GL,
Whats the big deal?
Most major airlines wont even give you an upgrade within the first 10 years or so!
Even if what you are saying is true ( and for all I know it is not) you could theoretically still be upgraded within 4 years time. This is theory. If you can do some math just calculate the number of FOs ahead of you and then divide this by a mathematical optimal nr of upgrades of 60/year! That gives you the ideal time span(+/- 6 years if you join now). But we can only handle 40 actual upgrades/year right now so that brings you to 8 years, regardless whether they have changed the rules or not!
And yes, it will be on the A320. Again, so what? I am sure it would stroke your ego to be upgraded on the A330 but you know as well as I do that that is NOT a normal way of doing things. For one thing, it is not fair to all the skippers waiting to be transferred from 320 and 300. Only companys without a narrow body fleet will do upgrades on a widebody.
That 6000 vs 5000 hr rule was a very dodgy rule anyway, designed by the CPT in an attemt to fool the CEO into approving this rule. He should have just left the hour issue aside and juts pushed the possibility of upgrading on all fleets as soon as you pass the requirements. After all, an upgrade is an upgrade and 1000hrs more does NOT make you a better upgrade candidate!
But no, he had to play a game again! And by doing so, he bypassed several senior Qatari FOs who did not have the 6000 hrs. And yes....the whole thing became political! Not a good thing overhere!
So even if what you are claiming is true, it is the only normal way to do things anyway!The A330 is NOT a good fleet to have your initial command experience on and everybody knows it!
And yes, they CAN and they WILL change the rules as they like it! Thats the game all over the middle east!
So wake up and do your own thinking, stay alert and design a good personal plan for the future. That way you will stay clear of dissapointments!