Pilot Pay Comparison by Year of Service
Hourly pay for 12 Canadian and US carriers at typical career points: a first-year first officer, a fifth-year first officer, a tenth-year narrowbody captain, and a captain at the top of the scale. Every figure shows the rate with annual pay in brackets, calculated at that carrier's own monthly guarantee over twelve months, excluding per diems, premiums and overtime. Rates come from each collective agreement and are shown at the scale in force today.
Seniority decides both the seat and the aircraft, so these are the points a typical career passes through rather than an arbitrary grid. Nearly every pilot spends their early years as a first officer on a narrowbody, which is what year 1 and year 5 describe. A narrowbody captain seat becomes realistic around year 10, and the seniority to hold a widebody captain seat, the top of the scale, around year 25.
The Year 25 column is the top of the agreement's scale. Agreements price every aircraft category they cover, including types a carrier does not currently operate, so that figure is the ceiling of the scale rather than a seat a pilot can expect to hold.
Select any airline for its full scale by aircraft, seat and year of service, and the agreement the rates come from.
Canadian carriers (CAD)
| Airline | Year 1: First Officer hourly (annual) | Year 5: First Officer hourly (annual) | Year 10: Captain hourly (annual) | Year 25: Captain hourly (annual) | Guarantee | In force since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air CanadaAir Canada / ALPA collective agreementView full pay scales | $94.62 ($85,158 a year) Airbus A320 | $176.08 ($158,472 a year) Airbus A320 | $330.62 ($297,558 a year) Airbus A320 | $459.25 ($413,325 a year) Boeing 777, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | Sep 2026 |
| Air TransatAir Transat / ALPA collective agreementView full pay scales | $99.17 ($89,253 a year) A321/A330 | $163.43 ($147,087 a year) A321/A330 | $337.10 ($303,390 a year) A321/A330 | $372.01 ($334,809 a year) A321/A330, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | May 2026 |
| Flair AirlinesFlair Collective Agreement No. 2View full pay scales | $104.03 ($93,627 a year) B737 | $150.17 ($135,153 a year) B737 | $301.46 ($271,314 a year) B737 | $312.58 ($281,322 a year) B737, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | Jan 2026 |
| Jazz AviationJazz Aviation Collective Agreement 6View full pay scales | $68.93 ($62,037 a year) Fleet | $76.08 ($68,472 a year) Fleet | $152.44 ($137,196 a year) Fleet | $179.51 ($161,559 a year) Fleet, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | Jul 2026 |
| WestJetWestJet / ALPA collective agreementView full pay scales | $88.96 ($82,733 a year) B737 | $151.20 ($140,616 a year) B737 | $294.58 ($273,959 a year) B737 | $353.94 ($329,164 a year) B787, top of scale | 77.5 credit hours | 77.5 credit hours | Jan 2026 |
| WestJet EncoreWestJet Encore Collective Agreement No. 2View full pay scales | $74.91 ($67,419 a year) Fleet | $83.23 ($74,907 a year) Fleet | $156.06 ($140,454 a year) Fleet, top of scale | $156.06 ($140,454 a year) Fleet, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | Jan 2026 |
US carriers (USD)
| Airline | Year 1: First Officer hourly (annual) | Year 5: First Officer hourly (annual) | Year 10: Captain hourly (annual) | Year 25: Captain hourly (annual) | Guarantee | In force since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines / ALPA collective bargaining agreementView full pay scales | US$119.92 (US$100,733 a year) B737 | US$222.11 (US$186,572 a year) B737 | US$356.13 (US$299,149 a year) B737 | US$361.29 (US$303,484 a year) B737, top of scale | 70 credit hours | 70 credit hours | Sep 2024 |
| American AirlinesAPA / American Airlines 2023 agreementView full pay scales | US$125.52 (US$97,906 a year) A320 | US$236.88 (US$184,766 a year) A320 | US$384.27 (US$299,731 a year) A320 | US$507.90 (US$396,162 a year) A380, top of scale | 65 credit hours | 65 credit hours | Jan 2026 |
| Delta Air LinesDelta Pilots Working AgreementView full pay scales | US$110.52 (US$86,206 a year) B-737-800/700 | US$207.69 (US$161,998 a year) B-737-800/700 | US$336.77 (US$262,681 a year) B-737-800/700 | US$425.94 (US$332,233 a year) B-777, top of scale | 65 credit hours | 65 credit hours | Sep 2023 |
| Frontier AirlinesFrontier 2019 full agreementView full pay scales | US$63.62 (US$57,258 a year) Fleet | US$142.97 (US$128,673 a year) Fleet | US$254.87 (US$229,383 a year) Fleet | US$270.07 (US$243,063 a year) Fleet, top of scale | 75 credit hours | 75 credit hours | Mar 2023 |
| Southwest AirlinesSWAPA collective bargaining agreementPaid per TFP, not per credit hourView full pay scales | US$125.90 (US$126,907 a year) Fleet | US$217.71 (US$219,452 a year) Fleet | US$337.84 (US$340,543 a year) Fleet | US$343.14 (US$345,885 a year) Fleet, top of scale | 84 TFP | 84 TFP | Jan 2026 |
| United AirlinesUnited Pilot Agreement (UPA) 23.1View full pay scales | US$109.42 (US$91,913 a year) 737-800 | US$205.63 (US$172,729 a year) 737-800 | US$333.43 (US$280,081 a year) 737-800 | US$593.09 (US$498,196 a year) A380, top of scale | 70 credit hours | 70 credit hours | Oct 2023 |
Three things make these columns less comparable than they look. Canadian carriers are quoted in CAD and US carriers in USD. Each annual figure uses that carrier's own monthly guarantee, which ranges from 65 to 84, so two identical hourly rates can produce annual figures 29 percent apart. And Southwest prices its scale per TFP rather than per credit hour, so its rate column is not a like-for-like unit.
Rate vintages differ too. Each row shows the date its scale took force, and some agreements are several years older than others.
Model your own schedule with the pay calculator.