Please do not take this in an offensive way TowerD, but not being a fan of Norwegian long-haul as you described, you still decided to buy a return trip with them when not able to swap buddypasses (according to your own account on another part of PPRuNe).
How does that put your money where your mouth is, so to speak?
Totally agree with you in general, have a couple of buddies who faced unemployment or the dilemma of joining, putting bread on the family table won for all of them. That said, many of them will eject as soon as possible, unfortunately only to be replaced by others.
Point being that as long as pilots frowning upon terms offered by companies decide to support the same companies business when traveling on own money, the chances for pilots trying to make supply and demand meet as described by D&F are somewhere between slim to none.
Making joe public understand the point is wishful thinking, why should they care as long as we who have some degree of insight in the business don´t either?
The fight starts from within, unfortunately with the dumbasses regulating the industry in the big common E today, 6k€ gross for an F/O and 10ísh K€ for a skipper still is regarded as good money, even in Scandiland and other corners west of the newest joiners of the free market. Sad but true.