The Salaries Of Pilots Flying For These 5 US Airlines In 2026

In 2026, pilot compensation across major US airlines continues to reflect a broader industry shift that began in the post-pandemic recovery period and accelerated through a series of union negotiations, fleet modernization plans, and sustained demand for experienced flight crews. While pay structures remain anchored in hourly credit systems, the real comparison between carriers increasingly depends on aircraft type, seat position, and long-term seniority progression rather than base pay alone. For pilots, especially those operating widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 777 or Airbus A350, earnings potential differs significantly from narrowbody operations like the Boeing 737, even within the same airline.

Five of the largest US carriers, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Airlines, represent the benchmark for pilot wages in North America. Each operates under distinct collective bargaining agreements that define hourly rates by equipment category and role, producing notable variation in pay even when aircraft categories appear similar on the surface. Legacy carriers such as American, United, and Delta maintain multi-fleet structures that include both narrowbody and widebody aircraft, allowing for a broader spread in compensation tiers. In contrast, Southwest and Alaska primarily operate single-aisle fleets, which simplifies their pay structures but also limits the widebody premium seen at larger global operators.

The 737 remains the most common reference point for narrowbody pilot compensation, serving as the backbone of domestic and short-haul international networks. Meanwhile, the 777 represents long-haul international operations where hourly pay rises sharply due to increased complexity, duty time, and operational responsibility. These aircraft will serve as the common thread of comparison for this list; the 737 is flown by all five of these airlines, and the 777 has published pilot pay rates for the three legacy carriers. Understanding how these pay scales compare requires examining each airline individually, while also accounting for aircraft-specific premiums and seniority-driven progression systems that shape long-term earning potential across the industry.

American Airlines

Flying the most passengers of any US airline

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It is important to understand that seniority is king when it comes to pay with the airlines. More years spent at the airline directly affect the hourly pay amount for pilots, with the pay going up as experience increases. Additionally, whether the pilot is a captain or a first officer (FO) is also a factor in pay. For the purposes of this comparison, the most junior and most senior FO and captain hourly rates will be highlighted in each scenario.

The above pay figures for American Airlines have been effective since the beginning of 2024. The most obvious observation is that captain pay is better than FO pay, and widebody pay has a higher ceiling than narrowbody pay. It is important to note that for American Airlines, pay scales are, for the most part, identical across segments of the fleet. For example, the Airbus A320neo has the same pay numbers as the 737, and the Boeing 787 has the same numbers as the 777.

The other interesting note with American is that the initial FO pay is identical for both the 737 and 777, but the ceilings are different. The total difference between the most junior pay and the most senior pay is also much larger than that for captains. FOs are often focused on advancing on the seniority list and ultimately increasing to captain. This structure also demonstrates how a pilot’s salary is in constant flux for the first few years.

United Airlines

More available seat miles than any other US carrier

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United pilot pay shares many of the same trends seen with American. There are subtle differences, especially in the widebody pay, that would result in meaningful yearly salary differences. The relationship between hourly pay and yearly salary is dynamic and is different for every airline. Total yearly pay amounts are influenced by total flight hours, pilot preference, bonus flight time, delays, and many other factors. The point is that determining an exact salary number requires the analysis of a lot of factors, and can change on a per-pilot basis.

For United, the 737 fleet is distributed across two different pay groups: large narrowbody for the 737-900 and MAX 9 variants, and regular narrowbody for the remainder of the fleet. The regular narrowbody numbers are shown in the table. The pay figures have been effective since the start of 2026.

Delta Air Lines

Largest tenant of the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta

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Below are the numbers for Delta, and they are the exact same as those for United, and have also been effective since the beginning of the year. Delta does not fly the 777 anymore, and instead flies the A350 as its flagship widebody aircraft. However, the published Delta pay scale includes both the 777 and A350, and the rates are identical. Delta also differentiates the 737-900 and MAX 9 as slightly better-paying aircraft. The numbers shown are for the other aircraft in the 737 fleet.

Delta does have a unique factor that can increase pilot salaries each year, which is the airline’s profit-sharing plan. The pre-pandemic percentages of profit share paid to employees were around 15%. Today, it has decreased to about 10% in 2024. Nevertheless, this is a non-trivial factor that bolsters the annual salaries of all Delta employees, not only pilots.

Southwest Airlines

Iconic full 737 fleet

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Southwest is known to operate a fleet made up of only 737 aircraft. As a result of this fleet commonality, the pay scale is fairly straightforward. Hourly pilot pay for flying a Southwest 737 is also noticeably higher than the same on the previous three airlines. This is part of what gives Southwest the legacy carrier status; the airline offers very competitive pilot pay on the 737.

The numbers above are current for 2026, but there are scheduled pay increases through 2028. In 2028, the most senior Southwest FOs will earn $296 per flight hour and the most senior captains will earn $423 per flight hour. These are incredibly competitive rates for 737 pilots across the US pilot market, and make Southwest an attractive employer for many pilots in the marketplace.

Alaska Airlines

Growing after the recent merger with Hawaiian Airlines

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The last airline on this list is Alaska. Many people in the aviation community are aware that Alaska merged with Hawaiian Airlines, bringing the tropical carrier under the Alaska name. While the new Alaska Airlines does operate widebody aircraft with the recent launch of international service on the Boeing 787-9, that aircraft is flown by former Hawaiian pilots, who sit on a separate seniority list. For a more direct comparison with Southwest, only the 737 will be considered in this section.

These numbers are fairly in line with most of the 737 pay figures on this list. One important note is that these pay numbers have been effective since September 1, 2025, but there is a scheduled increase on September 1, 2026. This increase is outlined in the second table below.

Pay will increase by about $10-15 across the board at the top and bottom levels. Alaska Airlines also has the lowest threshold for the highest pay rates, where the most senior pay rates are achievable at only 11 years of service. With the other airlines, the number is 12 years of service, except for American Airlines, where the number is 15 years of service. While this may seem like a small detail, it is a key difference between these airlines that can affect career progression and, as a result, salary progression. Lastly, crossing the final level for years of experience on the pay ladder does not mean that the pilot is making the most money possible at the airline. There could be 737 captains making more than 777 captains. It is a dynamic conversation, and difficult to arrive at clear, definite numbers. Again, seniority rules all, especially after pilots pass these years of experience pay thresholds.