Not a big fan of 411A but in this case I do agree with most of what both he and Millerscourt have said on this subject.
Having come to EK during what could be considered the "better" times I have continued to see the terms and conditions deteriorate over the past number of years as costs continue to rise in DXB. I guess we all make the decision to work offshore for different reasons. I came here for one primary reason and it isn't the +42 degrees in July. I came here primarily for the money combined to a lesser degree with the lifestyle I knew would be reasonable in Dubai. I have not been disappointed in DXB from a lifestyle point of view (with the exception of the driving) but certainly from a money point of view things have not progressed as I hoped they would.
There appears to be no end in sight given our current management's lack of respect towards the pilots and an unwillingness to even acknowledge there is a problem. Of course this is somewhat of a world wide phenomena but given the lack of any form of unions or pilot representation within EK I feel we are in a much more precarious position than those at most other carriers. The parallels to Gulf Air in the 80's are uncomfortably similar.
I think the bottom line to those that are either currently coming to EK or those that are thinking of doing so as First Officers (doesn't apply to DEC's as the deal they are getting is quite reasonable) is to look very carefully at your current career. As I alluded to in another thread on EK commands
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=120925
I think there is a very real possibility that in the near future there will be no further upgrades from within EK (or at the very best, you are looking at many, many years to get to the left seat). You have to ask yourself whether you can afford to:
a) live on the current F/O wages and conditions in DXB for the rest of your career at EK (because it does not appear there is any impetus within the EK management to improve the money), and/or
b) allow your career to stagnate should this occur given the only other alternative would be to again uproot and try to find a new job that provides a future command.
I'm not saying come or don't come; just saying have a very close look at it. I would suggest for those with families that have school age children (education costs are expected to increase another 20% very soon and there is a good chance this will not be covered by EK) I feel it is an incredible gamble on your family’s financial future to come to EK given what my "crystal ball" shows might happen. I really hope I'm wrong, not only for those that might be coming but more importantly for those that are currently here waiting for the command. The last thing I would want anyone to do is come to EK unprepared for the worst (unlike our EVP Eng & Operations who apparently at the meeting formally requested inside information about EK NOT be released to Pprune, thereby not allowing individuals to make educated decisions), blinded by the shiny airplanes and the beaches, and then be stuck in the right seat for the rest of their careers wondering why the hell they made the move. There is a tremendous amount of information on Emirates on this website now to do with this subject; certainly enough to help each individual make a knowledge decision.