Pay scale
The published table of hourly or monthly rates that rises in steps with years of service and rank.
Definition
A pay scale is the airline's table of basic pay or hourly flying rates, stepped by year of service and by rank. Most scales climb steeply in the first years, then flatten toward a top-of-scale rate reached after a decade or more. It is usually negotiated into a union contract or, at non-union and Gulf carriers, set by the company and revised in announced rounds.
What it means for you
Your starting step is only the beginning: check how fast the scale climbs and where it tops out, because the difference between year one and top of scale can be double or more. Moving airlines normally resets you to step one, which is why experienced crew think hard before jumping even for a better brand.
In practice
Delta's scale runs from $36.92 per flight hour in year one to roughly $83-86 at the top, and Lufthansa's UFO tariff tables step up 3.5% in 2026 across every grade.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- Basic salaryPay & benefitsThe fixed monthly amount paid regardless of hours flown; only one part of crew pay, and at US carriers barely present at all.
- Flying payPay & benefitsThe variable part of crew pay, calculated per block or flight hour actually flown; the reason long-haul months pay more than short-haul.
- UnionPay & benefitsThe organisation that negotiates cabin crew pay, work rules and grievances collectively with the airline.
- Profit sharePay & benefitsAn annual bonus paid to crew when the airline makes money, ranging from a token payment to several months' salary.