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AMasonJar t1_ir241yn wrote

Reply to comment by DiogenesStudent in [Image]Patience and motivation. by Ok_Chocolate_3480

Why the hell do they get paid so low? I thought it was a fairly high skill job? Not to mention the responsibility..

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[deleted] t1_ir2irvg wrote

[deleted]

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Seralth t1_ir2tyh9 wrote

Barely and only after a decade plus. Plus the industry is cancer and you basically have to give up having a normal life.

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TongueTwistingTiger t1_ir35re7 wrote

Wtaf is the point in trying to achieve anything? Even “elite” jobs pay so terrible you can’t afford to sit in them for more than a few years. I make more than that for my shitty collections job, never mind having actually human fucking lives hang in the balance.

Fuck this world and everyone in it. If I found out my years of work were going to amount to 30k, I’d nosedive after my first ascent.

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88cowboy t1_ir4gktb wrote

Like everything Depends where you work and what you're qualified to fly things are different . A small regional airline with 10 small planes will pay less than Delta.

Year one salaries major airlines can be low but they have significant jumps year 2 then annual raises after that. By year 6 making 140+ on low end for major airlines.

For a first officer:

Spirit you go from 33k to 61k after one year.

Southwest go from 55k to 90k after one year.

Fedex starts 84k and year 6 200k

If you become captain you can really make some money especially if you want overtime. It's not a bad life if you're single. Lot less stressful than being a truck driver.

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HFY_HFY t1_ir3u6fe wrote

Jetblue pays starting a FO $89/hour per google

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GoMoriartyOnPlanets t1_ir5iwpz wrote

Also per Google:

Pilot pay at jetBlue ranges from $44,956.80 per year for a new first officer up to $183,691.20 per year for a senior captain.

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Devil_Demize t1_ir34tks wrote

The problem with becoming a pilot is you need a lot of certification hours and even after you get your hours there is tiers to even the top pilots hours of what they can and can't fly.

Cargo pilots, airline pilots these have different requirements. And these are people who already put in the time to the worst aspects of getting there.

If you want to be a pilot, it is very expensive. You need to get your hours by first paying someone to teach you. Then.. Once you're certified to fly on your own. You need to teach other people to get the rest of your hours for any company to hire you. All while renting a plane for your training sessions and making close to nothing while doing it.

Most people who become successful pilots are either from a family who can fully support them, from the military where they don't have to pay to get the requirements, or are willing to live in poverty until they succeed.

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Total-Khaos t1_ir4bvu9 wrote

> from the military where they don't have to pay to get the requirements

This right here is your meal ticket if funds are a problem.

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Wooden_Increase5184 t1_ir35pq4 wrote

You don't just start as an airline pilot, you spend years and years getting all of your certifications, and then flying planes for non airline commercial reasons to build the hours you need for the required rating to work as an airline transport pilot. After you've hit the minimum requirements to get hired you'll be most likely stuck working at some regional airliner not making a ton, but those guys make a decent amount more than someone who does aerial surveys or instructs.

By the time you make it to a major airline you're making pretty decent money, even as "just" an FO.

Claiming that airline pilots start off making nothing is about the same as claiming that doctors don't make shit because they start off as students, and we all know students don't make shit for money. It's true if you stretch the meanings of words.

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gljivicad t1_ir49ogi wrote

What responsibility? As far as I remember, you're not allowed to fly a full passenger plane after you have a decent amount of flight hours?

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