Base Salary: Regional pilots usually start with a lower base salary. For example, a first officer might earn around $40,000 to $60,000 a year, while captains can make between $70,000 and $100,000.

Pilots at low-cost Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines make less than those at mainline giants, but they can still earn a base pay of up to $270,000 annually. Pay at the three ...

Artur Widak/NurPhoto Senior airline pilots at Allegiant, Frontier, and Spirit earn up to $270,000 annually. But their pay tends to be lower than it would be at Delta, American, and United.