HLB,
I didn't notice much heresy... Just the sad truth.
Much in the same way that Telcos cover 97% of the population, 97% of the population don't know anything about GA, and what they would know is limited to "that's small planes, right? Like Cessnas? Isn't it dangerous cos they crash all the time?". And I would say they are viewed almost exclusively as the playthings of the rich.
What does 97% of joe public need with a GA aircraft? Apart from the occasional scenic flight and those that need to go regional towns not serviced by airlines, not much.
And that is why politicians don't care, and why nothing regulatory will change. Not enough pressure and I doubt there ever will be. There aren't enough of us to make that big a fuss, and by and large the public don't care.
And with that in mind, you're spot on, there is no real incentive to put customer service as an important part of the service for LAMEs. They have owners over a barrel. It's almost like they are our customers, but we still pay them!