In recent weeks, we’ve seen major US airlines release their proxy statements, which contain all kinds of interesting information. Among those is the executive compensation that these airlines paid in 2025.
Continue reading: Which US Airline CEO Was Highest Paid In 2025? ($32.3 Million)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Remember an era when leaders of companies got paid maybe 20x the average worker? Yeah, now 200x or 2000x is the norm. That’s pretty messed up. Oh, and most CEOs aren’t even in the capital class (they’re just mere mercenaries for the billionaires, who pay next to nothing in taxes thanks to loopholes.) Meanwhile, we can’t pay workers enough to live where they work, or afford healthcare, plan for retirement; and consumers are unprotected when airlines fail to operate (we need EU261 equivalent in the US). 191 days until midterms.
Yes, Gene!! Though, for Scott, it'd probably be 'stroopwaffle.' For Ed, sure, get Biscoff'd.
What is this weirdly selective commentary. Not only has Isom's salary decreased more than Bastian's, you call Isom's salary "consistent", but point out Bastian's decreasing salary.
You can’t call something a loophole when its a part of the tax code as it was intended.
Airlines have some of the smallest gaps in pay due to how radically overpaid pilots are (particularly when benefits are included).
Everything else you highlight is tied to housing costs - and that you can blame your NIMBY neighbors for. Its not billionaires - its people in your community unless you live in Houston
Goheelz, so, you ready for tax reform, or just wanna accept what is a broken system?
IRL, this probably speaks to their relationship to their boards and contracts they negotiated. Usually most of the earnings are supposed to be related to financial performance, but if that were truly the case, AA's CEO would have earned a goose egg for the past several years.
Stop gaslighting.
UA flew approximately 182 million passengers in 2025. That means Kirby's salary represented $0.18 per ticket. Not enough to support your theory.
Does 30 million get you a better CEO than 10 million does? If it doesn’t I don’t see the point.
“Poor Ed Bastian, his compensation sure has been trending downwards in the past few years”
Like throwing red meat in front of a starving dog…
A lot of union leader also get paid 500k+.
Reminds me of the Godfather movie where you pay for "protection fees".
And yet they, and some people on this site begrudge lower level staff from earning a living wage. OY
yeah; I think it was during the anti-union Boeing CHS drive when Boeing put out a diagram of all the nepotism and crazy salaries in the IAM.
But... no doubt there are plenty of equally qualified CEOs that could and would do the job for far less and likely better. Better than Bastian and Isom, certainly.
it's a pretty sweet gig when you get to that level and your performance doesn't seem to matter
Eskimo… $500,000 verses $30,000,000… so, 60x difference. Yeah, maybe CEOs should only get $500K. Great idea! Bah!
As soon as we get home from Buenos Aires( can't fill out EU 261 with malbec in my veins), I'll fill out the forms for the delay($600 for each of us), hotel and dinner charges since The Spoor didn't issue us vouchers. It would nice if U. S. Had the same concern for its citizens.
@just_a_deviant
You have no moral superiority. None. But you do have performative skills.
Alan Z, glad you enjoyed Argentina! And even better than you have an easy EU261 claim ahead of you! Yes, someday, we’ll learn to actually take better care here…
What do we think? Kinda clickbaity. It's pure madness. Insanity. Beyond ludicrous. Sure, CEO's should make 10x what their median employee makes. Maybe even 20x if it's a huge company. Maybe you're trying to do a passive-aggressive condemnation of ridiculous executive pay but if so just do so rather than this milquetoast approach.
Bingo!!
I'm glad somebody else says it, because I get tired of (seemingly) being the only one to push back on clickbait and politics here.