Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors vs Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Side-by-side salary and career comparison using Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

$63,940

median annual salary

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

$226,600

median annual salary

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earns $162,660 more per year (72% higher)

Salary & Career Comparison

Metric Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Median Salary $63,940 $226,600
Median Hourly $30.74/hr N/A
Mean Salary $66,190 $280,570
10th Percentile $38,010 $98,560
90th Percentile $96,300 N/A
Total Employment 10,160 99,300
Job Growth (2023–2033) +5.2% +3.9%
Annual Openings 1.1 11.7
Education High school diploma or equivalent Bachelor's degree
Work Experience Less than 5 years Less than 5 years

Salary by State

States where both occupations have reported wage data, sorted by salary difference.

State Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Difference
Puerto Rico $75,530 $50,720 +$24,810
Montana $51,280 $49,800 +$1,480
Wisconsin $81,410 $103,400 $-21,990
Louisiana $64,040 $94,720 $-30,680
Missouri $77,820 $122,530 $-44,710
New Hampshire $51,410 $96,970 $-45,560
Utah $78,990 $133,230 $-54,240
Tennessee $75,300 $129,620 $-54,320
New Mexico $61,420 $134,110 $-72,690
Iowa $45,710 $130,980 $-85,270
North Carolina $66,190 $154,360 $-88,170
Indiana $82,750 $171,050 $-88,300
South Carolina $62,050 $158,290 $-96,240
Nevada $68,840 $180,600 $-111,760
Pennsylvania $56,700 $172,710 $-116,010
Connecticut $71,760 $189,630 $-117,870
Arizona $74,230 $198,800 $-124,570
Minnesota $52,480 $184,560 $-132,080
Colorado $74,930 $211,860 $-136,930
Texas $65,850 $214,670 $-148,820

Showing top 20 of 23 states.

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Common Questions

Which pays more, Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors or Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers pays more, with a median annual salary of $226,600 compared to $63,940 — a difference of $162,660 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors has faster projected growth at 5.2% from 2023 to 2033, compared to 3.9% for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Where does this data come from?
All salary data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. Job outlook data comes from the BLS Employment Projections program covering 2023-2033.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024.