Safe Flights Canada

The Compensation Gap

Canadian Pilots and the Compensation Gap

Canada operates one of the safest air transportation systems in the world. This safety record is the result of a highly regulated industry, rigorous oversight, and the professionalism of those who operate within it—most notably, Canadian airline pilots.

Despite the level of skill, training, and responsibility required to perform these duties safely, pilot compensation in Canada has fallen dramatically behind that of our American counterparts. Over the past three decades, this gap has widened to an unsustainable level. While U.S. pilot wages have adjusted to reflect increased responsibility, complexity, and demand, Canadian pilot compensation has stagnated.

This disparity is no longer defensible.

How Did We Get Here?
The erosion of pilot compensation in Canada can be traced back to industry deregulation in the mid-1980s. In the years that followed, a succession of start-up airlines entered the market, many operating on thin margins and short timelines. These carriers routinely offered wages well below historical norms—not as a reflection of pilot value, but because economic conditions allowed them to do so.

As each airline failed another replaced it, often resetting compensation expectations even lower. Pilots, needing employment and flight experience, accepted these positions out of necessity—not choice. Over time, this created a race to the bottom, where substandard compensation became normalized.

The result is a deeply entrenched precedent: wages that no longer reflect the expertise required, the responsibility borne, or the safety-critical role pilots play in Canada’s aviation system.

Below-Standard Pay Is Now the Norm
Today, Canadian pilots are compensated at levels that would be considered unacceptable in comparable international markets—particularly in the United States. This is not due to differences in skill, qualification, or operational responsibility. Canadian pilots meet the same standards, operate in similarly complex environments, and are held to equally stringent safety expectations.

The difference is not performance. It is leverage.

It’s Time to Act
Meaningful change will not occur through individual effort or isolated negotiations. It requires collective action across all pilot groups, at all carriers.

The long-standing belief that “nothing can be done” about pilot compensation has been proven false elsewhere—and it must be rejected here. Pilot groups currently negotiating agreements must insist on compensation that reflects international standards, including parity with U.S. peers operating comparable aircraft and routes.

Anything less perpetuates the status quo.

How Pilots Can Apply Pressure
Pilots across Canada can support fair compensation efforts by acting collectively and consistently:

• Follow the contract precisely — perform only the duties explicitly required.
• Refuse duty day extensions — adhere strictly to contractual limits
• Support negotiating pilot groups — solidarity strengthens bargaining power
• Stop doing unpaid favours — goodwill has been repeatedly used to mask systemic under-compensation.
• Decline voluntary overtime — This is often the achilles heel of any airline. Use when maximum pressure is required

These actions are lawful, professional, and effective when applied strategically and consistently

A United Front for a Sustainable Future
This issue extends beyond pay alone. It speaks to professional respect, long-term sustainability, and the future viability of aviation as a career in Canada. Without meaningful correction, the industry risks continued attrition, declining morale, and an inability to attract and retain experienced pilots. It is crucial that all pilots are united, especially in later stages of contract negotiations.  

Collective action works. When pilots stand together, standards rise.

Share Your Voice
If you have information, insight, or experience relevant to this issue, please share it at pilotinfo@safeflights.ca. Contributions from across the industry help inform and strengthen the collective effort.

---