E-3 visa data for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: Sponsors, Wages & Trends

SOC code 53-2011

There have been 1,282 US Department of Labor LCA filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers on the E-3 visa across all available fiscal years, with 89.2% certified. The median annualized wage is $164,026. The top sponsor is Skywest Airlines, with most positions based in FL.

Total filings

1,282

Certified

1,144

89.2% certification rate

Median wage

$164,026

Annualized; outliers excluded

Top employer

Skywest Airlines

Top state

All sponsoring employers

62 distinct employers have filed E-3 LCAs for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. Search or sort below.

62 employers

Employer	Filings	Cert rate	Median wage	Top state	Top city
Skywest Airlines	246	95.9%	$187,200	IL	Chicago
Psa Airlines	195	96.4%	$107,224	OH	Dayton
Spirit Airlines	168	92.3%	$194,168	FL	Miramar
Gojet Airlines	85	80.0%	$187,200	MO	Bridgeton
Frontier Airlines	79	86.1%	$208,000	CO	Denver
Champlain Enterprises	67	64.2%	$84,365	CO	Denver
Atlas Air	66	100.0%	$203,008	FL	Miami
Red Wing Aeroplane	54	53.7%	$120,500	WI	Bay City
Mesa Airlines	44	100.0%	$74,880	AZ	Phoenix
Kalitta Air	35	100.0%	$243,360	MI	Ypsilanti
Commuteair	34	82.4%	$149,760	TX	Houston
Piedmont Airlines	32	100.0%	$258,605	PA	Philadelphia
Air Wisconsin Airlines	23	100.0%	$126,672	WI	Appleton
Jetselect	19	84.2%	$186,000	TX	Austin
Trans States Airlines	11	54.5%	$77,896	MO	St. Louis
Allegiant Air	10	90.0%	$111,904	NV	Las Vegas
Jet Select Aviation	9	66.7%	$180,000	OH	Columbus
Breeze Aviation Group	8	100.0%	$166,982	UT	Cottonwood Heights
Air 7	7	100.0%	$236,000	CA	Camarillo
National Air Cargo Group	6	100.0%	$230,880	FL	Orlando
Sun Country	6	100.0%	$173,222	MN	Minneapolis
Air Transport International	4	100.0%	$159,432	OH	Wilmington
Ameriflight	4	100.0%	$76,503	TX	Dallas
Helicopters	4	100.0%	$113,381	CA	Van Nuys
Matachica	4	75.0%	$300,000	CA	Petaluma
Northwell Health	4	75.0%	$180,000	NY	Manhasset
Sunset Aviation	4	50.0%	$258,750	CA	Opa-locka
Agriflite Services	3	100.0%	$73,320	IN	Wakarusa
Aviation Consultants	3	66.7%	$225,000	CA	San Luis Obispo
Harco Management Services	3	100.0%	$170,000	TX	Houston
Mira Vista Aviation	3	33.3%	$164,120	CA	Van Nuys
Skywest Charter	3	66.7%	$322,400	IL	Chicago
Southwest Airlines	3	0.0%	$87,213	TX	Dallas
Avelo Airlines	2	100.0%	$120,020	DE	Morrisville
Bombardier Aerospace	2	100.0%	$260,500	CT	Hartford
Ccg Global	2	100.0%	$350,000	CA	Santa Monica
Global Crossing Airlines	2	100.0%	$145,320	CO	Denver
Hessjet	2	50.0%	$182,000	TN	McDonald
Silver Airways	2	100.0%	$149,802	FL	Hollywood
Western Air Charter	2	100.0%	$152,500	CA	Columbus
Alpha Jet Charter	1	0.0%	$107,400	AZ	Scottsdale
Aurora Cooperative Elevator	1	100.0%	$86,840	NE	Minden
Bismillah Establishment (Best) International USA	1	100.0%	$72,157	MA	Needham
Brainerd Helicopters	1	100.0%	$85,000	FL	Leesburg
Champlain Enterprise	1	100.0%	$80,267	CO	Denver
Envoy Air	1	100.0%	$187,200	TX	Dfw Airport
Expressjet Airlines	1	100.0%	$83,200	TX	Houston
Fieldrue Consulting Services	1	100.0%	$84,350	TX	San Antonio
Flightsafety International	1	100.0%	$92,470	TX	DFW Airport
Hawcs International	1	100.0%	$100,000	CA	Chino

Top states

Where Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers E-3 jobs are concentrated.

State	Filings	Median wage
FL	255 (21.2%)	$197,101
IL	173 (14.4%)	$187,200
OH	148 (12.3%)	$107,224
CO	109 (9.1%)	$208,000
MO	94 (7.8%)	$92,414
GA	80 (6.7%)	$195,582
TX	77 (6.4%)	$145,320
AZ	46 (3.8%)	$74,880
WI	40 (3.3%)	$125,736
MI	36 (3%)	$243,360
VA	35 (2.9%)	$209,040
NC	33 (2.7%)	$209,040
CA	28 (2.3%)	$205,000
NJ	26 (2.2%)	$84,365
PA	22 (1.8%)	$174,179

Top cities

Cities where Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers E-3 jobs are filed.

City	State	Filings	Median wage
Chicago	IL	172	$187,200
Dayton	OH	130	$107,224
Denver	CO	106	$208,000
Miramar	FL	100	$127,192
Bridgeton	MO	82	$104,000
Atlanta	GA	79	$195,582
Miami	FL	65	$203,008
Dania Beach	FL	59	$202,072
Houston	TX	44	$149,760
Phoenix	AZ	41	$74,880
Ypsilanti	MI	35	$243,360
Charlotte	NC	32	$209,040
Arlington	VA	26	$209,040
Newark	NJ	26	$84,365
Appleton	WI	23	$126,672

Job titles within this role

The actual job titles employers used in their filings. Useful when the SOC label is generic — e.g. "CEO" / "Chief Executive Officer" both fall under Chief Executives.

Job title	Filings
Airline Pilot	289
First Officer	269
Captain	143
Pilot	96
Pilot, First Officer	94
First Officer Pilot	64
Captain Pilot	31
Pilot, First Officer CRJ	24
Pilot, First Officer	21
Airline Pilot	20
Pilot, First Officer ERJ	15
FIRST OFFICER PILOT	15
CRJ First Officer	14
First Officer Pilot	11
Captain CRJ	11
Captain (Pilot)	10
Commercial Pilot/First Officer	9
PILOT	7
Captain, Pilot	6
First Officer Commercial Pilot	5
First Officer / Captain	5
First Officer	5
FIRST OFFICER	5
Captain and Chief Pilot	5
Pilot - First Officer	4
FIRST OFFICER - 145	4
Captain ERJ	4
Captain Pilot	4
Pilot- First Officer	3
Pilot	3

Filings by fiscal year

Year-over-year trend in E-3 LCA filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. DOL's fiscal year runs October–September.

FY	Filings	Cert rate	Median wage
FY2020	86	84.9%	$78,811
FY2021	73	100.0%	$117,894
FY2022	323	92.9%	$107,224
FY2023	221	86.4%	$187,200
FY2024	292	84.9%	$202,072
FY2025	197	88.8%	$208,000
FY2026	90	93.3%	$246,979

Frequently asked questions

How many Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers have been sponsored on the E-3 visa?

There have been 1,282 Labor Condition Application filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers on the E-3 visa across all available fiscal years, with 89.2% of applications certified by the US Department of Labor.

What is the median wage for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers on the E-3 visa?

The median annualized wage for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers on the E-3 visa is $164,026, based on certified LCA filings. Wage outliers above $2 million are excluded from this calculation.

Which employers sponsor the most Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers on the E-3 visa?

The top E-3 visa sponsors of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers are: Skywest Airlines (246 filings), Psa Airlines (195 filings), Spirit Airlines (168 filings). The full list of sponsoring employers is shown above.

Where are E-3 visa airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers based in the US?

Most E-3 visa filings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers are based in: FL (255 filings), IL (173 filings), OH (148 filings).

Can Australians work as airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers on the E-3 visa?

Yes. The E-3 visa is exclusive to Australian citizens and is one of the most common visa categories for skilled professionals working in the United States. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is regularly sponsored under the E-3 visa, as the data on this page shows.