1. Shortages in many career fields, especially aircraft maintenance, starting in the 2008 Depression when staffing was cut and promotions were frozen. It's been exacerbated by retirements since the Scamdemic.
2. Increased cost of living in increasingly worsening areas that host airports with a lot of flights. Aircraft mechanics cannot afford to live and raise families in these areas. Some of the busiest airports are in the worst locations with the highest cost of living: JFK and LaGuardia in New York, Newark New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Nashville, etc. The second tier ones aren't much better: Portland Oregon, St. Louis, Sacramento, Oakland, Kansas City, San Antonio, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus OH, Milwaukee, Charleston, Albuquerque, Memphis, etc.
3. Increased Didn't Earn It (DEI) mandates for contracts. These Communist diktats are not to give women or minorities a leg up but instead give cover to lower standards of quality. It also has a self-fulfilling aspect to it - who wants to work in a failing operation?
4. Airlines are increasingly functioning like a public utility. If not for government subsidies, aircraft manufacturers would cut back, airports would close, and routes would be canceled. The government is not willing to take parts of the country off main-line as they can't afford them slipping further into the third world. It's not that they care about them, it's that they can't afford to have 3rd world outbreaks spill out into civilization.
5. The expansion of corporate jets and fractional jet ownership, increasing the numbers of passengers who previously flew first class but now fly in corporate jets. This increases the demand for pilots and mechanics for corporate jets while decreasing high-end demand for common airports and seats on common aircraft, leading to the need for more taxpayer subsidies. This also means the most discerning customers are increasingly walking away from common aircraft, airports, and routes, which leads to more acceptance of mediocrity and poor performance.
Thank you. You’re prolly correct. I oversimplified it. But all the causes you mentioned should be “equal opportunity” causes. They shouldn’t all crop up in Boeing aircraft only; or even MORE suspiciously, in the 737 planes almost exclusively. It’s just too pat; too cute. IMHO.