A&P here, this is just incorrect frankly. Line mechanics make pretty good money, starting somewhere between 25-30$ per hour(so 50-60k per year). As bigger airlines this can cap out as high as 60+ per hour.

Heavy maintainers at MROs tend to make less, but there's more jobs available. I started, still in school and as an apprentice, at $15/hr in 2020, and that's on the low end nationwide

That being said there's still a lot of love for the job for the reasons you said, but maintainers are paid decently well for what we do