To address some of the issues posted:
The one thing that impresses me the most about flydubai is that the issues are known, and there are steps being taken to change them.
With regard to rosters, we have been given explanations by both the scheduler and our chief pilot that they are aware of the problems and what they are doing to correct them. We will be getting new scheduling software, new destinations, and new aircraft, all of which will correct many of the issues people on this thread are now complaining about.
Leave is currently done manually, and I received every week but one I asked for in the entire upcoming year, all 6 weeks of it. I have never been able to do that at any of my previous airlines and be awarded it! Once leave is more automated, I think there will be some more flexibility in that as well. This is just speculation on my part.
As far as housing goes, the market in Dubai is still in a downward trend. I have kids, all of which are here with me in school, and we live in a nice area. I receive 144K per year, which may be advanced to me if I choose, and my place is 160K including the appliances. It is a 4 bedroom flat on the beach with a full beach view. The housing allowance was enough to get something here in a nice two bedroom, and the guys that are getting one bedrooms are spending in the 80K range in Old Town and the Marina and banking the rest. None of my buds are sharing, but I am sure it is done to bank even more cash. You can buy in Springs, Mirdiff, JBR, the Marina, Old Town, Dubai Sports City, and Arabian Ranches, to mention a few, and live within the allowance given.
As far as fz Captains being on par with Etihad FOs, it is an apples to oranges comparison. At flydubai, our flight pay is 100 AED per hour, so it is a big chunk of our pay. If you calculate 0 as your flight pay, maybe it is the same, but that would only be accurate on leave. No one here is flying 0 hours. I would say it is between 45-65 hours. The guys in the interview are being told that, and that once we have our schedule ironed out and the aircraft we need to receive, it will be 80 hours. That is the plan.
We are taking delivery of our aircraft, and we have the new destinations on the books, so these are not pipe dreams.
This is a NEW airline, and it is amazing what they have accomplished in the short amount of time they have been around. Everyone we now hire is asked to be flexible while the operation gets on its feet. The block hours will come, the destinations will come, the rosters will come. It is not going to happen overnight, but the folks who are in charge for the most part are aware of the issues and working on them. That is much more than I can say for most of the places I have worked in the past.
This place is not perfect, and there are empires being established, just like at any workplace, not to mention airline. There is no utopian job that I am aware of, especially in this industry, but I am happy here, and I know a lot of other people who are as well. There are things that need to be fixed, things that need to come about, and I have not "drank the Kool-aid" to the point that I do not see those. As I said above though, from what I have seen, the powers that be are working on them.
One more point to make. The other nice thing here is that if you see a way to make something better, the suggestion is usually at a minimum considered. It is not a perfect culture, but that goes a long way with me.
Oh, and I DO work here. Give it 6 months and see what the rosters look like. That will address the pay and the gripes over schedules. I think they will continue to improve.
Hope that helps! I am happy to provide any information on pay, housing, education, etc. to anyone interested.
RandyBMC
Last edited by RandyBMC; 1st Mar 2010 at 11:08.