Most of us were programmed in the early years of our lives to "go to school, work hard, get a good job and then you'll be set for life"! In fact this advice has doomed many of us to lives of mediocrity! Do you ever hear a parent say "Go out there and create some passive streams of income!"
Whilst agreeing that airline pilot pay and other terms and conditions have fallen considerably over the last decade or so it's just a symptom of being caught in the "time for money" trap.
In the UK if you are employee, considering a year starting on 1st Jan you would have to work until about May 26th for the government (in order to pay taxes) and the money you earn during the rest of the year goes into your pocket.
If you own a business you only have to work till around January 28th for the government and then the rest of the year you get to keep all the money.
In simple language you will never ever get rich working for anyone else - your employer will pay you the minimum amount he/she can get away with!
Robert Kiyosaki, who has written several best sellers including "Rich Dad Poor Dad" which is a highly recommended read says in the age we live in you should now aim to have multiple sources of passive income.
What I am saying is that nobody in his right mind would go into the airline pilot profession now based purely on the monetary rewards! There may be other reasons but from a financial point of view it's insane!