At the end of the day it depends what you're actually paying for...
My local main dealer charges around £70 ph for working on my car.
As a paramedic I just about clear £10 ph before tax and NI.
How many lives does my mechanic save? But I hope they ll do the job right so my brakes/steering/etc work when I need them, but if he gets it wrong or there is a mechanical failure... When/if I crash it ll be the emergency services earning a 1/7th of the hourly rate who ll, (hopefully), save me...
So... yes the engineers are an important part of the loop BUT when the proverbial hits the fan it ll be the cabin crew who are, (again hopefully), doing their best to get me out of the aircraft - even if they spend the majority of their working lives serving my dinner...
No one will ever be paid what they or indeed most of the general public think they are worth. Put a value on my skills when I ve just resuscitated your relative....
Property will always have more value than life - check what the Geneva Convention (?) says you're worth on your ticket next time you fly - you ll be shocked!
PW