The value of a First Officer versus the value of a Captain
I would be interested in hearing opinions from Captains and First Officers on how they feel they are valued relative to their colleague sat next to them in the cockpit by airline management/accountants.
i.e Does a First Officer feel he is paid relatively well or not compared to a Captain taking into account each persons experience and vice versa? If an airline has £x to pay for two pilots up front, how would you fairly divide the pay 60:40 or 70:30. How do airlines decide this?
Are some UK airlines shortsighted in terms of investing in future Captains (i.e current FO's) and do they lack structure in the training/preparation for FO's to meet the challenges of being in command?
Are pilots de-valueing themselves by accepting lower T's and C's or is it down to market forces or a combination of both? How can WE as a collective group of pilots in the UK protect ourselves from the current trend of lowering T's and C's or do we just have to wait for an improvment in the economy? Is it out of our control?
Regards
The Aviator 1977