Ollie, one thing to note:
Increasing the number of steps to the top pay from 24 to 30 years
...
the 12 pay steps is in this day and age very generous
Given the tiered system
between aircraft type the A380 Capt figures you quote ARE the
30+ year increment. It is a different system, however, the outcome appears to be very similar to your previous contract. There are a very small number of crew who could ever hope to make it to the left hand seat of the A380.
And yes, it is unfortunately about perception. If even one A380 captain makes $500K, then every other Q pilot is tarred with the
perception of "exorbitant" T&Cs, even those on the S/H contract . It is a classic anchoring heuristic, or bias.