LR,
thanks for your points and all the other guys who currently fly for EK. I completely understand your points about management changing the conditions and the Pilots flying 92 hours a month etc etc. All this was explained to us by the Pilots in an open Q & A session during the Selection process. EK and Dubai are far from perfect and I am not saying they are. Aviation has changed so much in the last decade, that it has become unrecognisable.
I work for a company were there is no job security, no expansion plans, no career progression, and no pay rise for 4 years, and no tea or coffee etc etc. The aircraft have got tens of thousands of hours on them and are rarely serviceable. Morale is rock bottom and people are leaving in their droves.
So as I have said, make the comparison with my company! The pay after tax...I'll say that again 'After Tax' is £2800 per month for a SFO flying a jet, and I've got all my bills to pay and mortgage etc to pay out of that. My roster is nearly always changed whether I like it or not. I can't plan anything and therefore my family suffers. My T & C's have been changed without my say so, and we are represented by a union.
So whats the alternative? Stay here in the UK and wait for another recession and another phone call at 10 pm to tell me I've escaped the latest round of job cuts. When was the last time EK laid off their Pilots? What kind of bonus are you expecting this year...16 weeks pay I've heard? on top of your £5k per month take home plus your utility bills paid for, or near as damn it, 90% of the school fees, 4 Bedroom villa, and living costs comparable with the UK. 92 hours a month is bloody hard work. I can't disagree with you. But what kind of hotels do you stay in when on a night stop? At least EK give a you a good hotel not like my place where you are fighting to have a free tea bag. You wake up in the morning with job security. That for me is King! Not the shiny 777/340 or whatever. Security!!
If you don't follow the SOP's what do you expect the airline to do? They have a set of rules for your safety and everyones else's. We all make mistakes and EK knows that; but if guys are persistant offenders or trouble causers why keep hold of them? Do you think O'leary is any different. Go and fly for Ryanair then if you think it's so great there. How about Virgin? Just look forward to 15 years in the right hand with a few rounds of redundancies thrown in for good measure. Take you pick...
I don't work there yet! But wake up for christ sakes! Take a very hard look around any where else in the world and see how wonderful it is elsewhere. It isn't...simple! I am firm believer it's what you make of it or anything for that matter. It's like anything though! We all become complacent and take things for granted, but if BA or Easy jet where so much better why are those guys applying aswell. I've choosen BA and Easy because they are the big hitters in their relevent fields.
My original point was this; if it is so bad at EK, then leave. Thats it! They don't want unhappy pilots and you don't want to work for an airline that mistreats its pilots. Everyone happy!
One question though...why is the attrition rate at EK only 2%.
