> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flyhub.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Career Economy and Airline Tiers

> Understand Career Mode airline tiers, pay bands, regional economy, job requirements, union dues, penalties, medical costs, and financial pressure.

# Career Economy and Airline Tiers

Career Mode economy is built around airline tier, region, rank, contract status, and your pilot history.

Airline tier is important, but it is not the only factor. A 5-star airline usually pays more than a 1-star airline, but it also has higher entry requirements and higher union dues.

## Airline tiers

FlyHub uses 1-star to 5-star airline tiers.

In general:

| Tier   | What it usually means                                                                             |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1-star | Entry-level airlines. Easier to access, lower pay, and good for starting a career.                |
| 2-star | Early progression airlines. Some requirements, better pay, and still forgiving for junior pilots. |
| 3-star | Mid-career airlines. Higher requirements and stronger pay.                                        |
| 4-star | Advanced airlines. Strong reputation and hours are expected.                                      |
| 5-star | Top-tier airlines. Highest pay potential and strictest requirements.                              |

Not every airline in the same tier feels identical. Fleet, route network, region, base choices, and available aircraft families still matter.

## Job tier requirements

These are the baseline Career requirements for applying to airline tiers.

| Airline tier | Career hours | Reputation |
| ------------ | -----------: | ---------: |
| 1-star       |            0 |        0.0 |
| 2-star       |           50 |        3.5 |
| 3-star       |          150 |        5.5 |
| 4-star       |          250 |        7.2 |
| 5-star       |          400 |        8.6 |

Some airlines can have explicit requirements above the baseline. FlyHub uses the higher value.

Meeting the requirement only means you can apply. Acceptance still depends on reputation, hours, airline tier, and application outcome.

See [Career Job Market](/career-job-market#acceptance-chances) for the application chance guide.

## Base pay by tier and rank

Career pay starts from annual compensation bands. FlyHub converts annual pay into hourly and weekly estimates using 900 compensated hours per year.

The table below shows the global base annual bands before regional multipliers, interviews, seniority bonuses, training pay, and special offer adjustments.

| Tier   |     First Officer | Senior First Officer |           Captain |    Senior Captain |
| ------ | ----------------: | -------------------: | ----------------: | ----------------: |
| 1-star |   $30,000-$50,000 |      $33,600-$56,000 |   $50,000-$80,000 |   $56,000-$89,600 |
| 2-star |   $50,000-$80,000 |      $56,000-$89,600 |  $80,000-$120,000 |  $89,600-$134,400 |
| 3-star |  $70,000-$100,000 |     $78,400-$112,000 | $100,000-$150,000 | $112,000-$168,000 |
| 4-star | $100,000-$160,000 |    $112,000-$179,200 | $160,000-$250,000 | $179,200-$280,000 |
| 5-star | $150,000-$250,000 |    $168,000-$280,000 | $250,000-$400,000 | $280,000-$448,000 |

These are not guaranteed salaries. They are the base bands used to generate offers and contracts.

Your final pay can change because of:

* Airline region.
* Specific airline pay profile.
* Interview result.
* Rank.
* Training contract.
* Internal type opportunity.
* Seniority bonus.
* Promotion offer.
* Job offer raise logic.

## Regional pay multipliers

Airline region changes pay.

| Region        | Pay multiplier |
| ------------- | -------------: |
| North America |          1.24x |
| South America |          0.76x |
| Europe        |          1.12x |
| Middle East   |          1.18x |
| Africa        |          0.72x |
| Asia Pacific  |          1.00x |
| Oceania       |          1.14x |
| Global        |          1.00x |

This means the same tier and rank can pay differently in different regions.

## Regional costs and taxes

Regions also affect living costs and tax/social contribution estimates.

| Region        | Cost multiplier | Base tax/social rate |
| ------------- | --------------: | -------------------: |
| North America |           1.08x |                  14% |
| South America |           0.78x |                   8% |
| Europe        |           1.06x |                  18% |
| Middle East   |           1.12x |                   2% |
| Africa        |           0.70x |                   7% |
| Asia Pacific  |           0.96x |                  10% |
| Oceania       |           1.10x |                  16% |
| Global        |           1.00x |                  12% |

Some countries have their own effective tax override. High-cost bases can also increase housing and commuting pressure.

## Protected weekly take-home

Normal mandatory deductions are capped at 25% of gross weekly payroll.

The cap combines:

* Tax or social contributions.
* Rent or housing.
* Normal living costs.
* Normal commuting.

This protects at least 75% of gross payroll before separate obligations. For example, $5,390 gross pay allows no more than $1,347.50 in these combined deductions, leaving at least \$4,042.50 before other costs.

Loans, voluntary union dues, penalties, property purchases, medical charges, and personal events are outside this cap. They can still reduce your final balance because they are separate Career obligations or decisions.

## Starter economy relief

FlyHub gives extra economy relief to junior pilots in entry-level employment.

Starter economy relief applies when:

* You are not in training.
* You work for a 1-star airline.
* Your role is First Officer or Senior First Officer.

When eligible:

* Housing cost is reduced by 40%.
* Discretionary living costs are reduced to 65% of normal.

This helps new Career pilots survive the early grind without removing the need to manage money.

## Training pay

Training contracts from normal market offers can pay 50% of the full employment rate while training is active.

Internal type opportunities are different. If your current employer offers a new internal type opportunity, you keep your current salary during that training.

## Seniority pay bonus

Seniority can increase pay over time.

Every 8 weeks of continuous employment adds a 1% seniority bonus. The seniority bonus caps at 20%.

Changing employers can reset company-specific seniority, so a higher hourly rate is not the only thing to consider.

## Union dues by tier

Union dues are charged monthly and scale with airline tier.

| Airline tier | Monthly union dues |
| ------------ | -----------------: |
| 1-star       |              \$300 |
| 2-star       |              \$600 |
| 3-star       |              \$900 |
| 4-star       |            \$1,200 |
| 5-star       |            \$1,500 |

Union membership can help with strikes, firing protection, and promotion requirements, but it is not free.

See [My Company](/career-company#union) for the full union guide.

## Early resignation penalties

If you resign before 30 days of continuous employment, FlyHub applies an early resignation penalty.

The maximum is the lower of \$5,000 or one week of expected gross pay. FlyHub then multiplies that amount by the days remaining in the 30-day commitment.

| When you resign | Remaining share of maximum penalty | Maximum reputation loss |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------: | ----------------------: |
| Immediately     |                               100% |                   -0.50 |
| After 10 days   |                             66.67% |                   -0.33 |
| After 20 days   |                             33.33% |                   -0.17 |
| After 30 days   |                                 0% |                       0 |

After 30 days, the early resignation money and reputation penalties no longer apply.

## Medical check costs

Medical checks are recurring Career costs.

Current ranges are:

| Situation                     | Medical check range |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------: |
| Starter relief pilot          |           $175-$400 |
| 2-star junior FO or Senior FO |           $225-$550 |
| Standard range                |           $250-$700 |

If a medical check becomes overdue and cannot be paid, Career duty can be grounded until the payment is handled.

## Property investments

Property investments are part of the Career economy and apply only to Career Mode.

| Property tier           | Down payment | Monthly net income |
| ----------------------- | -----------: | -----------------: |
| Starter Duplex          |     \$25,000 |              \$700 |
| Small Apartment Blocks  |     \$75,000 |            \$3,300 |
| Urban Mixed-Use Complex |    \$210,000 |            \$9,600 |

Property can create passive income, but buying too early can leave you short on cash for training, medical checks, relocation, or loan payments.

See [Career Finance](/career-finance) for loans, credit, property, and ledger details.

## What tier does not control

Tier does not directly replace:

* Type ratings.
* Contract signature requirements.
* Dispatch locks.
* Training status.
* Current location.
* Medical clearance.
* Line checks.
* Tracking method.

For actual flight tracking, Career Mode uses the shared FlyHub tracking systems. See [Tracking Methods](/tracking-methods), [Online Tracking](/online-tracking), and [Manual and Offline Mode](/manual-mode).