Time for a little reality check, 411A. Pilot's pay for the last 15-20 years has lagged behind inflation by well over 20%. The recent raises at UAL & DAL that you call "back-breaking" and "super-high" only bring pilots up to parity with inflation. Meanwhile, executive compensation has increased exponentially, at 7 times the rate of inflation. Those are the facts.
If you expect me to feel guilty for merely keeping up with inflation, you're sadly mistaken.
I'd suggest you check out the executive pay watch at
www.aflcio.org, and the June 25 2001 issue of Fortune magazine to learn more about the "great CEO pay heist."