The solution is a better contract, or apply to a company that offers a better hourly rate. Most places are hiring right at ATP mins anyway. With the duty rigs that are in place, the WORST case scenario for me is an hourly rate of 20 bucks and change.

Paid-by-hour may look good at the initial glance, but not when you look at the multipliers you'd be missing out on based on hourly rate. Here's a good example: My company pays 3rd year FO's $41.36. The minimum daily guarantee is 4 hours. We were incredibly short staffed, and the company was offering 200% pay for picking up open time. I picked up an out-and-back that totalled 2 hours of block time.

Work 2 hours, get paid 8 x 41.36. That's $330.88

My effective hourly rate was $165.44. I was on duty a total of 3 hours, so if you go by that then my hourly rate was $110.29. I'd much rather have the option of doing something like that on my day off rather than change to a system that may or may not help at all. Not to mention the fact that the RLA renders this conversation pointless.



Edit: Also... if the airlines had to pay you by the duty hour PLUS the flight hour, they would just decrease the hourly rate for block time down to minimum wage, and congrats: You'd be a minimum wage worker.