The sky’s the limit for a pilot’s income.
A former Delta pilot is speaking out about his impressive salary, saying he raked in half 1,000,000 dollars per yr before his retirement in 2021.
Mark Stephens, 67, began working as a flight engineer on the Delta Lockheed L-1011 back in 1989.
In an essay written for Business Insider, Stephens revealed that he initially “made little money and had to make use of up all my savings in the primary yr to get by.”
“A few of my colleagues were on food stamps,” he further wrote.
Nevertheless, the aeronaut began climbing the Delta ranks, eventually becoming a captain in 2000, when he finally began making a six-figure salary.
Stephens went on to captain five different aircraft in the following twenty years — and his income levels soared.
“I used to be making $500,000 in my last yr with Delta,” he revealed. “As a world captain, I got to fly worldwide to places resembling Amsterdam, Sydney, and Seoul.”
Stephens left Delta in November 2021, after reaching the mandated retirement age of 65.
He spent 21 years as a captain but says young, aspiring fliers can now spend many more years within the cockpit because of recent changes.
“Pilots can rise through the ranks much younger as of late,” he stated. “They might fly as a captain for 35 and even 40 years by the point they must retire at 65, which was almost unheard of in my time.”
Senior Delta pilots might be making even extra money than Stephens, with the carrier recently approving a latest contract that may increase wages by a whopping 34% by 2026.
The airline boasts 15,000 pilots, in line with The Recent York Times.
Earnings appear comparable to those at United Airlines — one other major American carrier.
In July, United pilots agreed to a latest contract valued at $10 billion that may increase pay by as much as 40% over 4 years.