I am going to post this here to any potential new joiner, as my honest experience as a 777 FO at EK who has been here for 2 years. I created a new account just for this purpose because of the number of PM I receive asking what EK is like. Read into this as you will, this is my experience only and doesn’t necessarily reflect on every FO in the company.
I came here with 15 years of flying experience, LHS/RHS, turbo prop and jet. I dreamed that after all of this I could take the next step in my career and fly a wide body. Here is the reality of that decision.
First of all, the joining process is very nice and well organised that you arrive to a ready and fully furnished apartment/villa, if that is what you chose. You are well looked after in your joining formalities. The type rating is reasonable and what I would have expected, since I have never flown a wide body before EK.
Line training is where reality begins to set in. You will be trained by training captains who have less than 1 year experience in the LHS of a 777. This should tell you enough. Don’t expect any sort of practical training or how to fly a 777 properly, rather just a lot of company manual jargon that at the end of the day is of little use to a new FO. If you have flown a Boeing before, great then you can draw on that experience and teach yourself how to fly something bigger. If you haven’t then tough luck you are on your own.
Beyond your training, now that you are checked to line and proud of yourself for being a qualified EK pilot, don’t expect much on the line. Majority of commanders are friendly and relaxed but your opinion as an FO is all but worthless to most regardless of how much experience you have. I don’t blame them, the company fosters this attitude by holding them responsible for every micro event that happens on a flight. So of course they take it upon themselves to make every decision and naturally distrust everyone around them. If you think you are going to come here and be respected as a professional, forget it. You could be flying into your home base, or a destination which you have flown into hundreds of time, it won’t make a difference. Do NOT expect to be valued at this company by anyone, period. Fear factor here is real and a big problem and it is only getting worse.
Fatigue, yes it is real and you won’t understand until you join. I was warned before hand but didn’t understand until a year or so after. I fly about 90 hours a month and while that may not sound bad, it wears you down. After 2 years my wife and I have already noticed changes in my behaviour and lifestyle. I can’t imagine what a decade or two here would be like. Imagine losing 1-2 nights of full sleep a week, 46 weeks a year. It isn’t normal and it does affect you.
The pay check arrives on time each month and EK will leave you alone if you play by their rules and stay out of trouble. So far I haven’t had any problems. The money is OK here but even since I have arrived with introduction of VAT, it is quickly eroding. In 5-10 years? Without a large increase it will be average at best. I am doubtful that the company will adapt to a changing industry, they have made that very clear. If you have a wife and kids, you probably won’t save a fil.
In summary, I suggest to new joiners that you consider EK if nothing else is available to you. I came here because I had to. I don’t regret that, but I have realised that there is no long term career here. Maybe if you are resilient you can hold out for LHS (5-7yrs now) and then go somewhere else with that experience, but for me I know I cannot last this long. I will be leaving at the end of my contract. The entire industry is in a downward spiral, but EK is the epitome of that. I don’t pretend that I know of a better airline out there, I do not. However I am tired both physically and emotionally and I dream of the day I can sleep in my own bed every night, without jet lag and stress of what tomorrow will bring. I hope I last that long. This place is very stressful and not normal, that is the best I can explain.
Good luck to all.