The fact of the matter is, we as Airline Pilots are in a position of trust. This is the case because of the tremendous responsibility that rests upon our shoulders every time we operate an aircraft.
There was a time not so long ago when this trust was acknowledged and rewarded. This made the job very desirable which in turn resulted in immense competition for entry into this career path.
Unfortunately managers and bean counters have embarked on a concerted effort to stop acknowledging our role, and in some cases even have programs in place to do the opposite, essentially aiming to beat us down until we are convinced that our role is insignificant. It is after all easier to attack an enemy that is already wounded and lacks confidence. Does anyone not wonder why corporate pilots are not subjected to the same downward pressures that we are (decreasing wages, erosion of benefits, increasing productivity, fatigue levels that make it difficult to lead a normal life away from work, etc.)?
In my opinion, these type of unfortunate events are simply a side effect of the damaging campaign which is in progress against our profession. Furthermore, instead of doing the right thing and reconsidering the assault on the modern airline pilot, the industry will likely make the burden on us even worse with numerous bandaid solutions that make our job even more thankless and miserable. How far must we go before sanity prevails?