Alaska Airlines (AS) pilots are working under one of the stronger pay scales in North American aviation right now, backed by a recently improved contract and a fleet expansion that’s pulling the airline toward long-haul international flying for the first time in its history. Here’s what the pay actually looks like, how it stacks up against Air Canada, United, and three of the biggest names in international aviation, and what it takes to get hired.
A quick honesty check before the numbers: Alaska, like most U.S. carriers, doesn’t publish its full hourly pay scale publicly. Every figure below is a reconstruction from career-tracking sites and Alaska’s own careers page.
Alaska Airlines First Officer Pay
One detailed 2026 breakdown, citing figures pulled from Alaska’s own careers page, puts first-year First Officer pay at $124.72 per flight hour, with senior First Officers reaching roughly $171 per hour as they move up the seniority ladder.
A separate, more conservative tracker frames First Officer pay as an annual career curve rather than an hourly rate: $80,000 in year one, climbing to roughly $185,000 by year ten.
Alaska Airlines Captain Pay
The same source cited above puts top-of-scale 737 Captain pay near $360 per hour — a rate that, at a standard flying-hour credit, lands in the low-to-mid $300,000s in base pay before bonuses.
Rotate’s career-curve estimate again runs more conservatively: $220,000 in a Captain’s first year, rising to about $355,000 by year ten.
Pay Snapshot
| Role | Estimate A (hourly-rate based) | Estimate B (career-curve based) |
|---|---|---|
| First-year First Officer | $124.72/hr (~$112,000/yr at 75 hrs/mo) | $80,000/yr |
| Senior First Officer | ~$171/hr (~$154,000/yr) | up to $185,000/yr (year 10) |
| Captain | ~$360/hr (~$324,000/yr) | $220,000/yr (year 1) |
| Senior Captain | ~$360/hr+ with bonuses | $355,000/yr (year 10) |
Beyond base pay, Alaska pilots get a 17% direct 401(k) company contribution, among the highest in the industry , plus a Performance-Based Pay bonus, Oneworld travel privileges, and type-rating training provided on the 737 and E175 fleets.
Why Alaska’s Pay Is Climbing
Two forces are behind the raises: a recently improved ALPA contract, and a fleet strategy that’s pushing Alaska toward long-haul international flying for the first time. Alaska closed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines in September 2024, and in January 2026 placed the largest aircraft order in its history — 105 firm Boeing 737-10s (with rights to 35 more) and five Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, extending deliveries through 2035.
That order brings Alaska’s firm 787 commitment to 17 aircraft, on top of the four 787-9s and 24 Airbus A330-200s inherited from Hawaiian. Combined, Alaska Air Group’s carriers currently operate 413 aircraft, projected to exceed 475 by 2030 and 550 by 2035.
The widebodies are funding a new long-haul push out of Seattle, with Alaska targeting at least 12 long-haul international routes from Seattle by 2030, including London Heathrow, Rome, Reykjavik, Seoul, and Tokyo Narita. According to The Points Guy, a new Hawaiian 787 pilot base is opening in Seattle in March 2026. More widebody flying means more captain upgrades, more international overrides, and faster seniority progression.
How Alaska Compares Globally in Pilot Pay
Pay structures vary enormously by country and contract type — some carriers pay by the flying hour, some run fixed seniority scales, and Emirates separates tax-free cash from a large non-cash housing package. The table below lines up the major published or reconstructed ranges for context, not a like-for-like conversion.
| Carrier | First Officer Range | Captain Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | ~$80,000–$185,000/yr (career curve); $124.72–$171/hr | ~$220,000–$355,000/yr; up to ~$360/hr top-of-scale | USD; two independent trackers show a meaningfully wide spread |
| United Airlines | $113,000–$300,000/yr | $320,000–$419,000/yr | USD; new-hire FO starts at $125.52/hr under the UPA23 contract |
| Air Canada | C$85,000–C$248,000/yr | C$190,000–C$382,000/yr | CAD; figures vary widely depending on whether estimates reflect base pay or total compensation |
| Emirates | AED 382,080/yr cash (~$104,000); up to AED 900,000 total package (~$245,000) | AED 575,000/yr cash (~$155,000) | Tax-free; Emirates itself separates cash pay from housing and education allowance value |
| Air France | €60,000–€170,000/yr | €145,000–€350,000/yr | EUR; dual-pillar system: fixed salary plus a variable flight premium |
| Lufthansa | €73,000–€175,000/yr | €150,000–€280,000/yr | EUR; seniority-based scale, not tied to flight hours — about 85% guaranteed base |
| Private/Corporate (NetJets, Flexjet) | $100,000–$175,000/yr (avg. $130,916) | Same pay pool, up to $201,500 at the top end | USD; NetJets pilots ratified a five-year contract in April 2024 delivering a 52.5% total-compensation increase |
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines pilot pay estimates span roughly $80,000 at entry-level First Officer to $355,000+ for senior Captains, depending on which tracker’s methodology you use — with top-of-scale hourly Captain pay near $360/hour once a pilot is fully senior. Backed by a 245-aircraft Boeing backlog, a new widebody long-haul push from Seattle, and an ongoing Hawaiian Airlines integration, hiring volume and career progression are both expected to stay strong through the rest of the decade.
FAQ
How much do Alaska Airlines pilots make?
Estimates vary by source: one tracker puts entry-level First Officers around $124.72/hour (~$112,000/yr) rising to ~$171/hour for seniors, with Captains topping out near $360/hour (~$324,000/yr base); a separate tracker frames it as a career curve, from $80,000 in year one to $355,000 by year ten as Captain.
What’s the minimum flight time to apply?
1,500 total hours, including 500 hours of fixed-wing turbine time, per Alaska’s official careers page.
What aircraft do Alaska pilots fly?
As reported by planespotters.net as of August 9, 2026, Alaska Airlines operates a fleet of 343 aircraft, with an average age of 9.4 years. The active fleet consists primarily of 247 Boeing 737s, supported by 91 Embraer E170s and five Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The 787s are the newest aircraft in service, with an average age of just 2.2 years, while the Boeing 737 fleet averages 10.4 years and the E170 fleet 7 years.
How does Alaska’s pay compare to United, Air Canada, and the European carriers?
Alaska’s top Captain pay sits below United’s but above Air France, Lufthansa, and Air Canada’s Captain ceilings on a rough currency-converted basis; Emirates’ larger headline figures reflect tax-free status plus housing and education allowances rather than a straight cash-pay gap.
Is Alaska Airlines hiring pilots in 2026?
Yes — recruitment is active to support both fleet growth and the Hawaiian Airlines integration.
