The Highest-Paying Airlines for Pilots in 2026, Ranked by Their Contracts

United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are the highest-paying airlines for pilots in 2026. A 12-year widebody captain at all three earns $483.74 an hour under the pay scales in force in October 2026.

FedEx Express is a close fourth at $469 an hour after a new contract took effect on June 29, 2026. Then comes a clear drop to Hawaiian, UPS, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest, all between about $343 and $407.

This list ranks US airlines by one published number: the top-of-scale captain hourly rate on each airline’s best-paid aircraft. That is the figure the pilot contracts set, and it is the only one you can compare across airlines without guessing how many hours someone flies.

For context, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers at $232,140 in May 2025. Every airline on this list pays a senior captain well above that.

1. United Airlines

United pays a 12-year captain on the Boeing 777 or Boeing 787-9 $483.74 an hour in 2026, and the first officer in the same seat category $330.44. It takes the top spot because its contract already schedules the next step: $498.25 for that captain in January 2027.

United also starts new first officers higher than its two big rivals, at $125.52 an hour in 2026. The airline adds an 18% retirement contribution on top of pay.

2. American Airlines

American matches United almost line for line. A 12-year captain in its highest widebody category earns $483.74 an hour in 2026, rising to $498.25 on January 1, 2027, and a senior first officer goes from $330.44 to $340.35 on the same date.

The two scales line up because each union bargains against the others’ contracts. American ranks second only because its starting rate is lower: about $113 an hour for a first-year first officer under the Allied Pilots Association contract, against United’s $125.52.

3. Delta Air Lines

Delta pays the same $483.74 an hour to a 12-year captain in its top widebody category, which includes the Airbus A350. That rate came from the final 4% raise of Delta’s 2023 contract on January 1, 2026, which delivered a 36.7% increase over its life.

Delta is third on the tie-break: its published contract has no January 2027 raise, and it becomes amendable on December 31, 2026. Profit sharing narrows the gap, worth 8.9% of pay for 2025 and paid out in 2026, alongside an 18% retirement contribution.

Pay is only one reason pilots pick Delta. It also came first among airlines on Forbes’ 2026 employer list, covered in our ranking of the best airlines to work for.

4. FedEx Express

FedEx pilots ratified a new contract in June 2026, with 83% voting yes, ending a negotiation of nearly five years. It took effect on June 29, 2026, raised pay by 39.76% at once and put a top widebody captain at $469 an hour from July 2026.

The schedule is what makes FedEx worth watching. That rate climbs to $483.07 in January 2028, $497.56 in 2029 and $512.48 in 2030, and the contract runs until it becomes amendable in December 2030.

Eligible pilots also receive a one-time recovery payment for the years spent without a new deal, up to $150,000 for captains and $102,500 for first officers. A narrowbody captain earns $404.29 an hour from July 2026.

5. Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian is now part of Alaska Air Group, but its pilots still work under their own contract until a joint agreement is ratified. A 12-year captain on its widebody A330 and 787 fleet earns about $407 an hour, and a first-year widebody captain about $374.

That widebody pay is why Hawaiian outranks Alaska, its much larger sister airline. Joint contract talks for the two pilot groups began in February 2025, so these scales are likely to merge and move.

6. UPS Airlines

UPS tops out at $401 an hour for a captain and $284 for a first officer on its September 2025 scale. Unusually, one scale covers the whole fleet, so a 767 captain and a 747-8 captain earn the same rate.

UPS sits sixth because its contract is old. It became amendable on September 1, 2025, and as of September 2026 the pilots were still negotiating, so the FedEx deal has opened a gap of $68 an hour at the top.

New hires start at only about $56 to $60 an hour. The payoff is the retirement package: a pension of about $4,000 a year for each year of service, capped at 30 years, plus a 12% company contribution to a second plan.

7. Alaska Airlines

Alaska’s last published scale put a 12-year Boeing 737 captain at $353 to $361 an hour, with sources differing on the exact step. A contract extension signed in 2024 then added a raise on September 1, 2026, of 4% or a market-rate adjustment, whichever is greater, which lifts that captain to at least $367.

Alaska is the best-paying airline here without widebody jets on its own pilot scale. It starts first officers at $124.72 an hour before the 2026 raise and contributes 17% of pay to a 401(k) with no match required.

8. JetBlue Airways

JetBlue pays a 12-year captain on the A320 and A321 $359.40 an hour, and an A220 captain $344.70. Every new first officer starts at $112.32, whatever the fleet.

Those are the final steps of the 2023 contract extension, with no raise since. As of July 2026 there was no tentative agreement on a new contract, so JetBlue’s rank depends on how that negotiation ends.

9. Southwest Airlines

Southwest pays a 12-year 737 captain about $343 an hour in 2026, and a first-year first officer $125.90. Its contract runs to January 2029, with another 4% raise in 2026 and an 18% retirement contribution.

Southwest is the hardest airline to compare. It pays per trip, not per hour, and the conversion to an hourly rate differs between sources, so treat its figure as the most uncertain on this list.

What an hourly rate means in a year

US pilots are paid for credited hours, not hours at work, and credit includes guarantees and trip pay. Simple Flying’s rough rule is to multiply the hourly rate by 1,000, which turns $483.74 into about $484,000 a year before profit sharing and retirement.

There is a ceiling on that. Federal rules cap airline pilots at 1,000 flight hours in any 365 consecutive days, so flying more cannot carry anyone to a million dollars at these rates.

Seniority decides almost everything. Captain seats on the best-paid aircraft go to the most senior pilots, which is why our look at the pilot shortage finds airlines short of captains rather than pilots.

How to get on these pay scales

Every one of these airlines hires from the same pipeline: training, an instructor or regional job, then a major. Our guide to how long it takes to become an airline pilot walks through the flight hours each step requires.

The training is the expensive part, which is why the economics of becoming an airline pilot matter as much as the top rate. Our rankings of the best flight schools in the US and the best aviation colleges compare the routes in.