RetiredBA/BY, probably just the salary and pension deals!
Meeting up with ex-sqn chums now flying for the airlines, I don't think that I would have enjoyed the Groundhog Day style. I guess longhaul might have been tolerable though. I had an ATPL, but never bothered to apply to the airlines. ba was off my list (and still is, even as a passenger) after the 'Dirty Tricks' era, reinforced when Skippy killed Concorde.
As for EU shorthaul... Arrive with minimal time to plan and brief, get to aeroplane and wait for paperwork, e-flight plans etc to arrive. Wait until ATCC has managed to find a departure time, then pushback, taxy, wait, take-off, reach TOC and more paperwork... If there's time then it's "Mumble, mumble, "Brussels"", then arrival paperwork, brief... "STAR to published ILS" isn't enough these days ever since the airlines thought that they'd invented CRM...land, taxy, wait, park - rinse and repeat a further 3 times at least, before getting home knackered knowing that it'd probably be the same for the next couple of days at least. OK, I'm exaggerating, I guess.
Turn the clock back to the '70s and early '80s and I might agree with you though!