I wanted to stay out of it initially, as I was curious to see what everybody else had to say on the ORIGINAL question/subject, BUT...
No, I really cannot see it going back to whatever it was before (I've started my aviation career only too recent to remember "golden days" of '70 or '80s). The reason not being in aviation per se, as aviation is only a small cogwheel in the whole greedy economic machine. The problem, in my own humble opinion, is global. And aviation is just another collateral damage so certain minority of individuals can enjoy ABSOLUTELLY (with a capital A) everything.
And on P2F subject, as it became somewhat a secondary subject. How on Earth can anybody blame anyone else other then an impatient over-eager rookie that wants to sit next to the "big guy" in the cockpit of a shiny jet???????? Seriously...
Someone mentioned "it had been creeping up on us for ages" and "they saw it coming, nobody did nothin"... Don't mean to sound rude, but how is that an argument?? I mean, just because there is an opportunity, do we all have to jump for it, even though it's clearly a suicide?? Here's an example: You walk by jewellery shop every day and see all the shiny bits and bobs and whatnot. Do you pick up the first brick you can find and ram it through the window to steal what's there?! Of course you don't. Cause you're not
stupid...
You see, I've wanted to fly planes since I... well you know the story. Now when I finally have the money and time to do it, there is no force in universe to make me do my training and then to pay THE MOST expensive airline ticket ever, just to get to see lights flashing up front... The thing that physically prevents me to do so is a little thing called "self respect".
Anyone daft enough to pay to work for someone really deserves it. As I can't really think of worse punishment than that.