"pay staff well in excess of the work they perform"
Some of the staff, not all. Who thinks the baggage handlers are worth what they get for basically unskilled manual labour. Would a similar job in the local council have the same pay and benefits ?
The average gross pay for an FA is $60K.
AVERAGE pay, brought down by the lower wages of the new hires. What about the senior boilers, long past it, costing close to a first officer in pay and benefits. Would you they get the same pay in a similar job else where ? As a passenger would you rather be looked after by "Singapore Girl", or a scowling old battle axe who regards you as an inconvenience ?
Anyone think there are too many overpaid managers ?
Engineers however are underpaid considering their skill and responsibilities.
"Best of all, be a senior Captain on $250 000 with a defined benefit pension doing one or two nice trips per month and reserve the rest of the time, flying < 500 hours per year."
British Airways have them, Ansett had them, sure you haven't got a few ?
No one's going to dispute that QF pilots are better paid than J*/Virgin/Tiger ones. If they want to keep it that way they need passengers prepared to pay more for a better travelling experience.