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DALLAS — Piedmont Airlines (PT) has announced it will offer US$100,000 up front to captains and US$75,000 to pilots who are close to being promoted to captain.
This is a limited-time offer opportunity – pilots must accept a conditional job offer by the end of the year. The upfront bonus initiative aims to help propel PT's projected growth in 2023.
According to the airline, the US$100K bonus replaces the current pilot retention bonuses that expire at the end of the year. In place of multiple bonuses over a five-year period, PT will now give qualified pilots the aforementioned amount up front.
Piedmont and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) came to an agreement in June that would raise the starting pay for all pilots above the industry average and, for the first time, base new hire pay on experience at other airlines. The new captain pay scale has an hourly rate range of US$146 to US$213. The deal also included more hotel rooms for pilots who commute, improved bid schedules, and new work regulations.
Last month, the airline approved a new contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) that results in higher pay and improved working conditions for ground mechanics and aircraft maintenance technicians (AMTs).
With the IBT agreement, the carrier will have the workforce necessary to support an increasing number of aircraft in seven maintenance locations thanks to a four-year agreement.
Comments from Piedmont Airlines CEO
“Passengers are back, and the demand for travel is high, but our industry hasn’t settled into a steady state yet,” said Eric Morgan, Piedmont’s CEO.
“Piedmont has the opportunity to grow even as many other airlines are shrinking. We are in a unique position to say to pilots ‘come to Piedmont, help us expand our fleet and our routes, and here’s a big check to spend while you do it.’”
“We’ve done a tremendous amount of work to get all of our resources aligned to grow,” added Morgan. “But we have a gap in 2023-2024 between the number of airplanes we want to fly and the captains we need to fly them. We’re looking for pilots who can bring their knowledge and experience to Piedmont, fly in the left seat, and get us through that 24-month time period. It’s a $100,000 bonus and top-tier pay for a two-year commitment to Piedmont. These pilots will also be able to take advantage of our contractual flow to American [Airlines].”
The American Airlines (AA) regional airline is headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury.
According to salary.com, the average Captain/Pilot in Command (Large Jet) salary in the U.S. is US$145,207 as of October 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between US$125,769 and US$163,938.
Depending on the seniority, airline, and region, the average airline pilot will fly 700 hours per year and not exceed 1,000 flight hours within a 12-month period.
Featured image: Piedmont Airlines
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