How Much Do Southwest Pilots Make?

Although an aviation career can be financially and viscerally satisfying, Southwest pilots go through extensive training to hone an exceptional set of skills. As a result, they receive good pay with bonuses and several other benefits.

Bear in mind that experience level (junior or senior pilot), requisite skills, certificates related to the job field, aircraft type (national or international), and accumulated flight hours have an impact on salary for both first officer roles and captain.

If you intend to qualify as a Southwest pilot, you must become familiar with Southwest’s hiring standards and salary to maximize your career in the aviation industry. 

Most applicants’ first query is typical, “How much do Southwest pilots make?” To better understand the benefits and prospects offered by a career with Southwest Airlines, let’s dive into further detail.How Much Do Southwest Pilots Make

Are The Pilots At Southwest Airlines Paid Well?

In addition to typical characteristics like experience, abilities, certification, etc., there are two occupational categories of pilot work that can have a positive or negative impact on your compensation. Keep reading to learn where pilots earn the most handsome salaries and where pilots earn the least.

Airline Pilots:

Airline pilots, glass cockpits, and aircraft engineers are those who fly fixed-wing aircraft for the transportation of people and cargo, typically on prescheduled airline flight routes. In other words, these pilots are known as non-commercial pilots.

Further, this pilot job requires a rating and a Federal Air Transport degree for the particular aircraft type that has been used. Moreover, this airline pilot group includes national, international, and regional pilots.

Commercial Pilots:

Commercial pilots enable the bearer to operate an aircraft while being compensated for their services. They only require a commercial certificate or license to fly a fixed-wing plane.

To cover any sick pilots, they fly non-scheduled aircraft like air tours and air ambulances. Furthermore, this group excludes national, international, and regional pilots. Additionally, these pilots are compensated based on the number of flight hours.

So, how much a Southwest Pilot makes depends on the sort of group. If they are a part of a non-commercial pilot group, they will undoubtedly receive significant compensation. Furthermore, due to a lack of flight hours, commercial pilots will likely receive the least amount.

How Much Do Southwest Pilots Make?

Becoming a pilot is a worthwhile goal for many people. Because the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 5% expansion in the need for commercial and airline pilots in the next ten years, This is a quicker rate of growth than the overall average for jobs.

Furthermore, they predict that demand for pilots will grow over time as a result of sporadic busy schedules and the need to fill pilot retirement positions. Although this profession demands plenty of patience and concentration, most pilots find it to be interesting and lively.

Along with being in high demand, this vocation has a lot to offer, including the chance to travel regularly in the azure sky, learn about new cultures and customs, and earn wonderful pay with bonuses and incentives. A career as a Southwest pilot can be considered if you work well under pressure and have the desire to enjoy traveling and flying.

In this blog article, I have investigated and created a list of the average pilot salaries for Southwest Airlines using vocational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pilot’s pay in the United States was $202,180 in the previous year. 

Nevertheless, there are some pilots employed by significant airlines that earn more than $700,000 annually. As there are numerous variables affecting airline pilot pay, it’s critical to consider a variety of viewpoints and instances to truly comprehend how much Southwest pilots make.

Whether you work for a regional airline or a legacy carrier, salaries can differ. For instance, if you are working as a new pilot, you’ll probably get paid around $40 to $ 50 per hour at a regional airline. Further, if you are working for a regional airline as a non-commercial pilot, you’ll probably make $62,727 annually.

Initial Salaries of Southwest Pilots:

First of all, your starting pay is based on your rank, whether you are a first officer pilot or a captain. If you are a commercial pilot, your hourly wage will probably be $84 per hour. Furthermore, you will likely earn roughly $53,352 per year if you work as a non-commercial pilot.

Additionally, if you work as a non-commercial captain for any airline, you’ll likely make $241 per hour. Furthermore, if you hold the position of most senior commercial captain in any nation, your annual salary will probably be in the range of 90,000 dollars.

Average Salaries of Southwest Pilots:

Your rank affects your typical income as well, whether you are the captain or a new first-officer pilot. Your rank essentially depends on your qualifications, level of expertise, and several certifications. Your hourly wage as a commercial first pilot is most likely in the range of $171.

Additionally, if you work as a non-commercial first officer pilot, you may earn an attractive average salary of roughly $90,083. In addition, the hourly wage for a commercial captain on any airline is around USD 1256. As a non-commercial captain, you can earn an average salary of USD 200,725 as well.

Highest Salaries of Southwest Pilots:

Similar to what was stated earlier, your position and rank have an impact on Southwest’s highest wage. Your highest hourly wage as a commercial first officer on any airline can be over $191. The maximum compensation for a non-commercial first officer is USD 100,000.

Fortunately, you will likely earn the highest salary as a non-commercial captain, which is roughly $107,676 annually. Furthermore, if you work as a commercial pilot, you’ll probably earn the highest amount, approximately $274 per hour.

What Factors Can Affect The Southwest Pilot’s Salary?

Try first to become a non-commercial pilot rather than a commercial pilot. because a non-commercial pilot is paid every month. Additionally, he or she doesn’t need to search for other flights to receive income. Therefore, one must try to work for a certain airline, like Southwest Airlines.

The first and foremost general requirements that an applicant must meet to get hired are experience, a degree, and skills. For instance, a person needs an FAA transport pilot certificate to apply for a pilot position with Southwest Airlines. Additionally, he or she must be between 23 and 30 years old and have two to three years of working experience.

Furthermore, if you want to get paid well, you should have at least 1000 working hours of expertise in a turbine airboat. Here, I’ve come across a few unique characteristics that have both positive and negative effects on the southwest pilot salary. Let’s talk about these factors in more detail.

Certification:

The majority of aviation-related employment requires certain certificates, Whatever aviation-related position you’re seeking, obtaining the necessary certification can greatly increase your chances of landing a job.

If you want to get highly paid in the airline industry, try to get more and more aviation-related certificates, such as certified aviation manager, air traffic holder, aircraft electronics technician, unmanned aircraft systems, etc.

Education:

Before takeoff, pilots are in charge of doing maintenance inspections on their craft. As they have to check that the plane has enough fuel and that the engine and the whole system are functioning properly, they must have to know about the engine and other specific things.

Even though not all members of the cabin crew demand a degree, the majority of airlines seek to hire a pilot with four-year graduation in aeronautics and aviation from an accredited university. In this degree, they learn about various plane specs and other unique requirements for flying a plane.

Skills:

The Southwest must grasp physics and mathematics-related things. Furthermore, pilots need to comprehend technical information and be familiar with how their airbus operates. They must also have exceptional coordination and spatial awareness.

Additionally, they need to be able to work well in a team, communicate well, and think quickly and decisively under pressure. Additionally, they need to be committed, self-controlled, and disciplined. Moreover, they must possess leadership qualities and the capacity to solve issues with passengers and cabin workers through directives.

Position: 

As I explained in more depth in the top section, your rank and position have a significant impact on your salary. If you work as a first officer at SouthWest Airlines, you probably receive standard yearly pay.

Additionally, if you work as a captain for Southwest Airlines, you’ll undoubtedly receive a fantastic compensation package. Bear in mind that if you are working as a commercial or non-commercial pilot, your salary may also be affected.

Conclusion:

If you were wondering how much Southwest pilots make, perhaps you got the best answer. To tackle the titular question, I have read a few articles and used websites like salary.com to determine the typical pay for a Southwest pilot. So, according to my estimate, Southwest Airlines anticipates paying its airline pilots a total of $107,676 annually. Additionally, it’s estimated that the basic annual income will be $91,682, with an expected $15,994 rise each year.

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