B777 pilots @ EK

[EZGOEK330FO]

The roster, pay, upgrade policy, is constantly under review and it changes, without prior notice and consultation with the pilots. What we are telling you here today might not be true in a few days times as Emirates changes its policy to suit its current needs. Upgrade time on the Boeing 777 is at present 3 years, unless you have more than 8000 hours total time, and more than 2000 hours PIC time on jets more than 55 tonnes, all prior to joining Emirates in which case you are eligible for an accelerated command in 18 months if no suitable candidates are available ahead of your siniority. All 200 FOs on the 777 at present have the requirements so you would be upgraded in turn after them. Once that pool has dried out, Emirates could cross-fleet upgrade which it does not do at present, or they could hire DEC as they did on the airbus, although there were suitable candidates, or they might then promote guys who fit the 18 month criteria. No one knows how they will do it, and as the past has proven what we say or want, or even what you are told or what you expect has no bearing on the final management decision. The airbus fleet wait is at present under management's estimates 3 years and 10 months. They are short though as we speak of about 18 captains, and there are still two more 340-500 to come this fall thus more guys will be needed. The airbus fleet has 380 captains and the same amount of FOs, so there you go, make your calculations regarding upgrade time. Some say 3,4,5 years. It all depends if they hire DECs or not etc. They will need under their estimates 480 captains on the A380 when it comes, and no one knows if they will crew it with upgrades, transfers, DEC, or anything else they come up with.
For the overtime they are paying at present once you pass the 76, or 78 hour scheduled block time, not including swaps though, or actual block time due to a diversion, or etc. Most of the guys on the airbus 330/340 fleet do get some overtime, depending how actively you bid for flights, call in to help crewing with the mess they are in etc.
There are rumours though going around, that they are considering stopping the overtime payments alltogether since we are short of pilots, and now that the GCAA has told Emirates that factoring hours is not legal, they must hire more pilots and still keep the budget under control. The idea behind stoping overtime is that Emirates Pilots have a fixed salary and not a flight pay portion. We are contracted to fly 900 a year, and we cannot fly more than that. That average would be around 76 hours a month. Since we do not lose money when we fly less than 76, why should we gain money when we fly more than 76? That is how they are thinking at present, and if they give a small payrise, and a small profit share they will probably introduce this "new more fair system for pilots".... In any case it would only upset about 30% of the total pilot population as the Boeing and the 330 fleets do not have overtime as a rule, and since they have upset 100% of the pilot population in the past and got away with it, 30% is realy a non event...
Keep Discovering guys. What all of us have said here, and what you will find out if you join is that the contract you sign is not worth the paper it is printed on, and unlike in Europe, here you have no protection against erosion of your T&Cs and management decides what is best for you....