With 148 seats on the A320 and the -800, I see that NWA pilots took a hit on A320 payrates vs. the DAL 737 payrates. Of course management wouldn't want to correlate pay with responsibility and the number of human lives on board and so therefore overlooked the common sense of it. If pay is to be calculated largely by lift capacity and other such factors, then there needs to be a huge correction for aircraft that are designed to be lighter and more efficient; a composite aircraft will never weigh the same as an aluminum one. Let's be realistic, the one design is 15 years older than the other.

I imagine this is the reason the 787 payrates are where they are because of lift capacity. Great, so the manufacturers come out with lighter, smarter, composite aircraft and we as the line pilot take a pay hit; what sense does that make? Must make sense to L.M.