Originally Posted by IXNAT
No special deals have been offered, other than what is posted. Starting pay is the same for all, including if one was current and qualed on the 777. No difference. Retired pilots from Delta have lost all if not most of their retirements and will soon lose it all as Delta terminates their pension plan. Left over lump sums will be left intact if a job can be found. Very few active Delta guys, maybe a handful are leaving Delta to go to EK. Cannot speak of other legacy carriers. Probably job security for a few years is the enticement. Conditions, except for living in DUbai, seem very similar to what many have done in the past. I know I have flown a thousand hours for the past four or five years, 900 seems like a break. Most don't have kids in the house, most were probably former military and have lived in different places around the world in base housing.
Hope this helps.
I am glad to hear it works for you. However, I have heard about younger pilots who probably have 15 years left until retirement who are quitting US legacy carriers for EK slots. Sure, we all know that the US legacy carriers have been on the brink of extinction for awhile, but they will rebuild. Nobody expects Delta or UAL to just disappear. My concern is that, based on UK friends who are at EK now, the Yank pilots are given an impression that EK is the long-term career solution they have been looking for.
What sort of spin job have the EK managers done to attract younger US legacy pilots away from their current positions? If you read these posts on PPrune(obviously with a grain of salt - there is a bit of drama in most posts), you will note the points related to excessive flight hours, lack of days off, racial bias, seemingly changing terms and endless promises that are not kept. No airline in perfect - but, EK is an airline where pilots have few rights. Things can change on a dime. Again, I can't understand why a pilot at United or Northwest would give up a career (with 15 years to go) and move to EK. Sure, you could argue that United and Northwest could eventually liquidate - but that really is highly unlikely. Any tax-free benefits you gain in Dubai and cancelled out by the stratospheric inflation rates - it ain't as great as it sounds.... It's a gamble and I hope that it pays out for them in the long run.