Bendo,
Of course pilots are allowed to "make hay while the sun shines", or try to.
But the way they are going about it is unlikely to be successful. This is because, fundamentally, salary levels are generally permanent whereas sunshine isn't.
Which airline will give salary rises on the strength of a few years profitability knowing that, when the profitability disappears, the salaries will remain at their elevated levels? Answer: none.
Instead of fixed salaries, if the pilots had negotiated remuneration linked to company financial performance, then they would now be making hay.
Airlines would like nothing more than for ALL staff to be on such performance based pay as this makes the company much more resiliant to downturns. But most workers (and unions) are not comfortable with this kind of remuneration and prefer a predictable and constant income.
It seems to me that some pilots want the fixed salary levels, with increases in good times but without the corresponding decreases when times aren't so good - utterly absurd and with no chance of success.