Hi,
1. €144,500 is the gross salary including all payments like flight pay and the On Target Earning (OTE) of 10% of the basic salary etc. While 52% is the highest rate I don't believe that anyone pays this as the effective rate on the whole amount. Tax levels vary depending on personal circumstances. It would be well worth contacting an accountant for a simulation depending on your personal circumstances.
2. It's a mixture. Very, very roughly I'd say about 60/40 split. The roster is truly variable so it can depend.
3. There is no roster pattern, it is variable. Generally blocks of three off but it can vary. The CLA contains the possibility to have 5/4 with a pay decrease. It won't be available until the base is fully crewed.
4. Yes OPO is at the moment IMHO, however some of the days are very long indeed.
5. No quite a mix. Many are coming through from the Portuguese flight schools.
6. Variety of reasons. One of them being the company is very selective and particular about DEC recruitment. To their credit they won't drop the standard to crew the bases. They have a very small pass rate, I've heard 5-10%. The contract in the past has not been nearly as good as elsewhere in the network so upgrades haven't been coming. Taxes are also very high for those resident in Portugal. The new CLA has improved the gross pay.
7. It's quite a pleasant place to live. It's safe and clean for a big city. Rents are reasonable by most european city prices. The climate is very pleasant in the summer and the winter is mild although it rains a lot. Private health care is excellent. There's a lot of natural beauty and beaches within close range and the cost of living is quite reasonable compared to much of Europe.
8. Hard to answer in that you are trying to forecast the future. What you have to understand is that this is a business, if a base doesn't perform financially in the long run it could be closed, this has happened not just at easyJet but other LoCo airlines. It's only opinion but nothing I have seen would indicate this to be the case, there seems to be expansion ahead.
It's a friendly airline in general and the aircrew tend to be open and approachable. If you are seriously thinking of working in Portugal I would encourage you to contact the Union (SPAC) and ask to be put in touch with line pilots for the inside line.
Best of luck.