Wee one,
It's all down to the trips.We have things called "box" payments on long flts.If your planned duty(the duty time printed on your roster) exceeds 12 hrs and 1 minute but no more than 13 hrs,you get a "Box 1"
If your planned duty exceeds 13 hrs and 1 min,but no more than 14 hrs,you get a "box 2" and so on up to a "box 5"
We get a "fixed" payment for these "boxes",the amount of which I'm not about to go into on this site,you will find these out when you start.This is on top of the allowances you get paid for the trip.
The simple fact is,that there are far more trips from LHR that generate these payments. LAX SFO PHX SAN JNB CPT SIN BKK HKG NRT MRU and a few others that escape me.If memory serves,only the IAH from LGW(outbound) generates a box 1.A list of all the trips from LGW can be found on another thread in this forum.
I also get a "back to back" trip pretty much every month from LHR,which although are hard work,are good earners.(Also get a fixed payment for a B2B on top of allowances)I only used to get about 6 a year from LGW.This may be different now.
I certainly wouldn't say that LGW work their A*ses in comparison.I for one find it a lot harder than at LGW.I have less time at home,which puts a strain on ones' personal life,the flights are in general longer,and the constant battle with jet lag going east one week then west the next is something that I didn't really suffer too much with at LGW.
That's not to say I don't enjoy it,far from it.I'm loving going to lots of places I've never been to before...and obviously the take home pay is considerably more,which pleases ones' bank manager.
It is a lot more "family" like at LGW though.I used to like going into briefings and knowing probably half the crew already as good friends.Lucky if I even recognise a face now,even then it's someone ex-LGW! Still, I'm a personably chap and make friends easily...problem is you don't see 'em again for a couple of years...if ever.