Sector pay
Pay earned per flight flown rather than per hour — the model most European low-cost carriers use on top of a small basic.
Definition
Sector pay is a fixed sum paid for every sector you operate, regardless of how long it takes. It is the low-cost carrier alternative to hourly flying pay: a small basic salary plus a per-flight amount, often with onboard sales commission alongside. Deadhead sectors and cancelled flights are usually paid at a lower rate or not at all, depending on the contract.
What it means for you
Under sector pay, a six-sector day of short hops earns more than a two-sector day of long ones, so your income tracks how many flights you operate, not how many hours you are away from home. Winter rosters with fewer flights show up directly in your payslip, and a month of standby that is never called can be painfully thin.
In practice
Ryanair pays roughly EUR 12-18 per sector on top of a EUR 1,200-1,700 basic; a crew member flying 90 sectors in a busy summer month sees a materially different payslip from one flying 55 in February.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- SectorFlight operationsOne flight from take-off to landing. A day's duty is counted in sectors, and low-cost pay is often earned per sector.
- 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.
- 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.
- OvertimePay & benefitsExtra pay for flying beyond the hours guaranteed in your contract, always capped by the legal flight time limits.