Sorry Folks but it is policy of the company not to discuss any company related matter on forums or discussion groups like pprune, so if you need info about Ayla, PM me or send me an email.
About Aqaba though, I can give you my personal view:
First of all, Hawk, since you know China and the Shiz in particular I can tell you that I had way more fun in SJZ than here. No comparison. When it comes to the personal life outside work, Aqaba has almost nothing to offer compared to the Shiz. If you have the right passport (which I think you have, if you are who I think you are) you'll have no problem to go to Eilat but it'll become addictive and expensive, since the Jordanian taxi drivers will financially abuse you to bring to the border, plus the border fees...
I have to say whole a different life, very similar to Europe and you'll forget being in the Middle East. Yes, the border is that close and on departure from RWY 01 you have to be a little careful.
HH53:
What are the living costs like.Is it feasable to expect to rent a 2 bed
appartment for realistic money?
No, I pay more than $700 a month for a two bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a remote neighborhood far away from downtown. Power extremely expensive (4 times more than I used to pay in Phoenix, AZ with similar weather condition), without mentioning water bills and the need of frequent pest control. With the same amount of money I could get a much better apartment in Arizona or in Australia.
No way you can have a decent taxi fare, drivers just refuse to use the meter if you are a foreigner.
Would you take your wife out there?
Yes, I probably would, because there is not much to do here and for a single, life is quite miserable. Be careful though, my girlfriend was harassed in a couple of occasions while walking in town alone because she wasn't wearing the veil.
Now, I would like to underline the fact that is my personal view of the life outside my job,
Cheers.