Keep in mind, we've got 1/3 more pilots on reserve to cover that single pilot (I've done a whopping 2 hours of block this month so far), an extra 16% 401k, 8% government taxes that the company pays on top of us paying them, medical costs that aren't insignificant ($25k+ for family coverage) plus the hundreds out on LTD, and how many block hours are we working a month? Sure, that 85-hour credit line starts off around 80 hours block, but at the end of the month with cancels and reroutes, we're at quite a bit less. Factor in premium and PR. Last year I worked with multiple FOs who credited over 170 hours a month over the summer. Now add on sick calls, vacation, etc and the costs to cover a single block hour at the end up the month hit ~200% of base pay.

For some real numbers. Last year my total comp (block pay, per diem, 401k contributions, vacation) was $425k, plus $8k cost to company in medical, plus another $30k in taxes the company paid on my behalf. I flew 681 hours. Comes out to $680/hr. My actual payrate was $270, or 250% of my base pay.