Just a couple of points that may shed some light.
A good friend of mine did nineteen years with QF, starting as a cadet, and was a junior B747-400 capt when he decided to leave QF, (super. rules were changing, circa 1992), and come to SQ, he showed me the figures and he actually earns more with SQ after tax than he would have with QF.
When SQ offered SYD basing to B744 crews the sums at the end of the day, for a capt with 11 years with SQ, showed a pay drop after tax ofA$100,000:00 pa, only a few with solid domestic reasons went for the basing, I believe.
Not quite what you were asking Kapt.M but a bit of background anyway! <img src="smile.gif" border="0">