thegirth has put his finger right on the button. "Most are on 55 - 80K PLUS ALLOWANCES." It is well known that BA basic salaries are a relatively low proportion of their total pay - unlike many of us in the independent airlines. Just ask the "BALPA Captain"! Agreed, nowadays BA pilots work a little harder than previously (well, in short haul, anyway!), but it would be more useful to compare like with like, that is, nett pay with nett pay. Then we would see that the average independent pilot's total pay package is indeed similar to the BA basic salary. But don't forget those huge allowances!