Maybe the standards have fallen due to the bean-counters taking some of the F/As off. They do the best they can, with what they've got, but when the powers-that-be won't even put enough spare plastic cups in ports like AKL so that they have to load ones with Air NZ stamped on the bottom, that ain't the fault of the crew.
I first flew in a SQ 744 with the full seat-back IFE in 1995. Since then, I've flown EK, BA, CX, AC, VS - all with SB IFE. Hell, the only ones that I've flown that haven't are QF and IB (oh, and Air Zim)!!
Why would anyone going SYD-LHR in J-cls not go for a flat bed? I'd love to be patriotic, but 24hrs upright when I have the chance of a good kip? No way, Jose.
But that Canberra Times article in Dome's post was amazing - what rock was that clown under on Sep 11? For that journo to be wondering why there is only plastic cutlery airside shows that getting the message across is damn hard (Mind you, did get metal cutlery on a flight in the far-northern hemisphere just last week... )
So... yes standards have slipped. The only way to address this is to buy a few shares and get on your feet at the AGM, and ask the Board directly whether thay think that people will vote with their feet due to slipping standards & customer service. There is also a 'culture' thing - if a culture of excellence is replaced by a culture of dumbing-down, this will pervade every aspect of the organisation. I dread the day when I look out the window to see some Instant Airframe taped on the wing.