I continue to shake my head every time I see responses from individuals who forcefully condemn those who post negative comments about Emirates. Why the hell you types still blindly support this airline (or in fact ANY airline) like you are married to it is beyond my comprehension. Your unending devotion borders on the comical at times. Hate to burst your bubble guys but it is JUST A JOB and you are JUST A NUMBER; nothing more and nothing less. Do you honestly believe this company has anywhere near the loyalty towards you that you appear to have towards this company?
Why is it important to have both sides of the debate about the pro's and con's of EK on this forum? Because believe it or not there are still guys out there like this schizophrenic "Palm" who figures everyone should come to EK and if they don't like it they can "Just have fun a couple years in Dubai, good aircraft, easy life and stop the job after, do something else, open a pub, make a sex movie, or just do nothing......" Does anyone currently working for EK believe you can do a couple of years here and then do nothing?? Bottom line is this guy (and many others like him, I am just using him as the most recent sad example of the uninformed) still believe the hype, the past history, the misinformation and the EK corporate veneer and are trying to make career choices based upon either erroneous or misleading information presented to them. That is why we need discussion and debate, so hopefully the REAL message gets out and not the misconceptions that have duped some into coming to EK in the past.
I used Pprune before I came here to assist in my decision process as I'm sure most did. At the time I joined EK was probably one of the top 5 airlines in the world to come work for (due to a combination of money, lifestyle and career progress) and I do not regret having made the move (and as an aside, when I joined you rarely if ever saw ANY negative comments about EK on Pprune. Why was that? Because at the time it was a great place to be. Look at the number of negative posts now, what is that telling you?).
However, I am also smart enough to understand time does not stand still and things do change. The EK I joined is not the EK of today but many outsiders still think it is and that is the problem.
Money: Forget about it.
A starting salary of 3480 Euro's/month for an F/O, 5425 Euro's/month for a DEC (as of today’s exchange rates and dropping quickly), a 3.5% pay raise over the past 6 years when the inflation rate in DXB is averaging 2.5%/year, changes in T&C's with respect to credit hours resulting in an average 30% reduction in "productivity" pay, continued growing gap between educational support allowance and school fees, etc.
Lifestyle: Mixed.
Better a number of years ago when the traffic was 1/2 of what it is now, there were still a number of public beaches available, and private beach club memberships were a third of what they are now. Pilot’s club membership helps a bit in this regard but is of no credit to EK.
Most concerning is the recent changes to the T&C's which allow them to roster you for a minimum number of days off and then fill all the extra days not taken up with flying with reserve at absolutely no cost to the company. Any chance they will not do this? Suggest the lifestyle will deteriorate rapidly in the very near future.
Command: Uncertain short term, forget it long term.
With a solid seniority list it would be easier to judge but with DEC's bypassing seniority and being taken whenever the company likes in numbers the company wants I would not want to be an F/O at this company. Irrespective, the orders are coming and you might get lucky but I'd hate to stake my career on it.
Longer term the music has to stop sometime. Everyone seems to be betting their futures on calculating "X" number of airplanes in "Y" number of years and coming up with "Z" time to command. The one very large flaw in this calculation (irrespective of DEC's) is whether those "X" number of airplanes will ever show up. My perspective is there is way too much capacity coming on in the next 8 years within the Gulf and something has to give. My guess: Etihad and Qatar continue their expansion due to very deep local pockets and a stated goal to grow their respective airlines at their announced expansion rates irrespective of profitability. Emirates to continue to expand until the excess capacity in the Gulf hits the bottom line; then a very severe reduction or even a stop in expansion. The question then becomes what does Emirates do with all the a/c they have on order. Looking into my crystal ball I see them having purchased one of the most lucrative options on the market (bought billions of dollars of a/c at rock bottom prices at a time when both Boeing and Airbus were desperate for any business they could get). What happens in 6 years when the world of aviation has recovered and Delta/United/etc start looking for extra capacity on short notice? Emirates will be more than happy to sell those a/c they don't need anymore (both those currently on the production line and the additional options) to those in need of extra airlift at a considerable profit to Emirates. The music stops, the expansion ends and who are the F/O's without a left seat trying to live in DXB with a family on the F/O pay scale?
Bottom line is the days of Emirates being THE place to be have long since past. It might still suit some who either are single, local, unemployed or independently wealthy (crapflying, that's for you
) but for those of you who are with a decent airline making decent money in your home country I would seriously consider looking elsewhere for employment. Just my honest opinion.
stuck-in-the-sand
(about to be)ExEKFO
wilco77
crapflying
!!!!bottle
etops777
Morwheus
EKBusDriver
Once again thank you for your input. It is the balance you have provided that is necessary to keep those outside informed about what is going on within this company.
For those leaving us I wish you all the best. Not my time yet but continuing to look seriously at other alternatives and if/when it comes up there is no doubt I'm out of here. Just haven't found it yet but I'm envious of those of you who have.
Palm:
For a guy who has minimal Command experience ("tell me guys more then 3500PIC on + 55000KG are they enough for DEC?") and is attempting to use the DEC back entry door I think your response to those who gave you specific feedback on what it is like to work at EK borders on arrogance.
You asked for the reasons (Give me "one" reason for coming, or give me an other for not......") and when guys take the time to respond to your request your response is:
"i can not believe what i read, why are you still flying for Emirates guys, take the first flight back to your country and see what you will find here....don't know if it's beter?
Ryanair, easyjet, look at Volare in Italy.....ask those guys if there are happy NOW.
Just have fun a couple years in Dubai, good aircraft, easy life and stop the job after, do something else, open a pub, make a sex movie, or just do nothing but PLEASE stop crying like baby's....on your 777 or 340
It is obvious you have already made up your mind as to what it is like to fly for Emirates in "paradise" as you described it so please do not waste our time and this site's bandwidth asking for input.
Dune