During the pandemic, a substantial proportion of pilots and other airline employeees were furloughed, and some have been made redundant. Those who kept their jobs often had to accept a salary cut, and very few will have received any allowances, overtime etc.
AFAIK no franchised train drivers have been furloughed, let alone been made redundant. None have faced a reduction in salary, albeit some will have earned less due to a reduction in overtime.
The contrast could hardly be starker. That is the difference that exposure to the market economy makes.
I'm by no means saying that either is inherently right or wrong. But the railway has undoubtedly been sheltered from the effects of the pandemic, and it seems that politicians (at least in Scotland) are no longer prepared to let that continue.
You don't say...
Which doesn't change that, both industries have offered 'perverse incentives' when needs be, primarily to Pilots and Drivers, to keep the show on the road. Because what's the alternative? Is your point that Pilots can be offered 'perverse incentives' in order to obtain their services, because some day they
might get made redundant (some here would pray for that to happen to Drivers), whereas Drivers shouldn't, because ultimately the railway is unnecessary and they're being gifted a living by the state?
I'm sure there are many rail staff who'd have loved to have been furloughed, particularly the few I knew who died, having contracted Covid 19, likely at work given how many got it,
pointlessly coming in throughout the whole thing, while the Pilots (deserved beneficiaries of capitalism) sat safely at home, leeching off the state, like most of the country...