with regards to the Emirates and Etihad comparisons.
First of all Emirates gives you a cash allowance downroute so you dont have to use your own money downroute, Etihad gives it to you in your pay at the end of the month.
The promotions in Etihad is quicker than in Emirates.
Emirates has a main fleet airbus and boeing and an A380 fleet as far as I know you cant decide which fleet you will be on.
Emirates layover vary - Sri Lanka is a 2 day stop for a 4 hr'ish flight, 24 hours in European cities, EY has a 72hr Geneva however have a short layover on some JNB flights. Its half a dozen of one half a dozen on others.
I cant say about the ID tickets but in Emirates we could use Cat C and Cat A tickets for other members of family and sometimes friends, eg a 50% ticket and a 90% reduction ticket.
To be honest I think the pay would roughly be the same as Emirates in some respects maybe a little more. In Emirates all crew in each class do a duty free so I suppose they can up their salaries in that way?!!
To be honest Etihad is more Gulf Air wayed than Emirates. Considering James Hogan and Sheikh Ahmed both ran Gulf Air.