What pay does United Airlines publish for its pilots?

United's annual report says the agreement ratified by ALPA-represented pilots in September 2023 includes numerous work rule changes and pay rate increases during its four-year term. In January 2023, before that contract, United said captains of its Boeing 787s and 777s could earn more than $350,000 per year plus benefits.14

What do United first officers and captains earn?

Aviation consultant Kit Darby estimated in the Dallas Morning News in March 2024 that a United first officer in the first year on the smallest aircraft can bring home $114,696 a year. For the most senior captains on the largest aircraft, the paper gave a salary of $424,920. Neither figure is presented as a rate from the pilot pay scale. The paper reported that the four-year contract reached in July 2023 raises total compensation cumulatively by as much as 40.2% over its life.3

What about retirement and profit sharing?

In January 2023, United said its pilots received one of the highest 401(k) matches in the nation at 16% of base pay. According to the annual report for 2023, profit sharing percentages range from 5% to 20% depending on the work group, and the thresholds for the pilot group were lowered retroactive to January 1, 2023 under the ALPA agreement. United recorded profit sharing and related payroll tax expense of $704 million for 2025, against $713 million for 2024, covering all eligible employees.124

When is the United pilot contract open for amendment?

ALPA represented 17,126 United pilots according to the annual report for 2025, and the agreement is open for amendment in October 2027. In 2023, United recorded $814 million of expense for ratification bonuses for agreements with ALPA, IAM and other work groups.12

How does United recruit and train pilots?

United said in September 2023 that it had hired over 4,000 new pilots in the previous 24 months and expected to hire over 10,000 pilots that decade. Its military pilot programme offers active-duty pilots a conditional job offer as a first officer; in June 2026 United said nearly 600 had transitioned since 2024, with 500 more expected by the end of 2027. United owns a flight school, United Aviate Academy, and aimed in 2023 to train about 5,000 new pilots there by 2030. In August 2026 United said its Denver training centre can train up to 860 pilots per day and that it has nearly 18,000 active pilots.4567

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 2025.8