Why is it that every time the discussion turns to pilot salaries we have to endure pages of piffle about what a doctor/surgeon earns in the NHS?? My next-door neighbour is a GP and I couldn't care less what he earns. My friend is a surgeon and I don't give a fig about his remuneration either (although he can afford to keep his PPL(H) current). But if he were to slip up on the operating table, he'd kill at most, one person. The 747 pilot, however...
So as the jobs are different, let's not try to compare the salaries, please.