Relationship between type of airline and wage of pilots in Europe

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to establish whether there are differences in airline pilots’ salaries between the different types of airlines in Europe. With regard to airline type, the companies are categorised into traditional airlines (flag carriers and regular/regional/charter flights) and low-cost airlines. We have examined a total of 176 European airlines and analysed different categories of pilots (Captain Top, Captain Base, First Officer Top and First Officer Base). Two statistical tests were applied (the Haberman test and the chi-squared test) to demonstrate whether there is an association and dependence between types of airlines and pilots’ salaries. The results show that there is association and dependence, from which we can deduce that the earnings of pilots are dependent upon the type of airline for which they work.

First published online: 28 Mar 2013

Keyword : air transportation, airline, wage, Haberman index, labour cost