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For the most part, airline passengers are treated badly because the frontline employees that they interact with are also treated badly. It's a longstanding maxim in the business world that how well a company treats the frontline employees is a good indicator of how they, in turn, will treat the customers.
The problem blooms when we reach a situation like we have now in the US. Distances are often large, and there is no practical alternative to air travel. I can only imagine that a functional high speed intercity rail system covering many travel corridors would go a long way towards making airlines a little more responsive to their customers, if only because those customers would then have an alternative.
Having been on the receiving end of airline stonewalling on occasion, I can say that there are definite differences among carriers, and as frustrating as delays for whatever reason can be, if a gate attendant or flight attendant tells me something, or helps rectify a situation, I always thank them. Gladly. And I try as best I can to not take it out on those who I know are being abused by their corporate taskmasters - I have to deal wtih that airline for the time I'm flying, and then I go home. They have to deal with it every day on the job.
