Cos like it or not, Ryanair are being blatantly open and cold heartedly ruthless about what they are doing. Unfortunately a lot of airlines are trying to align themselves with FR but are tied by long standing union agreements. FR are trying to avoid unions so they themselves can dictate the terms and conditions.
Flying is no longer the reserve of the wealthy. As a result the terms and conditions of the employees cannot remain at the level they were when travelling by air had to be done in a jacket and tie.
Likewise the mystique and elitism of pilot life has been eroded over the years. Long gone are the days when only the well connected in society were admitted for pilot training. How many posts have we seen on Pprune about pilots accepting jobs on low salaries (or flying for no salary)? Pilots are now classed as mere employees, like it or not, and advancing technology on the flight deck has removed a lot of the responsibilties of flying.
Pilots have 2 choices to make. Either accept that the occupation is not of the same standing as it once was and accept reduced T&C's as a result, or fight to retain the standing. It must be accepted though that in order to retain the profession in it's historical form, the cost for travelling by air must reflect the cost of employing the workforce. This will inevitably lead to reduction in capacity, either by shrinkage or removal of airlines.