In answer to your question, airline pilots aren't hurting for money.
A typical rookie pilot who flies puddle jumpers earn significantly less than $50k.
BUT, once you stay on for several years, you make over $2ooK as a Boeing 747 Captain. The progress a pilot makes in their career doesn't really depend on one's skill but more DEPENDS on the Seniority system. When Captains retire begrudgingly at 60, the next batch moves up a notch based on the DATE they sign up on.
It's a sloow process moving up, but 15 years in can get you some hefty change. Plus, their pension is GREAT, & they fly free with their families on vacation thru the airline. Also they are "required" to work no more than 15 days of the month....so LOTS of down time. Of course, there's that slight risk that your plane can be one of those casualties you read in the newspaper (i.e. Alaska Air has been sited for lax upkeep of their planes, which is why that plane headed to Mexico crashed).
If you wanna make hardcore money in a pretty much no-brainer job, work for an investment bank. They paid us 150k straight out of MBA school (go to a TOP program). Sure you work 85-110 hour weeks, but in 5 years you're a millionaire.....food for thought for the greedy....
Originally posted by Mister Internet:
I guess this would be directed at pilots and knowledgeable travelers...
I've been traveling for only a few months, so I know I'm a relative rookie. However, I just thought it would be interesting to find out what salaries for commercial airline pilots are as a general rule. Or maybe there isn't a general rule and certain airlines are more generous than other? Maybe it's none of my business, and I'll accept that as an answer too... I fly UA, so I'd be particularly interested in specific info about United pilots...
In my opinion, pilots earn every penny they make, and I'm generally on their side when they complain about airlines' "planned overtime" policies... anytime you take the lives of several, or up to hundreds, people into your hands knowing they trust you to take them safely to their destination, you assume an awesome resposibility than few of us can identify with.
Anyway, I'm just curious to find out where you start at, how you can move up through the ranks (I'm assuming there are rankings, as I've seen stripes on the shoulders of pilots similar to those used by the military), and possibly even what retirement benefits you can expect... call it appreciative curiosity. 
btw, I'm not expecting anyone to give their own personal financial numbers, merely "as a rule" type generalizations.
Mister Internet
===============
------------------
The Man they Call...."THE MAN"!