To go from ab initio to an airline pilot role, the cost is in the area of $200,000 - $250,000 now and there's a lot of ways to end up not getting picked for an airline job.

Entry salary is up from $18,000 to $40,000 or so now, but that's not much improvment considering the cost of training.

Part of the issue is the 1,500 hour experience rule, which is government-imposed. (There's an option for 1,200 hours, but then your major has to be airline-focused., preventing them from wisely diversifying their career options.)

US airlines are in a bind because their policy is to not subsidize initial training, but cannot fly without pilots.

And students are getting sticker-shock, and thinking about other careers with better ROI and certainty.