Alaska Airlines Pilot Salary 2026
First Officer and Captain pay from the 2022 Alaska–ALPA contract as extended in 2024. Updated .
How much does a Alaska Airlines pilot make in 2026?
In 2026 an Alaska Airlines First Officer earns $129.71 an hour in year 1, rising to $270.14 by year 12. Captains earn $360.08 to $390.77 an hour. At 1,000 credit hours a year that is about $130K for a new First Officer and $391K for a senior Captain, before profit sharing and per diem.
- First Officer, year 1
- $129.71/hr
- First Officer, top
- $270.14/hr
- Captain, year 1
- $360.08/hr
- Captain, top
- $390.77/hr
Alaska Airlines pilot pay scale 2026
| Yr | FOB737 +3 | CaptB737 +3 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $129.71 | $360.08 |
| 2 | $192.43 | $362.87 |
| 3 | $222.51 | $365.65 |
| 4 | $231.28 | $368.45 |
| 5 | $240.23 | $371.24 |
| 6 | $246.98 | $374.03 |
| 7 | $253.49 | $376.82 |
| 8 | $259.21 | $379.61 |
| 9 | $261.68 | $382.40 |
| 10 | $265.72 | $385.20 |
| 11 | $267.90 | $387.98 |
| 12 | $270.14 | $390.77 |
Hourly rates are what the contract pays per credit hour. Rough annual equivalent: rate × 1,000 credit hours (year-1 First Officer ≈ $129,710; top Captain ≈ $390,770). The contract guarantees at least 70 hours a month. Profit sharing, per diem and retirement contributions are on top.
Sources and verification
Caveat: we could not read Alaska Airlines' pilot agreement itself. These figures come from the published sources below, cross-checked where we could; the note at the end says exactly what is and is not confirmed.
2022 Alaska–ALPA contract as extended in 2024. Rates in force from September 1, 2026. Checked on .
- AirlinePilotCentral - Alaska Airlines (image of the contract pay-rate paragraphs 'Effective September 1, 2025' and 'Effective September 1, 2026')Secondary source · confirms: Full FO and CA rates, years 1-12, B737 and Airbus 319/320/321, for 9/1/2025 and 9/1/2026; monthly guarantee 70 h; reserve 75/84 h; amendable date March 2027
- AirlineGeeks, 2024-09-25: Alaska pilots secure contract extensionSecondary source · confirms: 4% raises on 9/1/2025 and 9/1/2026 plus market-rate adjustments if applicable
- ALPA Economic & Financial Analysis contract comparison, v1.2 (2023-09-11)Primary source · confirms: Alaska CBA has a market-rate 'snap up' clause (average of top-of-scale narrowbody CA rates at UA, AA, DL, WN, B6); does not give 2026 rates
2022 Alaska-ALPA CBA as extended in Sept 2024 (amendable date extended to March 2027 for the Alaska-Hawaiian JCBA talks). Only one source carries the 2026 numbers (APC's image of the contract text). Transcription is internally consistent: all 24 values of the 9/1/2026 table equal the 9/1/2025 values x 1.04 to the cent. The 9/1/2026 raise is 'the higher of 4% or the market-rate adjustment'; the table is the 4% version - if the market-rate formula produced more, the real rates would be higher (my rough estimate of the formula with 2026 peer rates comes out below the 4% table, so it probably did not trigger, but this is not confirmed).
Before Alaska Airlines pays you any of this, you sit their aptitude battery.
Sit a timed practice paper free — no account. Scored on pace as well as accuracy, because pace is what the real battery culls on.
On top of the hourly rate
- Previous step (9/1/2025)
- FO yr1 $124.72, FO yr12 $259.75, CA yr1 $346.23, CA yr12 $375.74
- Reserve guarantee
- 75 h long call, 84 h short call
- Average daily guarantee
- 5:15 per duty period
- Per diem (as listed by APC)
- Captain $6.25/hr, First Officer $5.25/hr
- Contract amendable
- Extended to March 2027 because of the Alaska-Hawaiian JCBA negotiations
How Alaska Airlines pay compares
Same currency, ranked by top Captain pay. New First Officer pay sits in the lighter bar. Contract rows are hourly rates × 1,000 credit hours a year.
- American Airlines ContractCapt $447KFO yr 1 $116K
- Alaska Airlines (this page) ContractCapt $391KFO yr 1 $130K
- UPS Airlines ContractCapt $390KFO yr 1 $60K
- JetBlue Airways ContractCapt $359KFO yr 1 $112K
What it takes to get hired at Alaska Airlines
Checked against Alaska Airlines' official careers pages on August 22, 2026. Full Alaska Airlines recruitment guide
| Total time | 1,500 hours documented |
|---|---|
| Fixed-wing turbine | 500 hours (airplane and powered-lift combined) |
| Certificates — required | FAA Commercial Pilot certificate with Instrument-Airplane, all the aeronautical experience for an ATP airplane category rating per 14 CFR §61.159, and a current ATP written exam. The ATP certificate itself is preferred, not required. |
| Medical | Current FAA First Class |
| Age | 23 minimum |
From student pilot to Alaska Airlines Captain
The hour figures are the FAA legal minimums (14 CFR Part 61); the time ranges are typical, not promises.
Step 1
Private Pilot certificate
40 h minimum 3–6 months 14 CFR 61.109Ground school, the FAA Private Pilot knowledge test (60 questions, 70% to pass), then the checkride. Most students log well over the 40-hour legal minimum.
Try free FAA Private Pilot written questionsStep 2
Instrument rating
50 h cross-country PIC + 40 h instrument 2–4 months 14 CFR 61.65Flying by reference to instruments in cloud. Another FAA knowledge test and checkride.
Step 3
Commercial Pilot certificate
250 h total 6–12 months 14 CFR 61.129The certificate that lets you be paid to fly. Add a multi-engine rating here or later.
Step 4
Build time (usually as a flight instructor)
250 → 1,500 h 1–2 yearsMost pilots instruct (CFI) or fly charter/survey to reach airline minimums.
Step 5
ATP minimums
1,500 h (R-ATP: 1,250 / 1,000 / 750) 14 CFR 61.159 / 61.160Restricted ATP at 1,250 h with an aviation associate degree, 1,000 h with a bachelor's, 750 h for qualifying military pilots. The ATP CTP course comes before the ATP knowledge test.
Step 6
Regional or entry-level airline First Officer
Turbine and Part 121 time 2–4 yearsWhere most US major-airline pilots build turbine and pilot-in-command time.
Step 7
Alaska Airlines First Officer
Airline-specificPay steps up every year of seniority on the contract scale.
Step 8
Alaska Airlines Captain
Seniority-based upgrade Depends on seniority and growthCaptain seats are bid by seniority; how fast you hold one depends on hiring and retirements, not on your logbook alone.
Knowing what Alaska Airlines pays is the easy part. Getting through their selection is the part that decides whether you ever earn it.
Before a human reads your application there is an aptitude battery, and candidates consistently report it as the heaviest cull — pace, not difficulty. You can practise it here for free: timed papers generated fresh each run, plus a divided-attention drill that measures how much your performance degrades under load.
Already past the paperwork and preparing for the panel? , scored against the answers a panel is listening for. Seven days of access, no subscription.
No Alaska Airlines pack yet — want it built?
We will not pretend to have one. We build the next pack for the airline that gets asked for most, so leaving your address here is a vote. No sequence, one email when it ships.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Alaska Airlines pilot make in 2026?
In 2026 an Alaska Airlines First Officer earns $129.71 an hour in year 1, rising to $270.14 by year 12. Captains earn $360.08 to $390.77 an hour. At 1,000 credit hours a year that is about $130K for a new First Officer and $391K for a senior Captain, before profit sharing and per diem.
How much does a Alaska Airlines First Officer make in the first year?
$129.71 an hour in year 1 under 2022 Alaska–ALPA contract as extended in 2024, the same on every fleet. At 1,000 credit hours that is about $129,710 a year; the contract guarantees at least 70 hours a month ($108,956 a year at the minimum).
How much does a Alaska Airlines Captain make?
Alaska Airlines Captains earn $360.08 an hour (year 1, B737 / A319 / A320 / A321) up to $390.77 an hour (year 12, B737 / A319 / A320 / A321). At 1,000 credit hours a year the top rate is about $390,770 before profit sharing.
Is Alaska Airlines hiring pilots in 2026?
Alaska Airlines is hiring pilots, according to its official careers pages as of August 22, 2026. Openings change month to month, so check the live posting before you apply.
What do you need to fly for Alaska Airlines?
Total time: 1,500 hours documented Fixed-wing turbine: 500 hours (airplane and powered-lift combined) Certificates — required: FAA Commercial Pilot certificate with Instrument-Airplane, all the aeronautical experience for an ATP airplane category rating per 14 CFR §61.159, and a current ATP written exam. The ATP certificate itself is preferred, not required.
Where do these Alaska Airlines pay figures come from?
From 2022 Alaska–ALPA contract as extended in 2024. We read it on October 3, 2026 via: AirlinePilotCentral - Alaska Airlines (image of the contract pay-rate paragraphs 'Effective September 1, 2025' and 'Effective September 1, 2026'); AirlineGeeks, 2024-09-25: Alaska pilots secure contract extension; ALPA Economic & Financial Analysis contract comparison, v1.2 (2023-09-11).
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