Airline transport pilot vs commercial pilot

The differences between airline transport pilots and commercial pilots can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an airline transport pilot and a commercial pilot. Additionally, an airline transport pilot has an average salary of $95,279, which is higher than the $94,406 average annual salary of a commercial pilot.

The top three skills for an airline transport pilot include PIC, FAA and . The most important skills for a commercial pilot are FAA, flight operations, and pilot-in-command.

Airline transport pilot vs commercial pilot overview

	Airline Transport Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Yearly salary	$95,279	$94,406
Hourly rate	$45.81	$45.39
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,433	29,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Airline transport pilot vs commercial pilot salary

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

	Airline Transport Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Average salary	$95,279	$94,406
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $121,000	Between $63,000 And $139,000
Highest paying City	-	Jackson, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Realty World California
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between airline transport pilot and commercial pilot education

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

	Airline Transport Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	SUNY Farmingdale

Airline transport pilot vs commercial pilot demographics

Here are the differences between airline transport pilots' and commercial pilots' demographics:

	Airline Transport Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between airline transport pilot and commercial pilot duties and responsibilities

Airline transport pilot example responsibilities.

Lead teams into combat situations as well as into austere and commercial locations in nearly every part of the world.
Fulfill FAA compliant record keeping, flight safety and organizational requirements.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
License in both single-engine and multi-engine airplanes.

Commercial pilot example responsibilities.

Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
Instruct pilots in recurrent flight training and grind school for aircraft systems, FAA regulations, company policies and procedures.
Grind school, IFR and advance simulator training.
Monitor and ensure compliance with establish policies, directives, and FAA operation specifications.
Assist with all aspects of administration, logistics and equipment inventory, ensuring successful financial execution.
Arm airborne helicopter escort and SAR operations.

Airline transport pilot vs commercial pilot skills

Common airline transport pilot skills

PIC, 53%
FAA, 47%

Common commercial pilot skills

FAA, 24%
Flight Operations, 12%
Pilot-In-Command, 11%
PIC, 11%
Flight Planning, 6%
Customer Service, 6%

Airline Transport Pilot vs. similar jobs

Airline Transport Pilot related careers

Airline Transport Pilot related jobs

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Airline Transport Pilot vs Commercial Pilot

Updated January 8, 2025

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