Just remember what the reason is for EK looking at 4000 hours...you will be in a left seat in 3 years, even sooner if you have left seat experience (12 -18 months)
At Cathay you will be in the left seat in 10-15 years if not more.
Having been to the road show , basically it boils down to where I would be happy living. It is not about bases as you ain't going to get one here at CX either.
The money is roughly the same...EK will be better than CX in no time (Market Forces)
Both are Managements are good at running an airline but crap at running staff.
In Dubai you have to live in a compound with another 1600 Pilots. Here in HKg we have major pollution.
The one thing that EK does have and that is a training bond. I believe that a lot of EK guys are leaving after the bond has expired.
so what NR is finding out is that even though he has the training book filled with suitably qualified Pilots, it is retaining them once they are really suitably qualified with a 777 endorsement...we would not have the problem in the freighter pool if the package and conditions were right.