RJSAviator76

I flew with 2 different guys who showed me their last paystub of the year and how much tax they paid... $470k and $490k each, and both were commuters no less.


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ZapBrannigan

What a feminine hygiene product! I don't even like it when they show me their new (airplane, sports car, motor home, ranch with grotto, alpaca farm). Showing a W2 is just classless.




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RJSAviator76

Heheh... I'll listen to anything and everything... some topics are indeed better or more fun than others.

In fairness, the topic was income tax, and they weren't too happy about doling out 6 figures as their "fair share."

Milksheikh

Good info guys I appreciate it. I was considering SWA before this as I knew they made significantly more than JetBlue spirit frontier etc, however I was really hoping for a wide body capt spot one day not just for the money but for the time off and traveling to neat places as well. But after hearing they make the most of all pilots in the US and the world for that matter (at least from the numbers I've seen/heard from) I will definitely be throwing my name in the hat. Granted I get that you basically have to sacrifice any sort of life outside aviation to do these kind of numbers. Actually, truth be told, I'll be taking the first job offer I get.

C130driver

There's an easy fix to that, live in Texas or Florida (few other states come to mind.)

e6bpilot

Those stories are anecdotal. Do they exist? Yes, but I would be extremely hard to maintain a marriage or serous relationship with anyone and put up those kinds of numbers. Not only would you be working 20-25 days a month, but you would never know when you are working and when you are home making it impossible to plan.
If I were single or divorced with no kids and wanted to make a boatload of cash quickly I would switch to that mode, otherwise, why would anyone do that?

On the flip side, there are some guys who take 3 months off in a row over the summer and travel the world. Again, anecdotal, but it happens.

If you just fly your line as a captain here, you will make in the high 200s to low 300s if you include your retirement excess.

singlepilot

Question, Im currently at a ULCC but prior to this I was the Director of Ops/chief pilot/flight department manager...you get the point. For a small corporate flight department. We had a hawker 850 and King air 350, 3 pilots including myself. I would like to check the box on the app that asks if I was ever a check airman, training pilot, safety director etc etc. It does not specify 121. However I don't want to come off untruthful either, because I know they are more than likely referring to 121 positions. I was in charge of all those things and more on the hawker and king air, I would train new pilots before they went off to flight safety, head monthly safety meetings, write checklists and SOPs, conduct pseudo line checks, and dealt with our local FSDO. I can provide some documentation of these things if asked. Should I check the box and explain if given an interview, or better to play it safe? Really gunning for SWA it has always been my dream.
Just FYI

6500TT
2500 jet pic
4 corporate jet types plus A320 type
2 year degree
1100 SIC 121 time in the A320

Thanks

Get Real

Basically no, it's not real. $300k possible for a 12 year captain? Yes but you will still bust your hump for that.

It's also why we are always lagging the legacies in pay despite being the most profitable US passenger airline. It's why we have a weak union. It's why many don't even know enough to know we have a weak union.

Because we have this contingent of guys who will try to live at the airport and their computers (so far..that's fine), but who will forget to mention we just skipped an entire labor agreement period because of their ilk, and then the same will include a 4 year retro bonus on their 2016 W-2 as their "pay" and then go around waving it like the flag as to how much SWA pilots make even as they still have to pay for their own airport parking unlike even the shabbiest of regional airlines. It's pretty amazing. They are the reason we have a weak union largely. (SWAPA better lately but still off-key and dangerously dependent on a charismatic president)

You have rates available to you online. It's now $218.25 per TFP for a 12 year guppy commander. A line averages about 95 TFP which most guys will fly if they commute. Most will do a little more if they don't. It's still a lot of work on an ongoing basis. Then there is 1.5 times for premium flying. Hard to get except when they hose you online which will happen about once a month on average.

So if you want to know what all but the very tippy tip tip lucdicrous loonies make, take 100 or 110, multiply it by 218.25, add $550 for per diem if you are inclined, and there is your 12 year captain monthly pay (being a little generous with assumptions.)

Not claiming poverty. It's a living. But..

Our B fund is 13 percent going to 15 by 2019 so even then our retirement won't be industry standard now or years from now. Our profit sharing isn't matched with a company contribution such as say Delta, and our retirement curve sucks eggs compared to all the legacies. Our recently improved 1st year pay only helps to obfuscate our other contractual deficiencies for newbies.

Is it a terrible job? Well no, not at all. Needs to be a whole lot better contractually though to become truly inline with our Legacy, FedEx, UPS peers and even that won't fix the retirement curve upgrade paradigm for new guys.

Ask yourself if you want to be 62 years old flying 4 legs a day with aircraft swaps, 85 hours a month and 10 hour days smashing around in a 737 foeva. Or going over the pond 4 times a month in your 777 Oldsmobile dilly deluxe cruising vessel wondering what you are gonna do in Brussels for a day. 737 is a fine airplane, but think about it. I mean really think about it! How many 60 year old dudes surf? The ones who do think it's awesome! Okay...will that be you? Really?

I understand not everyone has the luxury of choice between SWA and FedEx or Delta or AA. Also is the big matter of where you want to live and the base choices at all the airlines. I'd guess a SWA career would probably be a better choice than say Spirit or JetBlue if those were your alternatives. And for certain people it's possible it could be better than a legacy or FedEx/UPS. Some of the folks here are getting steered by a contingent of company tribalists I'm afraid although nobody has a crystal ball that isn't MEL'd.

Anyhow, good luck to you all and I don't blame anyone for coming here or going elsewhere but some of the posts here demand a strong dose of reality from some senior line swine types to enable your informed decision. I feel lucky I have my career. I didn't think about everything. Not really. Still did alright alright.

Peace Out!

Good luck to you all.

bitatasg

Yes. Check the box and explain in the interview. Good luck. PM me with questions. I'm former corp.

Get Real

The company is trying to save money on paid protected fatigue calls and using safety as the mantra excuse to reduce west coast base flying to do it. The fatigue reports they solicit give them the data points. Could they increase PM flying in the west and retain base size especially since PM flying goes senior in the west? Yes. Do they do it? No.

An example which doesn't cost them money is west coast based extreme early Dallas training events, so not much happens.