Cerbus, Are you nuts? 17% (5 of yours 12 of the company's) of your basic salary going into a retirment fund that you direct is bad? Find me one-just one, retirment fund at any US MAJOR airline that is better than that. My friends there who have lost all of their retirments from major US carriers are doing very well with their fund. Maybe it's not what some unionized EU carrier is getting, but 17% ain't real world back in the US.
And the bidding system is great according to my buds. They seem to be happy knowing in advance when they are on reserve (not 5 years solid at some US carriers) and at times they are at the top of the bidding system.
It's difficult to broad brush Emirates (as an airline) when it seems that many there come from situations where conditions are not as good as Emirates. But to say that the bidding system and the retirment system is no good or lacking is just wrong when comparing it with most (if not all) airlines in the US. See what kind of money you would have after 25 years at Emirates at a conservative 5% compounded.