Originally Posted by
Jet_Flyer
I have been following this thread for about 3-4 years, since I started considering joining FZ. I will now spend some time to write my honest and simple personal review/feedback of my experience in the company, after being employed by FZ for almost 3 years.
Before I start, remind yourself that: ''The happiest people are not the ones with the best or the most things, or with zero problems, but those who most appreciate what they have and those who have the right attitude towards what life brings to them, either positive or negative''.
Short background:
I joined FZ the beginning of 2022 as type-rated F/O with 3.000 total hours and about 2.700 on type. I was flying for a pretty big European airline which was my first company. Although it was a really nice company, the reason I wanted to leave was due to the fact that during COVID the company was not paying on time, or not at all, and we were barely flying. The company was not looking good financially and apparently I did the right move joining FZ, as they shut down less than a year later. At exactly 2 years in FZ (company minimum for upgrade application), I applied for the command upgrade, passed everything and 2 months later I was already a Captain.
My FZ experience:
Since my very first interaction with FZ staff for my assessment, down to this day, I am super impressed with the friendliness, the simplicity, and the human touch that all people have. It is a very relaxed environment in the airline that starts from the offices, all the way to the cockpit.
There are many reasons for that I believe. The main is that the people feel stable and safe. There are no negative talks or misery about a company that is not doing well financially, and might shut down. The company is doing great, it is always expanding, it promotes its people, it pays very well, and it has many benefits that most employees never had in their previous environments.
Also the fact that 99% of the employees are expats (162 nationalities), creates a kind of a vibe that we are all here for a reason, and it creates empathy and teamwork, instead of a huge competitive feeling. At least that’s how it is between pilots. In my 2 years as a FO here, always flying with different captains, I must say that almost every single day I made new friends. There are so many amazing people working here. Flying here is a relaxed vibe (unlike other ME carriers), but at a very high standard.
Another great thing is the roster. There is a bidding system where you can bid your preferred flights before the roster comes out every month, and according to a rotational priority you get what you ask for. I didn’t even know that there are companies that have systems like that in my previous life. I thought we all fly IFR (I Fly Roster).
In the past it used to be very tough rostering in FZ, as the bidding was only about seniority, and there were no rotational groups. Now all pilots are divided into 5 groups, which they rotate every month and the roster comes out accordingly. You can request exactly the flights you want, and up to 3 days continuously OFF. Also you can giveaway flights and swap with other pilots. That’s how pilots end up having many days OFF continuously a month, I often see 10 days+ from swaps.
Personally I try getting the longest turnaround flights, logging 8-10 hours block in a day, and then having many days OFF between flights, instead of having too many short flights. Others like to bid for short flights, or for layovers, etc. The flexibility is great and I really love the roster. The only downside is that there are a lot of night flights, but with the bidding it is easier to avoid them. I have done very few of them in my time here. I would say average 2 a month. Some people complain that their rosters suck, but they have no clue how to bid properly. They place 10 bids and they expect to have amazing rosters.
For those who like layovers, we have a big variety of them. 24hrs, 48hrs, 72hrs. Asia (e.g Kazakhstan, Thailand, Malaysia etc), Europe ( Many in Italy, Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw, Salszburg etc), Africa (Tanzania, Kenya etc).
My first year in the company I did 550 hours, second year I did 655, and Jan- Aug 2024 I have done 300 hours. So its not bad at all.
Also the annual leave is 42 days a year. 3 years of being here I always got what i bid for, summer holidays.
Salary wise:
F/O basic package without flight hours is about 9.000$, and its another 3.000$ if you fly 70 hours a month (44$ per hour).
CPT basic package is 13.300$ and 70 hours of flying would add another 4.300$ (63$ per hour).
The salary is not the best compared to the other ME carriers, but everything in life has a balance, I love working in a nice and relaxed environment and make a bit less, instead of making little more but working in a toxic environment that you are constantly worried about everything, and flying with a stick in your arse. You know very well what I am talking about.
There is also a provident fund that the company puts aside and invests every month a % of your basic salary. It's 10% of the basic part of the salary which is about 2.600aed CPT and 1.800aed FO. The % increases in increments after the 5th year in the company if I am not mistaken. It is not anything huge and does not compare to EKs fund but it is something the accumulates over time.
There are also a lot of benefits that we get here. The Emirates/Flydubai platinum card gives you discounts to thousands of restaurants, bars, services, etc in Dubai. Anything you can imagine. Also the APC card for pilots gives us access to so many gyms, beach clubs, hotels around Dubai.
Travelling is also super easy with MyID Travel. Especially living in Dubai you can travel the whole world very easy, on business class standby tickets.
FZ Training is also great, I hear that in the past it used to be super tough and sometimes unfair, but nowadays it is just on point. FZ uses the EBT system, which makes sim sessions super beneficial and realistic. TREs/TRIs are very experienced and looking at the big picture in a very fair and nice environment. I have learned much more during my 2.5 years in FZ compared to 6 years in my previous company. Brazilians have taken over FZ training which is amazing since they are very open minded aviators looking at training in a positive and relaxed manner. The company has been using CAE simulators in Dubai, making it super easy to just drive your car there and get it done (instead of flying out for sims like I did before). Now flydubai is just finishing building its own facility with its own simulators, in the company campus HQ.
Experience wise I would say that it is probably close to the best short/medium haul experience in the world a pilot can get. We fly the B737 at every edge of its operating envelope. We operate at: hot temperatures in the gulf, high elevation airports 7.000ft+, cold weather ops in Russia and Central Asia in the winter, monsoon weather systems avoidances in India, airports with zero facilities in Africa, then flying to the super organized European main airports, or the challenging Greek islands etc. There is literally a bit of everything, using all kind of supplementary procedures. After flydubai, one can easily fly anywhere else in the world very confidently.
Now living in Dubai:
It is an amazing place away from home. The weather is super awesome for 8-9 months a year. Sunny and nice beach weather. The other 3-4 months during the summer are tough, primarily due to the high humidity and heat. But you can’t have it all right?
You get a top quality of life, it is super safe, everything is clean, brand new, organised, digitalised online, customer service is top etc. It is an easy life. I am coming from Europe, so it is a great choice. I think it is much better than living in China, Africa, other parts of Asia etc. Also personally I wouldn’t want to live in the U.S. Yes there are negatives here like anywhere else in the world, like the air quality or some difficult cultures to deal with, but there is no perfection anywhere. It’s all about attitude.
Also, people say that it is expensive. Well yes and no. It is one of the best cities in the world, and yet it is not even in the top 30 most expensive. Due to the huge number of cultures here, you can do things even cheaper than Europe if you look at the right places. You don’t need to dine at the expensive 100th floor restaurants all the time. And about housing, you can get a brand new 100 square meters beautiful apartment with swimming pool, underground parking, gym, and all the amenities for less than 2.000$ a month. Would you get that in any of the biggest cities in the world right now for this budget? Probably not. So it’s still not that bad. Do your own research. BTW it is one of the best places in the world to start your online business, so many opportunities.
I felt the need to write this post because I saw a lot of inaccurate previous replies in the forum about FZ or Dubai. Remember that most happy people do not go and write posts in forums, it is usually the unhappy and negative ones that sit and spend time to write all their hate. Those who do not like it should just go where they think the grass is greener, and leave the space open for others to come, instead of crying all day. After flying with so many different people here, the vast majority of pilots are super happy and I can only count the ''crying'' ones in the fingers of one hand, and guess what. These are the ones that are here for 10 years+. Why dont they leave then?
All in all it is an amazing place to work nowadays, offering a great package, job security, and relaxed environment while living in one of the best cities in the world. I am super happy here and planning for at least 10 years.
P.S Once again, it is all about attitude!