Airlines; how much do the workers get paid?

[Deja Q]

Mesaba Airlines, for example, pays pilots just $17k per year. That's outrageously low considering what their job involves!!!

What do other pilots make?

Steward/Stewardesses?

The mechanics?

And, of course, the upper eschelons (management and executive do-nothings...)

From what little I've heard, given the high price of air travel, it's amazing how little some of them get paid. So where does the money go?

[ProudGerman]

1. Where do you think it goes?

It goes right into the pocket of those who do the least amount of work. Its the American way.

[Deja Q]

2. That's what I assumed!

I just wanted clarification, though in retrospect it does seem rhetorical...

I'm glad their unionized though, $17000 is insanely low for that type of work and for the conditions they have to work through and who they have to protect. Without the union I bet they'd be royally screwed and hopefully the union can help them get more, but the problem of CEO greed remains a constant and must be changed.

[DemoTex]

3. Hard to quantify ...

Mainline domestic pilots (captains) earn between $145-220K a year. F/Os earn half that. Captains on the big international jets earn $300,000 plus at some airlines. When I went out on a medical, my captains pay was over $220k/per. One Cat III approach in heavy snow in Buffalo, with the vis at 1/4 mile, earned every penny of that. A ride in my jump seat would not only convince you of that, it would stain your drawers.

[LincolnMcGrath]

4. Outstanding

[Nikia]

5. My sister gets $27,000 per year as a flight attendent

She works for one of the smaller airlines. She was paid less than this when she started at United a couple months before 9/11 but they had a better pay increase schedule through their union. Since this airline mostly makes Latin American flights, she usually works 12-14 hours per day on the days that she does work, but works less than half the days in a month.