Air pressure your friend is talking rubbish, for a DEC with EK you have to have a current command and time on a regional jet would not count for the DEC command hours and there are NO exceptions. Direct entry captains in EK will shortly be a thing of the past ( at least for a couple of years).
Amazing how things have turned with Cathay once the airline of choice now changing just like EK. Guys just remember the grass is not always greener.