UPS, FedEx Tops in Pilot Pay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A new survey shows that pilots at overnight cargo carriers FedEx(FDX Quote) and UPS(UPS Quote) command the highest salaries among the 11 largest U.S. airlines, while pilots at US Airways(LCC Quote) are the lowest paid.

The discrepancies reflect trends that have shaped airline pay patterns since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including a round of bankruptcies that enabled reduced costs at passenger airlines and a unique battle between pilots at US Airways, as well as society's increasing reliance on the overnight carrier duopoly.

For the overnight carriers, "the barriers to entry are high, the Internet boom has helped them a lot and the business wasn't that badly affected by 9/11," says Louis Smith, a retired Northwest captain who is president of Flt.Ops.com, which provides career counseling for pilots and conducted the pilot pay survey. ...