Best Paying American Airlines
 

Hey All,

Just wondering if anyone has a link or information on the best carriers to work for in terms of pay and lifestyle in the continental states.

Be interested to find out some realistic first year pays that an entry level pilot could expect

I understand Delta seems to be the go to?

Thanks in advance!

The variety and flexibility offered is so varied that only you can decide what's best for you at your stage of life and career.
Delta just had a first mover advantage, if you want to call it that. AA and UA will match or exceed DL conditions. And regionals currently offer better QOL. The situation is so fluid that what makes sense this week won't the next.

APC
A more US centric forum. Browse till you drop.
And please come back here and give us an executive summary.
Good luck.

Really appreciate the thoughtful response here, thanks.

That is certainly a big forum, time for a spreadsheet!

Cheers

So I've found a couple of contracts.

Is it fairly correct to assume that there is a minimum hour per month guarantee for entry level pilots, but no salary minimum?

Say I was a delta first year F/O, I would earn $108ish / flight hour with a minimum guarantee of 2.5hrs per day even if no flying attained?

So circa $7500USD gross ?

I believe most contracts offer a monthly hour guarantee of some where between 70-75hrs hrs of your hourly rate. You will never get less than that, it’s your base salary but you can earn more.
It’s hard to understand the complexities of how some of these contracts work and as a newcomer to the US pilot game , understanding all the terms is like learning a new Language.

Yes. In the DL contract an "entry level pilot" is defined as one who has not completed OE so is technically still in training. Once OE is complete ( released to line), if on reserve that pilot gets the reserve guarantee hours for the equipment he's on. If on a regular line (roster), he gets whatever that line pays at first year hourly rate (it may pay more than a reserve guarantee depending on how much one flies). In this case, $108.34/hour as that's first year rate for all equipment.

The reserve guarantee pays XX hours/month even if you never set foot in the airport all month long. My son is a B717 F/O on reserve by choice and flies very little. But his buddy on the A320 gets worked like a rented mule...in the same base. Lots of variation.

Contacts are complicated things.

You say "entry level" pilot. What experience do you have right now? People with very little experience do not get hired on with the majors. They start at a regional, normally. Also, do you have the right to work in the US? If not, then your research is pretty much useless.

jrmyl,

"Entry Level Pilot" is a term used and defined in the contract and is unrelated to any person's flight experience. It replaces the old term, "New Hire".

What contract is that in? I haven't seen or heard it before outside of how I used it. Must be a fairly new term for contracts? but my questions still remain as the OP's location is listed as New Zealand.

He mentioned it already. DL uses that term till completion of OE.

I didn't make up the term. It's in Section 2 105, definitions, in the new Delta contract.

Here's the extract:

“Entry level pilot” means a pilot who has not completed their initial OE at the Company."

It's in here:

https://d2r1lrrqctgamh.cloudfront.ne...TA%20Clean.pdf

And I never said you made it up. Jeez. People get so damn sensitive on these forums. I simply asked where it is because I personally have never seen it before. In my experience flying, dating back to the early 90's, I have only heard that term used to define someone who was low time and looking for a job that didn't require much experience. The numerous contracts I have worked under haven't defined it.

No sensitivity at all. You asked a question and I provided a documented answer. My opinion is irrelevant which is why I try to offer documentation.

Every contract is a new document and will contain something not seen before.