I read a book recently called the life of captain reilly, and it pretty much sums up what this thread is about. Unfortunately it only appears to be available an an ebook, but the guy sums it up in one phrase - glamour doesn't fly anymore.
I remember easyjet's LPL base captain on their airline show (before I joined them) sitting on the flight deck - no tie - telling the camera that 'we're just bus drivers really'. I'm afraid my airline, and similar, have ruined things for all of us! I just hope we can claw our profession back before it's gone forever.