Roller,
Airlines arent all what those from the sheltered work shop (QF) say they are.I am sure even a herc pilots job would be more exciting!!! There is a lot of pressure to leave and join an airline, but not many facts that now state why you should. In the 80s and early 90s when RAAF pay was low and airline pay was high, and DFRDB was the retriement option, it was a no brainer. But times have changed.
With MSBS now including your flight pay, you have one of the best retirement funds around.You really dont need to save for retirement, apart from owning ya house. Once you leave, the major part of your MSBS grows at CPI (factored of course). It goes nowhere. It will take you years to catch up on what you have lost if you go onto a higher pay, you never catch up if you go onto the same or lower pay. You will therefore have to work a lot longer to be able to afford to retire. Might not seem like a biggie now, but give it a few years.
My suggestion would be stay in. Spend ya money on some big toys, ie: the boat, the aeroplane that goes upside down and all the holidays you want. Do Ronnies work Monday to Friday and enjoy your weekends off....(you dont get them on the other side).
A mate described his time flying with an Oz domestic carrier as flying the same hour 900 times per year. I see Tiger is asking the guys to do 1000hrs a year. This is not something to do if you want to live long and prosper!!!
We should have all become plumbers.
Don