is speculative and many details have been submitted by users and may not be 100% accurate, however it may give you a rough idea what to expect:

The airline world in particular, works a little different from many other business sectors. Most flight-deck crew are paid a salary which is fixed, on top of this salary they may receive a number of other pay incentives, such as:

Flight Pay or Sector Pay:

Some airlines will pay their crew a small sum of money per sector (each individual flight) or they may pay them an amount per hour flown.

Duty Pay:

Again, some airlines will pay their crew an hourly rate, from the moment they check-in at the airport to the moment they check out, in the UK this may include a tax-free sum. The purpose of this is for crew to ensure they have adequate food and refreshments for the days work.

Overtime Pay:

Airline will often pay their crew additional flight hour pay over a certain limit, this is usually as a crew member approaches their legal monthly limit of hours.

Day Off Pay:

If a crew member agrees to work a previously assigned day off, then a day off payment which may also include a day off in lieu will often be agreed and paid.

Benefits

Many airlines offer their staff a number of benefits, this can vary greatly, with a number of low-cost airlines maybe not being so generous. These benefits can include:

• Private Pension
• Private Healthcare
• Free or discounted Dental Treatment
• Childcare Help
• Staff Travel
• Holiday Discounts
• Partner Company Discounts
• Various Government backed schemes like Cycle to Work
• Loss of Licence or Loss of Income Protection
• Company Shares or Profit Share Scheme

As a guide, we have put together some examples of current pilot salaries for UK based operators:

Small & Medium Twin-Engine Turboprop Pilot Salaries:

Airline example – Flybe, Blue Islands & Eastern Airways

First Officer Salaries
£29,000 – £40,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £3,000 flight duty pay

Senior First Officer Salaries
£35,000 – £50,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £3,000 flight duty pay

Captain Salaries
£65,000 – £80,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £3,000 flight duty pay

Executive/Private Jet Pilot Salaries:

Airline example – NetJets, TAG Aviation & Ocean Sky

First Officer Salaries
£33,000 – £60,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £6,000 flight duty pay

Captain Salaries
£50,000 – £95,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £7,000 flight duty pay

Small & Medium – Short Haul Jet Pilot Salaries:

Airline example – Easyjet, Ryanair & Jet2.com

First Officer Salaries
£40,000 – £65,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £8,000 flight duty pay

Captain Salaries
£80,000 – £120,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £9,000 flight duty pay

Large – Long Haul Jet Pilot Salaries:

Airline example – British Airways, Virgin Atlantic & Cathay Pacific

First Officer Salaries
£50,000 – £120,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £8,000 flight duty pay

Captain Salaries
£85,000 – £170,000 basic pay
£2,000 – £13,000 flight duty pay

To find out more about pilot salaries and becoming a pilot why not visit our guides:

Becoming a Private Pilot
Training to be a Commercial Pilot
Financial Guides
Medical Guides

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