CedarJet,
What you are saying about the pilot retirement is absolutely correct, I never said MEA is willing to break the rules in order to stay afloat. However, it is a common practice by airlines to offer senior captains with early retirement, as gratitude for their long service.
With the situation at MEA, senior captains never had this luxury up until recently, when management finally was able to let some go.
DoItInverted
Salary is strictly taboo and I dont think there are a lot of MEA pilots that would discuss it.
All I can say is down the line, MEA pilots make comparable wages to other pilots in the region.