A Look At The Hourly Pay Of US Major Airline Captains In 2026

US commercial airline pilots are among the best-paid in the world, with the BLS reporting that the average American pilot earned around $200,000 in 2024. However, that single number hides the major gap between first-year first officers and experienced captains. The captains employed by the major US airlines are often some of the best-paid in the experienced captain cadre.