Aviation pay in Europe.

Contract currency EUR, converted at the ECB reference rate EUR/USD 1.1555 dated 10 August 2026. Range is the lowest to the highest published step of the CAO scale effective 1 Jan 2026: captain trede 4 at EUR 8,813.13/month (100-200 seat column, 737-800/A320neo) up to trede 32 at EUR 20,621.90/month (201-300 seat column, A321neo). Annualised as 12 monthly payments plus the CAO's own 8% holiday allowance (vakantietoeslag, Bijlage 2 art. 7) and 8.33% year-end payment (eindejaarsuitkering, Bijlage 2 art. 8), i.e. x13.9596. EXCLUDED and therefore conservative: the contractual monthly 10% supplement on pensionable salary in force since 1 Aug 2024 (worth about 10.7% of base monthly), profit share (Bijlage 29), employer pension (34% premium budget), and per-diems. Including the monthly supplement alone would lift both ends by roughly 10.7%. Scope caveat: steps 29-32 sit in table 1B and are only open to captains employed on or after 1 July 2015; captains hired before 2006 top out at trede 28, about EUR 18,979.81/month or USD 306,100/yr. Staleness caveat: this CAO's term expired 28 February 2026 and no successor agreement was located, so the 1 Jan 2026 table is the latest published rate, not necessarily the rate paid today.

Contract currency EUR, converted at ECB EUR/USD 1.1555 dated 10 August 2026. Range is FO trede 1 at EUR 5,417.16/month (100-200 seat column) up to the FO ceiling of EUR 11,212.91/month (201-300 seat column); the FO column is flat from trede 15 to trede 28, so 11,212.91 is a true published ceiling and not an extrapolation. Annualised as 12 months plus 8% vakantietoeslag and 8.33% eindejaarsuitkering (x13.9596). EXCLUDED: the monthly 10% pensionable-salary supplement (about 10.7% of base), profit share, pension and per-diems, so these figures understate cash by roughly a tenth. Note on the bottom of the scale: trede 0 (EUR 2,560.87/month) is NOT a cadet salary; Bijlage 2 states it is paid for the first two months only, after which the pilot goes to FO start-step trede 1. Staleness caveat: CAO term expired 28 February 2026; no successor located.

Contract currency EUR, converted at ECB EUR/USD 1.1555 dated 10 August 2026 (verified against ECB series EXR.D.USD.EUR.SP00.A). THESE ARE CEILINGS, NOT A CAREER RANGE, AND MUST NOT BE DISPLAYED AS A MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM FOR THE ROLE. KLM pay is a formula, Bijlage 2: monthly salary S = (L + P + F + 198,03) x A, where L = 2,5 x age in full months, P = 70/12 per month of service, F = fleet component, and A = 3,9993 since 1 January 2025. L + P is contractually capped at 3.050 for KLM mainline (1.900 for KLM Cityhopper, which is excluded here). Both endpoints are computed at that hard cap: the low end uses F 1.900 (B-737/700/800/900 and A-32Xneo up to 190 seats), the high end uses F 3.000 (B-777/200/300, B-787/9/10, A-330/200/300, A-350/900/1000), both per the F table effective 8 September 2025. A captain below the cap earns materially less on the same published formula, and no entry figure is published or estimated here because it depends on the individual's age and length of service. Annualised as 12 months plus 8% vakantieuitkering (art. 10.2) and 8,33% eindejaarsuitkering (art. 10.11), x13,9596. EXCLUDED: profit share, employer pension, per-diems and instruction allowances. STALENESS, AND THE REASON THIS IS WEAK: the CAO term ran 2 March 2023 to 28 February 2025 and the consolidated text is maintained to 28 April 2026, but KLM and VNV agreed a successor CAO at the end of May 2026 covering February 2025 to February 2027 with a 4,75% pay increase over the two years. The uprated multiplier A has not been published. The figures above are computed from the last published formula and are therefore a floor on what KLM captains are paid today, not the current rate.

Contract currency EUR at ECB EUR/USD 1.1555 dated 10 August 2026 (verified against ECB series EXR.D.USD.EUR.SP00.A). AGAIN CEILINGS, NOT A CAREER RANGE, AND NOT TO BE DISPLAYED AS A MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM FOR THE ROLE. Same formula S = (L + P + F + 198,03) x A with A = 3,9993 and L + P at the KLM mainline cap of 3.050. The low end uses F 1.050, the senior narrowbody and regional FO block; the high end uses F 1.500, the widebody FO value set on 8 September 2025 for B-777, B-787, A-330 and A-350. Junior FOs sit in lower F blocks (550, 600, 800, and 850 or 900 for the larger A-32Xneo cabins) assigned by seniority and are also far from the L + P cap, so their pay is materially lower; no entry figure is published because the CAO gives no entry salary point, only a formula driven by the individual's age and service. Note that F 1.050 is itself subject to a monthly uplift under Bijlage 2 (1)d that redistributes the A-32Xneo F 850 and F 900 volume across the existing blocks, so the low end is a conservative floor for that block. Annualised as 12 months plus 8% vakantieuitkering and 8,33% eindejaarsuitkering (x13,9596). EXCLUDED: profit share, employer pension, per-diems, instruction allowances. STALENESS, AND THE REASON THIS IS WEAK: the CAO term ran 2 March 2023 to 28 February 2025; KLM and VNV agreed a successor at the end of May 2026 covering February 2025 to February 2027 with a 4,75% increase over two years, and the uprated multiplier A has not been published. These figures are a floor on current pay, not the current rate.

No Gulf-style tax-free housing, schooling or transport allowances exist. Contract currency EUR. Source is Bijlage 2b of the KLM-cabinepersoneel CAO 2023-2025, the appendix that applies to crew in dienst vanaf 28 augustus 2014, table headed 'Met ingang van 1 juli 2024' (the most recent table printed in the CAO). Steward(ess) column: salarisstap 1 = EUR 2,927.82 per month; top of the scale is salarisstap 18 = EUR 4,573.50 per month. Both ends are read off the published table; nothing is extrapolated. Annualised with the CAO's own components, 12 monthly salaries plus 8 percent vakantie-uitkering (art. 10.2) plus 8.33 percent eindejaarsuitkering (art. 10.11), i.e. 13.96 x maandsalaris, giving EUR 40,872 to EUR 63,846. Converted at the ECB euro reference rate of 10 August 2026, USD 1.1555 per EUR. EXCLUDES the separate promotieschaal column (EUR 3,520.98 to EUR 5,185.87 per month on the same steps), variable flight allowances (vliegtoelage), per diems, profit share and pension contributions. Progression is one step per completed year of active cabin service, so the top of the scale is an 18-year figure, not an attainable early-career figure. CURRENCY OF THE FIGURE: the CAO 2023-2025 expired 28 February 2025. The successor CAO 2025-2027 (1 March 2025 to 28 February 2027) awards 1.0 percent from 1 December 2025, 1.25 percent from 1 July 2026 and 1.0 percent from 1 January 2027. As at August 2026 that is a compounded 2.26 percent on top of this table, i.e. roughly USD 48,300 to USD 75,400, but no consolidated post-July-2024 salary table has been published, so the headline range above is the last fully documented one.

No tax-free allowance package of the Gulf type. Contract currency EUR. Source is Bijlage 2b of the KLM-cabinepersoneel CAO 2023-2025 (the appendix for crew in dienst vanaf 28 augustus 2014), table headed 'Met ingang van 1 juli 2024', the most recent table printed. The two endpoints are different jobs and should be read that way: the floor is the Purser column's first populated step, salarisstap 6 = EUR 3,731.04 per month; the ceiling is the Senior Purser column's top step, salarisstap 27 = EUR 7,947.06 per month. For reference the Purser column itself tops at salarisstap 26 = EUR 7,178.85 and the Senior Purser column opens at salarisstap 8 = EUR 4,992.42. Both endpoints are printed in the table; neither is extrapolated. Annualised at 13.96 x maandsalaris (12 months plus 8 percent vakantie-uitkering, art. 10.2, plus 8.33 percent eindejaarsuitkering, art. 10.11), giving EUR 52,085 to EUR 110,941. Converted at the ECB euro reference rate of 10 August 2026, USD 1.1555 per EUR. EXCLUDES the promotieschaal columns, vliegtoelage, per diems, profit share and pension. Progression is one salarisstap per completed year of active cabin service (Bijlage 2b point 2), so the Senior Purser ceiling is reachable only after roughly 27 years of service. CURRENCY OF THE FIGURE: the CAO 2023-2025 expired 28 February 2025; the successor CAO 2025-2027 adds 1.0 percent from 1 December 2025, 1.25 percent from 1 July 2026 and 1.0 percent from 1 January 2027. At August 2026 that is 2.26 percent compounded above this table, roughly USD 61,500 to USD 131,100, but no consolidated post-July-2024 table is published.

Contract currency NOK. Reported scale points: NOK 354,079/year (NOK 29,507/month) at 1 year seniority, NOK 524,815/year at 10+ years, NOK 564,366/year (NOK 47,031/month) at 20 years. Norwegian gives a seniority step every year. Converted at the ECB euro reference rate of 10 August 2026 (EUR/USD 1.1555, EUR/NOK 10.9860), i.e. USD 0.10518 per NOK. Sourced from E24 and NRK reporting the Parat tariff tables directly, not from the union PDF itself, which is behind member login; that is why this is moderate and not strong. The reports do not state explicitly whether per diems (diett) are included, so assume they are NOT and treat these as scale pay only.

No tax-free allowance package. Contract currency NOK. Scale points as reported by E24 on 4 August 2026, attributed to Martinus Roekkum, leader of SAS Norge Kabinforening in Parat: NOK 389,916 per year (NOK 32,493 per month, stated as including flytillegg) as a NEW HIRE, NOK 424,128 per year (NOK 35,344 per month) after ten years, NOK 453,972 per year (NOK 37,831 per month) after twenty years. SAS seniority steps are every two years, not annual. E24 reports that SAS cabin crew receive monthly pay only, with no separate premium for weekend, evening or night work, because flying staff are exempt from the working-time provisions of the arbeidsmiljoelov. Converted at the ECB euro reference rates of 10 August 2026 (EUR/USD 1.1555, EUR/NOK 10.9860), i.e. USD 0.105179 per NOK. STATUS WARNING, read before using: this scale is in dispute. E24 reports that up to 750 SAS cabin crew voted down the recommended new tariff agreement on over 90 percent turnout and could strike from 8 August 2026. Treat these as the pre-settlement figures under the outgoing terms, not as a settled current scale. The agreement itself is not public: Fellesforbundet, the negotiating union, states it cannot share the tariff agreement because it is an internal company agreement, so no document name should be asserted for it. SCOPE: Norway-based SAS cabin crew only. This does not describe SAS crew based in Denmark or Sweden, who sit on separate agreements I did not source, and it does not describe SAS Connect. Moderate rather than strong because the figures were read through E24's reporting of a union official, not from a tariff document. The NRK article of September 2024 is background only and does not corroborate these numbers: it reports SAS cabin crew at ten years on NOK 35,681 per month, above the 2026 figure quoted here, a discrepancy I could not resolve and which readers should be aware of.

Contract currency EUR; EUR 119,000 converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. CEILING ONLY, NOT A RANGE: Ryanair advertises 'a salary package of up to EUR 119,000 including shift allowance and pension'. There is no published floor, no published pay scale and no published step structure, so min is set equal to the advertised ceiling rather than estimated downward. The figure is a total package: it bundles basic pay, shift allowance for the fixed 4-on/4-off roster and the employer's defined-contribution pension, so basic salary alone is materially lower by an unpublished amount. No housing, schooling or transport allowances (a European gross package of this size is not comparable to a Gulf tax-free package of the same headline number). This is a Dublin-based B1 role on the Ryanair Group 737 fleet only; it says nothing about Ryanair engineers at other bases (Wroclaw, Stansted, Shannon), where advertised pay is not published.

Contract currency EUR; EUR 121,000 converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. CEILING ONLY, NOT A RANGE: the advert states 'salary package of up to EUR 121,000 including shift allowance and pension'. No floor, no scale and no steps are published, so min equals the advertised ceiling; the bottom of the scale is unpublished and has NOT been estimated. Package includes shift allowance and defined-contribution pension, so basic pay is lower by an unpublished amount. No housing, schooling or transport allowances. Scope is Ryanair's own Dublin B2 vacancy only. Note the B2 ceiling sits EUR 2,000 above the B1 ceiling; do not read the two Ryanair rows as a single 119k-121k band, they are two separate advertised maxima. The advert is undated beyond a 2025 copyright line, which is why staleness confidence is only moderate.

Contract currency EUR; converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. From the published CAO table 'Transavia Salarisschalen per 01-01-2026 (inclusief een verhoging van 2%)': scale 7T trede 0 = EUR 3.746,03/month, scale 8T top trede (22) = EUR 5.786,37/month. Annualised as 12 monthly payments plus the CAO's 8% vakantietoeslag (bijlage 2 point 3) and 8,33% eindejaarsuitkering (bijlage 2 point 4), i.e. x12 x1,1633. WHY THESE GRADES: bijlage 2 art 2.3 maps the T-line by title - FG6T Certifying Mechanics, FG7T Certifying Technicians, FG8T Senior Certifying Technicians, FG9T Team Leads and Hangar Coordinators. 7T-8T are the certifying engineer grades; 6T is a mechanic grade (it drew only the half vliegtuigonderhoud allowance under bijlage 7 art 9) and 9T is supervisory, so neither belongs in a licensed-engineer band. ALREADY INSIDE THESE FIGURES, do not add: the Functietoeslag Vliegtuigonderhoud, which bijlage 7 art 9(2) abolished for all T-scale employees from 1 November 2023 because it became part of salary; and the EUR 200 CRS (Certificate of Release to Service) allowance, built into the T-scales from July 2024 under bijlage 2 art 2.4. PAID ON TOP and excluded here: nevenfunctie allowances (dual B1/B2 licence EUR 103,92, instructor EUR 84,51, Shift Lead Line/Hangar EUR 207,85, amounts per 1 July 2024), shift pay (wisseldienstvermenigvuldigingsfactor 62,00 gross from 1 January 2026), and overtime. No housing, schooling or transport allowances: not comparable to a Gulf tax-free package. STALENESS: the CAO term ran 1 July 2024 to 28 February 2026 (art 13.1) and has expired; the 1 January 2026 table is the last one published in it, and any successor increase is not reflected.

Contract currency EUR; converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. From the published table 'Transavia Salarisschalen per 01-01-2026': functiegroep 3 trede 0 = EUR 2.738,35/month (bottom of the whole regular structure) to functiegroep 9 trede 27 = EUR 6.202,39/month. Annualised x12 x1,1633 for the CAO's 8% vakantietoeslag and 8,33% eindejaarsuitkering. Excludes shift pay, overtime and standby. No housing, schooling or transport allowances. WHAT THIS ROW DOES NOT SAY: the CAO sets pay by functiegroep and places employees by job-comparison research, but it publishes NO job-title-to-functiegroep map for the regular scales, so no individual job can be located in it. This is the full published width of Transavia's regular ground pay structure and is not the range for a ramp agent, a duty manager or any other named role, nor a Netherlands-wide or Europe-wide ground handling figure. Note these are the REGULAR scales, not the 'non-technical' scales: the CAO's separate T-line (6T-9T) covers certifying maintenance roles only, so non-certifying technical staff such as mechanics also sit in groups 3-9. Ground handling at Dutch airports performed by third-party handlers (Swissport, Aviapartner, KLM Ground Services) sits under different agreements not covered here. Staleness: CAO term was 1 July 2024 to 28 February 2026 (art 13.1) and has expired.

Contract currency EUR; converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. From the CAO's published 'T-OSG per 1 juli 2024' table: group A start EUR 2,667.68/month to group L end EUR 5,458.05/month. Annualised x12 x1.1633 for the CAO's 8% vakantie-uitkering (art. 10.3) and 8.33% eindejaarsuitkering (art. 10.13). The T-OSG line is defined by the CAO as the standard OSG ground line plus the EUR 100/month Technische Autorisatie- en Expertisevergoeding, and applies to technically trained staff holding a legal authorisation to sign off their own maintenance work (bijlage 17A). EXCLUDED and paid on top: EASA Part-66 AML and per-aircraft-type authorisation allowances (the CAO's amount table for these did not render in the published PDF, so the amounts are unknown and have NOT been estimated), shift allowance, and overtime. No housing, schooling or transport allowances. STALENESS, the main reason confidence is moderate: 1 July 2024 is the last table printed in this CAO document, whose term ran to 2025; a successor KLM ground CAO covering roughly March 2025 to December 2026 has been agreed with further increases that are NOT in these figures, so treat these as a floor on today's actual money. The CAO also does not publish which maintenance job titles (B1 vs B2 vs mechanic) sit in which of groups A to L, so this is the whole authorised-maintenance line, not a per-licence figure.

Contract currency EUR; converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1555, ECB reference rate 10 August 2026. Built from the cao Particuliere Beveiliging table 'Salarisschaal per loonperiode 1 2026' (includes the 3,8% uplift): scale 3 (Beveiliger A, the qualified officer grade per bijlage 2 section III) starts at EUR 17,37/hour and scale 4 (Beveiliger B) tops out at EUR 21,81/hour. Added to each is the Schiphol objecttoeslag of EUR 2,50 gross per contract hour, which bijlage 11 applies to every security worker deployed on the Schiphol 24/7 tender and which is processed as basisuurloon. Annualised on the cao's own basis of 144 hours per four-week loonperiode (art 98, the reduced Schiphol tender full-time week) x 13 periods = 1,872 hours, plus 8% vakantiebijslag (art 62) and the 2,01% eindejaarsuitkering (art 38), which is calculated on basisloon plus vakantiebijslag. EXCLUDED and paid on top: unsocial-hours pay (ORT), the 35% vroege-opkomst allowance for shifts beginning 00:00-05:30, overtime (50%) and public holidays (50%). NOT included and no longer payable: the EUR 5,25/hour zomertoeslag and the EUR 1,40/hour arbeidsmarkttoeslag were one-off Schiphol Sociaal Akkoord measures for 2022 and 2022-23 respectively and have expired. No housing, schooling or transport allowances. SCOPE: these are contractor employees at Schiphol, not airline staff and not airport-operator staff; the cao sets minimum rates, so individual employers may pay above them. The row does not cover security officers at any other European airport, and excludes the Shift Leader, Dedicated Team Leader and Duty Manager grades on the same tender (scales 5-7, up to EUR 24,80/hour before the object allowance). The cao runs 18 December 2024 to 27 December 2026 and is current.