concerning AL, some trips are quite tough, true (especially some of the west Rotations), but on the other hand the multi-leg flying shortens the average trip length quite a bit, giving you more free time at home. Think about it, a typical roster consists of three rotations with an average trip legth of 5 days (sometimes less), giving you half the month off with about 75 to 85 BH. Not that bad after all. Stby dutys have been a problem last year for all crews not living in the vicinity of LEJ, but now I have them very seldom on my duty plan.
Pay is an issue as well and needs improvement in the long run, but lets face it, flight operation commenced two years ago and what can you really expect pay wise from an effectively third-tier startup, even with LH and DHL in the background?? The performence of the company is quite good right now and if we keep it up, i'm sure pay will rise accordingly. Net pay right now is sub par if you compare it with established cargo operators world wide, again true, but compared to other german companys it's about average. Lets say it could be worse.
On the good side i work with a great bunch of people, stop at nice destinations world-wide with in general above average hotac and (now since a few month) have a very balanced roster with a lot of free time at home. Concerning myself, i'm happy where i am and this lifestyle suits me very well. Would i be happy with 1000€ net per month more? You bet! Would i go for 1000€ a month more to my old job flying a regional jet in europe? No friggin way!!