In terms of well-paying jobs, you might expect a commercial pilot to be on a healthy wage. After all, you only have to look at the way they cut a swagger through the airport to see they carry plenty of power with their station.
While pilots might not typically earn as much as your average surgeon or lawyer, the fact they keep us safe while up in the clouds means they're typically paid handsomely for their skillset when it comes to flying planes.
Posting on YouTube, pilot Garrett Ray revealed how much he gets paid per flight when flying a Boeing 737 for a major airline. Flying from Texas' Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to New York's LaGuardia Airport, this relatively short hop is two hours and 52 minutes.
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As a fourth-year 737 Narrow Body First Officer, Ray explains he earns $213.87 per hour. That means, he earned around $600 for his short flight. He'd flown the plane from LGA to DFW and back, meaning he earned an impressive $1,556 for one day's work - and he was home by 3:00 p.m.
Ray says he likes to maximize his earnings while minimizing his time away from home, although he admits he's been lucky in his career and his seniority helps his wage: "I've gotten nothing but lucky, I've just gotten hired at the right times. The attrition is really high, a lot of people are retiring, so it's not too late to get in and accelerate your seniority."
Assuming he flies 80 hours a month, he's earning just over $17,000 a month. He also puts 10% every month into his 401(k), while his company contributes a further 17% to set him up nicely for retirement.
He says that if he were promoted to Captain, his $213 an hour would go 'way, way up', although he doesn't know whether to take that option or transition to be a First Officer on a 777 or 787.
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While Ray's pay is already pretty impressive, a follow-up video revealed that a Captain earns $328.95 an hour. Taking the same 80-hour example, that means they're earning $27,116 a month
as a huge leap from what he's currently on as an FO.
He's reluctant to make the jump to Captain, because when he's able to earn ‘premium’ as an FO, his pay can sometimes match that of a Captain. Ray says you need to take into account other variables like his seniority as an FO compared to his junior status if he became Captain, his ability to earn premium pay, and his general quality of life. Still, he said that being Captain comes with a certain level of prestige.
Either way, it's a healthy wage that we wouldn't turn our nose up at.