Avelo Airlines Increases Pay to Reel in More Pilots

Avelo Airlines is bolstering pilot compensation to attract and retain aviators — elevating first-year pay by nearly 50% for Captains and by nearly 30% for First Officers. The enhanced pay scale offers the highest first-year Captain and First Officer pay rates in the Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) and regional carrier sectors of the U.S. airline industry, says Avelo.

Avelo expects to add an additional 120 pilots in 2022. In addition to hiring First Officers, for a limited time qualified pilots may be immediately hired as Captains.

The first-year Captain hourly pay rate increases from $135 to $200. Under the new scale, at five years of service Avelo Captains will earn $220 per hour. The first-year hourly pay rate for First Officers increases from $70 to $90 with an hourly rate of $140 at five years of service.

The new pay scale is effective February 1, 2022, for current and future Avelo pilots.

In addition to increasing the pilot pay scale, the airline is offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus to new pilots hired before June 1, 2022. An initial $5,000 is paid after the pilot completes their orientation trips and the remaining $15,000 is paid at the completion of their first year with the company. The bonus is available to Captains and First Officers.

At basic guarantee, new pilots in their first year will earn $209,600 for a Captain and $117,200 for a First Officer (includes sign-on bonus and virtual base stipend). Avelo is accepting applications for Captains and First Officers now on its website.

“In addition to our enhanced pay scale, Avelo supports quality of life initiatives such as an additional $1,800 per month to help offset the cost of commuting,” said Avelo Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy. And, if a pilot chooses to live in base, they’ll keep the $1,800 per month.”