Airline pilot vs captain

The differences between airline pilots and captains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an airline pilot, becoming a captain takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an airline pilot has an average salary of $85,534, which is higher than the $52,161 average annual salary of a captain.

The top three skills for an airline pilot include aircraft systems, FAA and PIC. The most important skills for a captain are customer service, safety standards, and food preparation.

Airline pilot vs captain overview

	Airline Pilot	Captain
Yearly salary	$85,534	$52,161
Hourly rate	$41.12	$25.08
Growth rate	6%	1%
Number of jobs	2,851	4,430
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	4	6

Airline pilot vs captain salary

Airline pilots and captains have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Airline Pilot	Captain
Average salary	$85,534	$52,161
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $110,000	Between $31,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	Saint George, UT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	California
Best paying company	Spirit Airlines	Google
Best paying industry	Transportation	Transportation

Differences between airline pilot and captain education

There are a few differences between an airline pilot and a captain in terms of educational background:

	Airline Pilot	Captain
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Aviation	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Airline pilot vs captain demographics

Here are the differences between airline pilots' and captains' demographics:

	Airline Pilot	Captain
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6%	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 82.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between airline pilot and captain duties and responsibilities

Airline pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
Conduct pilot proficiency and standardization evaluations in both A320 aircraft and simulator.

Captain example responsibilities.

Delegate responsibilities to crew members, verify inventory, manage payroll, steer the ship and operate dredge.
Lead the team as defensive captain to win the national championship of the most elite football level in Mexico.
Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
Participate in intramural volleyball, basketball and indoor and outdoor soccer.
Ensure the synchronized delivery of additional manpower to combat operations by utilizing all available assets and effective logistics management.
Complete CPR and a training.

Airline pilot vs captain skills

Common airline pilot skills

Aircraft Systems, 35%
FAA, 13%
PIC, 12%
Flight Operations, 10%
Federal Aviation, 8%
Pilot-In-Command, 6%

Common captain skills

Customer Service, 21%
Safety Standards, 11%
Food Preparation, 11%
POS, 5%
Role Model, 5%
Logistics, 4%