Flyingpicket
But to say someone shall be respected simply because he keeps the shareholders happy, is akin to saying the sugar cane plantation owners of the last century, or the clothing outlets who have profited from the use of Asian child labour, are also to be respected.
Let me tell you one thing which may help you to understand industry better - airlines are not charities and their only mission is to MAKE MONEY. There are few exceptions to that like small national carriers etc but those are not really commercial airlines. Also you need to understand that pilots, technicians, dispatchers, cleaners etc are only there because airlines not yet figured how to get a rid of them (well cleaners and caterers already got their hit). In that sense what passengers thinks is only important as long as it turns more profit, it is not a value per se. I recall old Swiss Air was quite decent in customer service but they still went bust, while MOL model pays off so far.
So yes airlines are only to make shareholders happy and sooner you realize it better you adapt to be successful in this industry.
Yet I am not flying Ryanair.