Regional airline pilot vs commercial pilot

The differences between regional airline 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 a regional airline pilot and a commercial pilot. Additionally, a commercial pilot has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $91,609 average annual salary of a regional airline pilot.

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

Regional airline pilot vs commercial pilot overview

	Regional Airline Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Yearly salary	$91,609	$94,406
Hourly rate	$44.04	$45.39
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	20,888	29,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Regional airline pilot vs commercial pilot salary

Regional airline pilots and commercial pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Regional Airline Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Average salary	$91,609	$94,406
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $118,000	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 regional airline pilot and commercial pilot education

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

	Regional Airline Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY Farmingdale

Regional airline pilot vs commercial pilot demographics

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

	Regional Airline Pilot	Commercial Pilot
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 84.6% 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 regional airline pilot and commercial pilot duties and responsibilities

Regional airline pilot example responsibilities.

Lead teams into combat situations as well as into austere and commercial locations in nearly every part of the world.
Captain, Bae-4100 - 14 CFR 135/121 schedule
Fulfill FAA compliant record keeping, flight safety and organizational requirements.
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.

Regional airline pilot vs commercial pilot skills

Common regional airline pilot skills

CFR, 100%

Common commercial pilot skills

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

Regional Airline Pilot vs. similar jobs

Regional Airline Pilot related careers

Regional Airline Pilot related jobs

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Regional Airline Pilot
Regional Airline Pilot vs Commercial Pilot

Updated January 8, 2025

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