Seconded, Airbrake.
Aviation has always been a tough place to make any money for companies. The advice that the best way to make amillion in aviation is to start off with 2 million is still true, though inflation has changed the numbers.
So why do people get into the business? Because they think they can beat the odds? I know why pilots generally get into the business and it is because they love to fly. The way the industry has gone in deregulation is to put a lot of pressure on the financials but by the same token opened air travel to very much larger numbers of people (whether that is a benefit or not is a value judgement, but what would life, for example, in the UK be like with no package holidays to someplace warm and sunny all year)
As loaded1 observes nothing ever stays the same.