To PhoenixNZ
"airlines have no interest in losing all that established experience. Not the mention the
PR disaster when the public start thinking the guys in the cockpit are unhappy because of ongoing pay disputes."
Maybe you need to check out the comments of Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, with reference to the pilots they employ - called them "kamikazis". QF Long-haul pilots have now voted for industrial action for the first time in 45 years. He doesn't give a toss about their experience or what the public thinks. Unlikely the CEO's of other airlines in the world are any different.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Hope you don't get shafted too often!