NGFellow - That very same rumour (no bond) was suggested during the interview of flydubai's first group of pilots 2 years ago. Then several months after many Captains had joined (with no bond in sight) it came as something of a shock when they were presented with a 'Training Bond' - for USD $24,000 decreasing over 3 years - and a Management attitude of "sign it, or else!". This was a 'training bond' for Captains with thousands of hours on type, with many of them also trainers or examiners on type, it being the exact same amount of bond that was required of those FO's who did the full type-rating course. Go figure?!!
So, if your rumour is true, will flydubai also be dropping the bond for their Captains who were already rated & experienced on type? or it will they drop the bond onto new joiners just as they did to those early joiners? A lot of my mates there will be very happy if flydubai do drop it.
Rumours also abound of poor moral, appalling rostering, erosion of various terms & conditions, no rise in pay or allowances in the period since its first pilots joined 17 months ago, the loss of Business class travel privileges with Emirates, two pay scales for pilots doing the same job, flying into a war zone / Kabul, etc.
For FO's looking for a fast upgrade, things are reported to be that bad that only a handful of eligible FO's have applied for the Command upgrade. This is much in part due to the climate of fear engendered by a punitive safety management culture, plus that prior employment at NASA is seemingly a prerequisite (you need to demonstrate your rocket polishing abilities for the Chief Pilot ).
Information being fed to me suggests that recruitment at flydubai looks to be very buoyant, if only because most of its pilots can't wait to get out!