The reality of Virgin Blue was that it needed a
backbone 
of immediate Captains to get off the ground.
It was also the first opportunity for many Australians to return home to a flying job, in over a decade.
Most did NOT make "lots of money" - as a Captain with Malaysian Airlines, I was actually slowly going backwards for the 3 years I worked there (my credit cards were all almost all maxed out), receiving a post tax salary of MYR11,000/month (about AUD3,800) - out of that came rental, MYR2,500, utilities, feeding a family, and paying my son's Uni fees in Oz, etc.
One month I remember leaving on a 3 day trip with MYR13 (AUD4.50) in my pocket - and zilch left in the bank.
Which option would YOU have taken,
Boney, had YOU been in that position at the time?