Veruka
A few months ago I compared 10 randomly chosen CX Oz based Airbus CN rosters for 56 days and applied QF pay rules. The result was an average salary of $260K with an average divisor of 181.8 Whilst I accept that QF Airbus guys are working less than that at the moment, 181.8 does seem in the ball park when compared to the 744's current 185 divisor, don't you think?
FYI, these CX guys that are on B scales earn about $205-210K.
So when you compare QF with CX, don't forget to put in the QF column 30% more pay for the same work, free airport parking, taxi allowance for many trips, better hotels, more allowances, Long Service Leave etc.
I have a few friends that have worked for both airlines...the consensus seems to be that CX has a (mostly) better cockpit environment.
So I would have no problems recommending QF over CX anyday. It pays better, you have career protection and you don't have to worry about exchange rates and what damage the pollution is doing to your children.
But being Numero Crunchero I should stick to numbers....so you can earn 30% less and take longer to command by working for CX, or you can work for QF! Clear enough???