I recently saw this article on the regional airlines lowering their standards for pilots. The article (and the people quoted in the article) seems puzzled about why this is happening. It is happening because no one is going into aviation. Why? Here are some reasons:
Perhaps they see the airlines spending money like it is going out of style
Perhaps they look at the dumb business policies the airlines have that contribute to their losing money
Perhaps they talk to people who used to love to fly but now are no more than bus drivers in the air
Perhaps they see and hear about the massive layoffs that happened just a few years ago that are preventing people from flying for the majors.
Perhaps they talk to people like my dad who love to fly but at the peak of their career can’t even get Christmas off. At a time when a senior captain should be flying an international schedule of his choice, many pilots can’t even get their last Christmas off. Once the airlines start treating their pilots like the skilled profesionals they are instead of a number, you’ll see more people going into the profession.