Yes things are surely terrible at J* and all the pilots are just stupid morons who's sole aim in life is to screw mainline pilots
The biggest difference between J* and mainline will be J* pilots are paid to work while mainline are paid to sit in hotels...the hrly rate will actually be higher at J* but they won't be getting the 5+ credit hrs/day down route.
If a J* captain flys 900 hrs/yr he'll gross in excess of 185K...not sure about F/Os but in the vicinity of 70% of that figure.
It's not mainline but it's not THAT terrible either.
For those mainline pilots suggesting 'just say no' time to grow up. Come hell or high water mainline will not get this flying....if it's not J* it will be, as some suggested above, the domain of Rishworth, Parc etc.
That would be the WORST possible outcome.
It is inconceivable that current J* pilots should not try to get the flying on the best terms that THEY believe it is possible to get...and their pilot group has some clever and WELL connected people on it...they KNOW the lay of the land and KNOW the result if they demand too much.
A % of QF mainline pilots live in lah lah land....the vociferous ones who post here for starters. If anyone at QF seriously thinks the J* pilot body should seriously consider basing their futures on the desires of another pilot body, who would gladly see them, J* pilots, all unemployed, they are just playing with themselves.
The reality of J* pay NOW is close to 180K gross for captains...J* international will be more by whatever %. They have some of the best overtime/work on day off T&Cs you'll see...the difference between mainline and J* is they don't cut in at 55 hrs/mth...how can any reasonable person suggest that overtime should cut in at 55% of the monthly hrs limit?
What J* pilots decide to do is their business...not anyone elses...it is certainly not the domain of a pilot group who thinks, like the CX pilots did, that everyone elses careers should be sacrificed at the alter of their own.
EDIT for MrWooby: Are you suggesting that QF management do not have the right to distribute flying, as they see fit, between wholly owned parts by the company they run?