Lusche, I can see what your saying, and yes I agree we have always had these problems, but I agree that it "seems" to be getting worst.
I have been here 10 years and I can't remember it being this hard to find a fight, never mind a good old time furball.
Today's player is looking for the quick smash and grab, heaven forbid they have to work for it. Whether its a dogfight or a base capture 90% of the players don't want to spend any time at it. Blast in with guns blazing, re-up and do it again.
That's why there is no defense for the horde. Even if half a dozen defenders scramble they are down relatively quick and so are the FH. By the time you get back there from the next base they have capture and moved on.
It's rare to find fights that aren't at least 2 to 1. Skill level of most players are low, even from those that have been here for more than a year.
I flew for about 6 hours Saturday evening and spend half that time either chasing runners, or circling of large numbers of enemy just waiting for me to drop into them with out enough E to get away from the gang.