Seaman you don't have to do it yourself, Bill Clinton is available (for a fee)to distort my record on your behalf.
Didn't come from a lower paying airline - but one in which my future ability to continue feeding the family was doubtful.
I don't subscribe to the economic theory that states that just because it's another year everything must go up. EK state (before joining) that per diems are based on the cost of meals (admittedly buffet and not stated before joining) and incidentals at the hotel and if they have successfully negotiated no inflation over the last few years, well done I'd like to employ those people in my business.
It was not my intention to malign or impugn EK posters but to point out to the questioner that opinions expressed on prune may not be a scientific sampling. I suspect the majority of us are too busy flying the line, trying to figure out our salik balance (very strange accounting there), crying over the closure of Nad Al Sheba, and whimpering over the (ever-increasing) supermarket bill this week.
An idea - why not let the EK mgmt that has been able to hold hotel meal costs for the last few years (and in some cases decrease them) run Spinneys, Carrefour and the golf courses?
In my post I mentioned more substantive issues to be considered before joining - not an exhaustive list but here are couple of my pet peeves:
6 weeks leave but only 3 consecutive weeks at a time and only 1 ALT. If you try to go anywhere for the remaining 3 weeks your flights will probably be full and if you live far way (AUS, US) it will take 3 days to travel and at least 3 days to deal with jet lag);
Introduction of flight pay which has no effect on other emoluments. This will have a major medium to long term effect as it will increase exponentially to base pay. Leave and sickness will become expensive and the "pension" will not reflect income earned over your career at EK;
DXB cost of living. We can probably just afford the basics but any social activity has become very expensive with or without a family. Most outings (Ski Dubai, Autodrome, a concert,
GOLF,etc) are or have become very expensive. Even the restaurants are becoming ponderous.
Scaglietti