What does an Alaska Airlines first officer earn?

Alaska's careers site lists a first-year first officer rate of $129.71 per contract, with a monthly pay guarantee of 70 hours and reserve guarantees of 75 hours (long call) and 84 hours (short call). The Dallas Morning News reported in March 2024 that Alaska pilots flying the smallest aircraft make $107,844 in their first year; that is the newspaper's figure, not a published pay scale.13

What does an Alaska Airlines captain earn?

Under the contract ratified in October 2022, top-of-scale captains moved to $306 per hour, increasing to $330 after two years, and wages rose by up to 23% depending on years of service. According to the Dallas Morning News in March 2024, a senior captain can bring home $326,640 on average flying Alaska's largest aircraft.23

How does the Hawaiian merger affect pilots?

Alaska and Hawaiian obtained a single operating certificate from the FAA on 29 October 2025. At the end of 2025, ALPA represented 3,360 Alaska pilots and 1,242 Hawaiian pilots, with both contracts amendable on 2 March 2027, and Alaska has begun negotiating joint collective bargaining agreements. The careers site still lists separate first-year rates: $129.71 at Alaska and $90.00 at Hawaiian.14

What comes on top of base pay?

Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon employees take part in the PBP and OPR incentive programmes, based on metrics such as profitability and safety. On a pro forma basis, variable incentive pay expense fell by $104 million, or 28%, in 2025 because of a lower Performance-Based Pay payout percentage, while defined contribution plan expense rose by 10%, driven by higher contribution rates for pilots and flight attendants.4

Where are the bases and what is required?

Pilots joining the Alaska seniority list must be comfortable with a base in Seattle, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Portland or San Francisco, while the Hawaiian list names Seattle, Honolulu and Cincinnati. Alaska asks for 1,500 documented flight hours including 500 turbine hours, an FAA first class medical, authorisation to work in the US and a minimum age of 23. Alaska said in 2022 that education, flight training and certifications cost around $90,000 on average, and that its Ascend Pilot Academy cadets receive a stipend, financial assistance for training and a confirmed job with Horizon once qualified.15

How does this compare with US pilots generally?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers had a median annual wage of $232,140 in May 2025.6