Nothing is apples and apples, when you compare two companies, as the allowances and lifestyle clauses all make a big difference. No point saying you could earn $200k but everyones on 50% salary due to the company doing poorly. Or your base is $200k, but that includes everything, and someone on $150k base is earning $300k for the same workload. This is another area where Australians get smashed in industrial relations as the word 'package' does not figure, mostly just what is my salary. In the US the package is important, as you need good medical, leave and retirement clauses. Australia is really no different now, as you wont get pension until you are 70, and face it you wont live a lot longer than that after a life of shift work and solar radiation, so getting a lot of super is becoming more important. Even things like time to command are important as whats the point of comparing what an FO gets, if you will be a Captain in 4 years where at the other place it might be 20 years in the RH seat at 20% less than a Captain at the other....
Hence as I said in another thread a proper union should have package comparisons, so that you can compare the overall deal.