Originally Posted by
Space Yak
Why are the hourly rates so low? Captains at VA are on $270 and FO’s $175. Even with the exchange rate, the gap is significant. $90k US is only around $130k AU. What am I missing?
Yak, the rates that you are talking about are for a regional captain flying a CRJ700/900 or E175 for example. The Australian equivalent would be Qlink or Rex (Saab 340), so the money is already better or comparable while gaining jet experience. But you pay less tax and lower cost of living in the US, so you're ahead.
Pilots at the low cost carriers (Spirit, Frontier, Avelo, etc) on A320s and B737s make a lot more.
For example an FO at Frontier makes approx between $115,000 USD to $174,000 USD (12 years with the airline), but can expect to upgrade at year 3 or 4 with Captain pay starting at $221,000 USD to $262,000 USD (12 years with the airline). So looking at a maximum earning potential close to $400,000 AUD and the airline also will contribute 15% into your 401k per year on top.