Expert: David A. NewMyer - 3/5/2010

Question
HI, i am a junior in northeastern region of USA. How will the field of Aviation be by the time i fly? especially with the fuel prices. is it true pilots don't make a lot of money? how much does a typical commercial airlines pilot make (when they are starting out greenhorn)? are there jobs for pilots in the northeastern area? how hard is it to secure a job now a days with a major airline company? thank you for reading my questions.

Answer
Hi, Enoch:

It is nice to hear from you--I will try to help with your questions.

First of all, the aviation industry as a whole in the USA accounts for over 2.0 million jobs including approximately 620,526 in the airline industry (at the end of 2009).  Of the total of 2.0 million jobs, approximately 10 to 15 percent of those jobs are flying jobs, or about 200,000 to 210,000 jobs.....of those about half are with airlines of all kinds.

Second, the top-end airline jobs at companies like American, Continental, FEDEX, UPS or Southwest can pay as much as $200,000 a year for a ten year captain.  Sometimes more.  Some of the other "legacy" carriers pay slightly less (on the order of $180,000 a year for a ten year captain).  Certainly, that is the goal of anyone starting out....to get to one of these top-paying jobs.  But, when you start out in any career, you do not make a lot of money.  This is called "paying your dues" to get started.  It also occurs in the medical field or in the legal field, etc.  The key is to figure out how to get to the top-end airline jobs with a minimum amount of time "paying your dues."  Or, figure out a way to pay your dues at a job that you really like.

Third, I would not limit your search for an airline job to just the northeastern region of the USA.  The reason for this is that there is no longer a large, legacy airline based in the northeast part of the USA.  For example, American is based in Dallas, TX, and Continental is based in Houston, TX (although they have a hub in Newark, N. J.), while USAirways just moved its headquarters to Phoenix, AZ and UPS is in Louisville, KY and FEDEX is in Memphis, TN.  Also, Southwest Airlines, which operates mini-hubs in places like Manchester, N. H. or out on Long Island or down in Baltimore, is based in Dallas, TX.  I hope that you see the point---someday, you might be based in Newark with Continental, but, to get there, you might have to work in another part of the USA.  There are some smaller airlines in the northeast such as Cape Air based out in Nantucket, MA,....and, that is a company that is fun to work for (but does not pay a lot of money).  Regarding money that you can make with a smaller company, after about five years and an upgrade to captain at a smaller company, you should be making around $60,000 to $70,000 a year.  Not great but, not terrible.

Fourth, to answer your question about how hard it is to secure a job with a major airline:  It is a lot of hard work and will take you about ten years of flying for smaller companies AFTER graduating from college to get to a major, but, it is worth it in the end if you get to the right company.  Some people pursue the airline jobs at majors by doing a military aviation career first---since the military pilots get really good training which is thought of highly by the airlines.  That military training and experience normally makes the transition to the airline job a bit easier.

Finally, I thought I would put in a plug for an aviation-related college degree.  Such degrees are offered by well over 100 universities and community colleges in the USA.  There is an excellent listing of such degrees available from the University Aviation Association and it is entitled THE COLLEGIATE AVIATION GUIDE.  You can contact the UAA at www.uaa.aero and order this publication on-line.

I hope that this illustrates the possibilities for you to get an airline job.  Again, do not limit your search for an airline job to just the northeast part of the USA.....the way airlines are located in the USA, that would be too limiting to your career search.

Best wishes in your plans to be an airline pilot.  Let me know if you need any further information.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu