I don't sell myself short in the least bit. I'm just NOT delusional. In this industry, pilots have had their collective balls cut off. We play checkers while management and the steering winds of the industry are playing chess. THAT is why we will never be paid what we are worth. Well, that and the fact that automation is making some incredible leaps and bounds and is already overcoming high hurtles. 30% of jobs in this country will be gone to automation in 20 years of not less. In the grand scheme of things (over the course of centuries of innovation), we are living in the twilight of "manned jobs". And our industry will not be immune. I'm not going to continue derailing the thread any further, but suffice it to say that equating our job with that of a surgeons is over-simplistic at best and very inconsiderate of reality.

There are more types of doctors out there than just brain surgeons, but nice try... Not sure what your point is with automation, it hasn't replaced us and wont for a very long time. What does that have to do with what we are worth now? What other job requires tens of thousands of dollars in training (if not more) and years of operational experience with strict regulatory compliance in order to be qualified to make poverty wages? We are worth more. The desperation bonuses being tossed at new hires proves it.

I tend to reckon that pilots equally share a vast responsibility of staying, current, behaving legally and morally and maintaining a high level of knowledge equal to that of medical professions. It is a sickening and unfortunate tragedy that we pilots are compensated so woefully.

Middle East airlines don't have regional jets. Their 380/777/330 captains make less than narrow body first officers here. If they had regional jets, they would make way less than we do here. I will even go as far as saying the middle east pilots are some of the lowest paid in the world for their equipment type.

One might be able to draw comparisons between how many people die at the hands of a pilot vs how many people die due to medical mistakes every year, then balance that against how those mistakes are handled.

You regional guys need more pay. I know because I was one for ten years. Today I had a deadhead on my old regional and it hit me that my deadheading captain was making more at that moment asleep in an exit row seat than the entire crew of that RJ. Almost double, actually. The market will bear it. Demand is there. The shortage is real. Every flight is full. Capacity is under control. The airlines are making record profits.