Now all I see is poorly trained puppets at the check-in who are too scared of their own shadows to do anything unusual. They are scared with good reason because doing anything unusual might cost them their jobs, regardless of the fact that it may please a customer and be potentially profitable for their employer.
The blame lies fair and square on modern middle and senior management, and their toxic mix of poor leadership, lack of knowledge and front-line experience, and enslavement to emails and spreadsheets. In short, they have all the characteristics of people with "MBA" after their names.
100% spot on, and I think most of us know that now. I often wonder if this trend will ever be reversed, or will just get worse?