Transportation · SOC 53-2011
Flies passengers and cargo safely.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: Resilient — automation assists, but human pilots remain mandated for decades.
Tap a skill to find courses on Coursera.
Some links are affiliate links — if you sign up or buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
$67,130 median pay
$47,040 median pay
$65,480 median pay
$51,880 median pay
$66,370 median pay
$38,940 median pay
AI job-risk card
Airline Pilot is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Airline Pilot is 21/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
21 out of 100. It blends a Frey & Osborne automation probability of 18% with an estimated LLM task-exposure of 25%.
Most exposed: Routine cruise/autopilot phases, Flight logging. Harder to automate: Emergencies & judgment, Takeoff/landing in tough conditions.
Lean into Advanced certifications, Crew leadership, Emergency airmanship. Consider roles such as Captain / check airman or Flight instructor.
AI Fear Score blends Frey & Osborne (2013) automation probability with an LLM task-exposure estimate (after Eloundou et al., 2023). Pay/employment are approximate BLS figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.