Years ago, 30 or more, airline total compensation was several times the best non-airline pay--2 or 3 times more depending on exact comparisons. I was a Sabreliner captain at KHPN, went to EAL and matched my pay as a B727 F/E. Years of bankruptcy, contract givebacks while the non-airline operators reacted to losing pilots to the airlines resulted in a fair degree of convergence. The relatively few B777/744 captains are making, maybe twice the 91 top pilots, but that's about it. The median "bubbas" are fairly close. I had a AA squadron mate who nearly matched his B757A domestic pay while on AD, after deductions--take home for take home. Tax-free trips into the AOR made it happen, but medical and retirement deductions made a difference.