You guys need to get over the whole WB captain mentality. IT is NOT the Holy Grail in this business. Time off is.
Our upgrade times in America take a lot longer for a number of reasons the most of which is fewer WB aircraft and a more mature market (lower growth rates). But that all gets offset by retirement booms, of which 4 major airlines will be experiencing in the mid to latter part of this decade.
But if pay is your main driver, 737 skippers in the US make more than WB in the ME. I use to fly in the M.E. and gave it up years ago to put my time in at a US major. Sure it was hard at first, low pay, crappy schedules out of NYC, etc. But it is now paying off. My seniority can hold a jr capt position, a medium seniority WB FO, or a sr NB FO slot. As a jr Capt, I only got 12 days off per month (the minimum by US standards). As a sr NB fo, I get 18-21 days off per month, not including vacation, and home eve night if I want. If I want to make as much as I was as a capt, I just fly a few extra days. Otherwise I get by quite handsomely on my FO salary without flying any overtime.
Guys in the ME and India love to poke at the US and say what a joke it is to be a pilot there. I have worked as a pilot in Europe, M.E, and Asia. Hands down the US is the best place to work. I could care less about flying all night in a WB. I did that for 2000 hrs and after the first 300 the honeymoon was over. For me it's all about days off (and not spending those days off catching up on sleep/ nod clock issues).
If you plan to leave Eagle, IMO, you should shoot for a US major. 40% of the CAL/ UAL list and nearly the same amount of the DAL list will retire in the next 10 yrs. Same goes for USAir and even more will retire at AMR. The future is bright for hiring in the US it may just take a few years for the recruitment to gain any traction. Certainly very little will happen before 2012/13.
Any country other than your own can take years to grow into. The M.E. is
especially hard for yanks. Not as hard for Europeans because it's a much, much shorter trip home for them. And life in their countries is generally too expensive anyway, so they see value in living abroad. But life for you will be condsiderably more costly than in the US, even if tax free. And the additional pay is not as relevant as some suggest. At the end of the day it's what you SAVE, not what you make. That said, you'll be so tired working for EK, there won't be much time to spend what you're making... so perhaps you will save more that way.
3 yr upgrade, 7, 10, 12 yr upgrade. Who cares? QOL trumps seat and equipment every time. Btw, we have many guys at my airline who made WB commander in the 8-12 yr time frame. Heck, I made 737 skipper in 3. It's all about timing (the boom) and a while lotta' luck.
All that said, I completely agree with what NorthBeach wrote. He is a very eloquent writer and I couldn't have said it better myself.
I enjoyed my time living in the M.E., just as I enjoyed living in 4 other regions outside America. The cultural differences were never really an issue for me and I made it a point to minimize socializing with other Americans so as to blend in and learn the locals. But for me it all boiled down to QOL. And that Is something the pilot groups of other nations simpy don't fully grasp yet. The US
Carriers offer the most in terms of days off, way more. Yet we all fly the same number of hours annually. That is something that has been negotiated through years of hard work by the labor unions. Of course, you have to put in the time to build seniority to get those days off but 5, even 10, yrs goes but in a snap.
Suddenly you look back one day and see the fruits of your decisions.
Last edited by Geebz; 2nd Aug 2010 at 22:06.