Per diem
An allowance paid for time away from base — hourly at US carriers, per night or per destination elsewhere — to cover meals and expenses.
Definition
Per diem (Latin for "per day") is the allowance an airline pays crew for time spent away from base, intended to cover meals and incidental costs on layovers. US contracts pay it by the hour from report to release, with a higher international rate; European and Gulf carriers pay set amounts per layover night or per destination, often in local currency. It is a reimbursement in principle, which is why it is frequently paid net of tax or at a reduced rate.
What it means for you
Per diem is the quiet money in a long-haul month: on a 72-hour Australian layover it can add a meaningful sum on top of flying pay, and crew who eat in the hotel room rather than the hotel restaurant bank the difference. Turnaround-only rosters earn almost none, which is part of why short-haul crew at the same airline take home less.
In practice
Delta pays per diem of roughly $3 an hour on domestic trips and more internationally; Turkish Airlines pays per diems in EUR or USD on international trips, largely net, which is why its crew value long-haul rosters so highly.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- Layover allowancePay & benefitsThe fixed sum paid for each night or layover spent away from base, usually in the destination's currency and often tax-free.
- LayoverRoster & schedulingThe rest period spent away from base between two duties, in a crew hotel, from a legal minimum overnight up to several days.
- 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.
- Tax-free salaryPay & benefitsPay received with no income tax deducted, as in the UAE and Qatar — subject to the tax rules of the country you remain resident in.