Are there any Canadian pilots on here? I was wondering what you think about EK compared to working for an airline in Canada.
I thought EK should be considered as a last resort because of all of the negative stuff I’ve read about on here, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized that it isn’t really that different than what it’s like for the typical Canadian pilot (in terms of fatigue rules, rosters, upgrade times, etc).
I’m not blind to what’s going on there. It’s definitely not what it used to be, but it does seem like more of the same problems you get here in Canada, but you get paid almost 3 times the starting salary at Air Canada with housing (tax free too) and you don’t have to put up with winter from October to April. Almost sounds worth giving up a bit of freedom to get ahead financially and to see more of the world. I do have to pay back those student loans eventually...
As a young and single Canadian guy, would doing 5-7 years at EK and then returning home with some savings be a terrible idea? Or would I be better off staying here in my parents’ basement until I have a few years of seniority at a major in Canada?