As the paying punters perceive aircraft to be fully automated, potential employees continue to throw money at companies for the privilege of flying and we continue to stoically do our job preventing embarrasing incidents and accidents our value will go ever downward.
Pilots are insurance policies. The better we do our jobs the less we get noticed and the cheaper the aircraft insurance becomes for our employers.
It is not until the $hit hits the fan that we prove our worth. Unfortunately most times the employer will want to keep these incidents between the company, the pilot and the CAA only.
Accidents such as the BA38 and the Hudson highlight, briefly, the background which is Bi annual sim checks, professionalism and experience.
Once the ticket prices begin to go up however all that gets forgotten under the banner of 'money grabbing airlines'.
Will it change? Who knows. While flying remains the cheapest form of transport and the most heavily taxed in the UK with little or no Government funding then I don't see it.
Sadly our industry and our profession are in for quite a few very rough years unless the European aviation council sort out a unified, pan-European standard for pilot training.
Not much chance of that then.