Pay at Majors and LCC
I would agree that pay is definetly not just in the Hourly Dollar amount.
At Spirit which is the only Airline besides Eagle that I have experience with, my first year pay is only $40.00 per hour compared to the $39.XX that I was making at Eagle I should be making about the same money. I however have been making a heck of alot more money at Spirit. I made more in fact from April to the end of year at Spirit then I did the entire previous year at Eagle. The 150% OT, 200% JA, 8% override on internatinal trips, the A321 override, duty rigs, etc. Fact that it is very easy to get paid 120 hours of pay credit in a month and fly 60 all add up to better pay.
I know when I was shopping to find a better job and get away from Eagle, its hard to know what you are getting into, as pay rate does not always paint the whole picture.