Monopole
I work with many US pilots and hear what they could or did earn with US major airlines, I can see why they have to live in mobile homes. You would be very surprised. The better payers are UPS and FEDEX and are very hard to get into as a result.
Flying for CX and based in the US pays them more than working for United or Continental. Many pilots no longer apply to these carriers and the job is always so unstable with constant furloughs. i know an ex USair pilot who was constantly furloughed and he had 14 years in the airline and held a command, then down graded to FO then on the street, then back again. Its a weird system.
It certainly is not what I was lead to believe it was like.