To be fair, not everything about EK is that bad. Compared to legacy carriers it might not hold up, but those represent about 10% of the industry. Then there are the Chinese outfits ….. but compared to the rest, EK can hold some ground.
For the newbees or wannabees I would mention two problems:
One are the hours. The net ones, the ones on the back side of the clock and the ones with excruciating time zone differences. It’s only when you no longer fly them, that you realise how much time of your life they actually chewed away from you.
Two is the polluted air of Dubai, very rarely mentioned here. Again, it is only when you’ve been away in a cleaner environment for a while, that you realise how much better you sleep, how much less you snore (the wifey thanks you) because your throat and nose are more sane. The constant smog and sand-dust in the UAE take a toll. If compared to Indian or Chinese cities, Dubai may seem almost clean (think about that when opting for a Chinese outfit). But try living in an average, smaller European or American city for two months. It’s literally an eye opener.