I thought I read that EK had less than 1% of Americans. I think the reason is that most do not want to live in that part of the world for safety fears. Now how, do you tell an America and why would they be good targets?
Hi Jim: Where have you been hiding the last few months ?
EK has just over 2% American flight crew right now with more coming. You can easily tell an American walking down the street, he'll be the one with Levi's blue jeans, a t-shirt, and white tennis shoes
On the upgrade issue, why aren't people being upgraded? Perhaps this is one reason to not take a job as a F/O unless you have to.
Guys on the Airbus can not do transition upgrades to the Boeing and vice versa. This is an edict by the SVP E&O. As EK are getting mostly Boeings this year, the guys on the Airbus will not upgrade while the guys on the Boeing do. What makes this really bad is that EK will run out of qualified Boeing F.O.s before the end of the year. They will then resort to hiring Direct Entry captains while the Airbus F.O.s must sit in their seat and wait a few extra years until an Airbus upgrades comes along. Hopefully sanity will prevail and transition upgrades will be allowed, otherwise there are going to be some really unhappy campers in the right seat of the Airbus.
TP