That paycheck has a lot of zeros in it.
Pilots have one of the most important jobs, so one would assume their salaries reflect that.
Their paychecks vary depending on the airline and hours flown, but according to an American Airlines captain’s paystub that was later shared to X (formerly Twitter), it’s fair to say that many of them earn a ton of money, almost half a million to be exact
Supposedly, the paystub was of a Miami-based American Airlines Boeing 737 captain. If you look closely, you can see that the pilot’s yearly salary is a jaw-dropping $458K.
Part of the reason this pilot probably earns as much as they do is because of their high hourly wage, around $360, which shockingly isn’t even the highest tier for pilots.
Captains of planes as massive as Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 can earn up to $450 per hour. Considering the average pilot flies around 900 hours per year, 75 hours per month, according to Flying, do the math — and that’s one fat paycheck they earn.
Before you think pilots can fly an infinite number of hours to earn a high salary, their hours are limited by federal regulations.
Other factors like rest between flights, hours spent doing pre-and post-flight duties, and if a pilot has seniority with a particular airline are also taken into account when determining the number of hours they are allowed to fly, as explained by Flying.
When the paystub was shared to X by Breaking Aviation News & Videos, commenters couldn’t believe their eyes, with many agreeing that pilots should be paid as much as they are, considering the magnitude of their job.
“I am absolutely fine with the bloke who’s in charge of the machine that is holding me 35k ft in the air being paid a lot of money,” wrote one flyer.
“Go get your pilot license kids,” joked a commenter.
“When your life rides in the hands of someone, you want the most capable person at the wheel. I love that captains get paid well, and that they have the training and expertise to keep the skies safe,” chimed in someone else.
Yet, others claimed they don’t envy what pilots have to deal with, despite the high earnings.
“Still couldn’t pay me $500k to deal with horrible schedules, airports, the general public, constant hotel stays, union BS, delays etc etc etc. I abhor every aspect of commercial air travel. Sounds like a horrible existence,” quipped someone else.
