Iīd like to reiterate a few of the posts above. The job HAS changed, and for the worse. When you are starting out, life IS rosy. WOW! People are paying ME to fly!! After a few years. the enthusiasm starts to wane, for whatever reason. A lot of us still get a kick out of doing a walkround and as for "poling it", well, fantastic!.
However, the long time away from home , constantly degrading terms and conditions , security and general hassle donīt cut it anymore. Look at a lot of pilots in BA or other big airlines, and a lot of us work the minimum or close to it. Basically, weīre trapped. The job is what you make of it, but 9/11 was the final straw. It is very difficult to get out of the F/D nowadays, and as for meeting new people (i.e pax or cabin crew).... forget it. There just isnīt the time. The job isnīt what it was 15 yrs ago when I joined, and I was hearing the same thing then from the old-timers....