I was a 707 and 747 FEO from age 22, until retirement at 55. It was glamorous in the early days and our main completion until the Jumbo was a ship if you wanted cheap to London.
One event that opened my eyes was flying the Hajj from Jakarta for 2 months in the mid 90s. The Hajj passengers were very poor and it was probably the only time most will fly in their lives. But they were respectful and generous to us in their appreciation and their joy in travelling to Mecca was obvious. From that I learned that price isn't the problem. I suspect its the ease to do it again and again which takes both the enjoyment and the pleasure out of flying for most pax. Its no longer special so they react accordingly.
Wunwing