what i did realise very soon after getting involved with actually running airlines, and now companies in very different sectors, is that airline crew are usually completely ignorant to what actually makes a business/airline successful, regardless of how skilled they are in their respective roles
So what did your crews say when asked this question? And what did you say makes an airline successful? Did crew play a part in your response?
Out of the four airlines I have worked for, two turned in a profit year in year out, two did not. The profitable airlines both had former airline captains as MD/CEO. One of the two unprofitable operators has since turned around with a former Captain as boss. What does this tell you?
I personally spent some time in the world of airline operations, sales, commercial and management before going back to flight ops as a pilot. Having seen both sides, it seems some management simply cannot or do not connect with their crews and do not understand the job of crew (other than what it might say in part A). There is rarely a good communication loop between management/commercial & flight ops. Perhaps you needed to educate your pilots how to become commercial managers and give them the authority to make more frontline decisions in that field.
Anyway back to the topic. Said airline has paid 65K for Boeing Captains for some time and there was never this fuss. It’s not the market rate - it’s the AEU rate. Perhaps people expect to see more because it’s contract work.