Agree wholeheartedly with you Louie the Fly - many of my friends are dumbfounded at the pay as well. All of us were uni graduates (granted, not a requirement in aviation) but they are shocked at what I earn, and also the cost of living where I was based. Here they are living at home still taking home $40-50k/yr!!!
(end of whinge)
At least this thread seems to be going somewhere now...almost all the feedback is positive which is heartening to say the least. Going back and re-reading the thread, it's good to hear from an operators point of view from CFI who makes some good points about the uniqueness of the industry.
Perhaps a charter operator (HA springs to mind) would care to comment on what they think is a reasonable solution, or at least a way to begin moving forward. Realise you and your company aren't exactly anonymous mate, so don't feel like you have to give any company secrets away!
Cheers,
TL