There always seems to be an element of envy with debates such as this.... most of those criticising the salaries that BA pilots earn would be the first to defend them if they were senior BA pilots themselves!!
OK, a few at the top of the seniority list earn £140k, but it has taken them over 30 years to get there. The AVERAGE BA pilots salary is a lot less.
Conversely, there are also many who criticise the apparently low starting salaries. Well, all I can say there is that it filters out those who are not genuinely enthusiastic about the job. Regardless of debts and high cost of living the really keen people will endure a few years of low salary, and are ultimately rewarded with a career that many seem envious of, and a very good salary too!! Seems fair to me.
The real losers in the aviation game are the licensed maintenance engineers...If you have never done the job, you just can't appreciate how hard it can be. (I'm flying now and know which I prefer!
) Changing a 747 APU, outside, in the winter, at 3 in the morning....