Newsstand - Frontier pilots agree to hourly pay system

I'm guessing that it's somewhere above $5.35/hour. ;)

http://www.canada.com/businesscentre/story.html?id=92C2544C-A22C-466B-958A-49BAC4844673

DENVER (AP) - Frontier Airlines pilots have agreed to switch from a fixed monthly salary to an hourly pay system, a change that could save the carrier money in the long run.

You can see their pay rates here: http://airlinepilotpay.com/frontier/frontier.htm

There is a guaranteed minimum of 75 hours per month, so a captain with 12 years experience would be getting $11,775 per month for a job that is less than half-time. He will also get 125% of the hourly rate for any hours above 82 per month.

Given a 30 hour work week, and 4.3 weeks in a month, a pilot would be working 129 hours a month. That same captain with 12 years on the job would wind up with $22,098 per month.

While most people would be happy with that, the Frontier pilot is practically a pauper compared to his Delta counterpart who is flying a 777. His pay for a 30 hour week comes to $41,280 per month.

There is a guaranteed minimum of 75 hours per month, so a captain with 12 years experience would be getting $11,775 per month for a job that is less than half-time. He will also get 125% of the hourly rate for any hours above 82 per month.

Given a 30 hour work week, and 4.3 weeks in a month, a pilot would be working 129 hours a month. That same captain with 12 years on the job would wind up with $22,098 per month.

While most people would be happy with that, the Frontier pilot is practically a pauper compared to his Delta counterpart who is flying a 777. His pay for a 30 hour week comes to $41,280 per month.

Two flaws with the numbers. One, the FAA limits pilots to 100 hours per month, and no more than 1,000 hours per year.

The other flaw is that pilots will flock here to say that they are away from home maybe 3, 4, even perhaps as much as 5 times the number of hours for which they are paid to fly, so their pay really isn't that large when measured per hour away from home.

Neither is mine, if I measured it that way. :D

Given a 30 hour work week

As FWAAA said, the limits are 8 hours in 24 hours, 30 hours in 7 days, 100 hours in a calendar month and 1000 hours in a calendar year. Those hours only include the time that the airplane is away from the gate so all of the time preparing for the flight, preflighting the airplane, waiting for pax boarding, waiting for next flight or airplane, etc. are not included. The majority of Frontier Captains are probably grossing $130k-$150k while the majority of F/O's are probably lucky to top $60k.

Is is not unusual for it to take 12 or 14 hours on duty to "work" a 6 or 7 hour day. Typical months will include 75 to 85 hours of flying, 180 to 200 hours on duty (at the airport, in uniform, etc.), and 330 to 380 hours away from home.

Additionally, Frontier has no 12-year Captains. The airline started operation in July of 1994 so a small group of remaining original pilots would not be starting 11th year pay. The majority of the airline is much further down the pay scale. Nobody makes $40,000+ per month flying airplanes. Certainly not anybody flying for a LCC like Frontier.

If that all sounds like easy money then quit your job and sign up for one of the comprehensive professional pilot programs (assuming you already have a 4-year degree) such as the one provided here http://www.atpflightschool.com at a cost of nearly $50,000 plus living expenses and in five or six years you'll be qualified to fly as F/O on a regional jet for almost $20,000 per year.

It took me 15 years to go from first flight to $25,000 per year, 22 years to make it to $100,000. You'll shave a few years off of that by already have the degree and going through a comprehensive airline prep course.