Hi Sig and to all that may be in your similar situation.
I figured i would give you an opinion from a fellow yank on the airbus fleet here at EK. First off, there are some very bad things about working for EK, but there are also some very good things. I think the honest truthful answer to your question of whether anybody is happy here at EK is that everyone here is both happy and unhappy. We love some things and hate others. The only question is which outweighs which. That is different for everyone. So, here are somethings, both bad and good that I think are important in helping you make your decision.
Bad, in a nutshell, schedules and quality of life. Especially since they offered you the airbus. That is a for sure if you come now. What will happen in the future with the 380 and the 350's coming, we all think it will improve, but like anything else, there are no guarantee's. Other things that will irk you is that you have to pay for travel here, you may or may not get your vacation time you ask for, you certainly won't get the trips you ask for near as often as you might hope, and life in Dubai can be frustrating (pay close attention to the UAE ID Card thread, it gives you an example as to how some get along well here, but most are just horribly frustrated).
Now, there are some things that are very good about EK. For starters, and for me this is huge even though it effects very few folks, EK are simply unmatched when it comes long term sick leave. I have had several friends effected by this for a wide variety of reasons and terms. None of them ever stopped getting their basic salary even though they did occasionally have to do office duties. They never worried about if their pay check would stop or if they would be fired (there may be others with different experiences that I don't know about). Secondly, you will have good job security here, of course nobody can predict the future, but for now its as safe as it gets. The third big plus in my opinion is the people you will meet and become life friends with, even after you go back home. Be it guys you fly with, your neighbor, whomever, Everyone here has a friend from virtually every continent and region of the globe. Never down play this because you never know where you might end up, and lets face it, friends and family are the most important thing to anyone, regardless of where you are from.
There are many other good things and bad things about working here. What I can tell you is in my opinion, now is a good time to stay in the US. There are literally thousands of retirements in the next 10 years. If ever there was a time to have job security in the States, the next few years will be that time, just from retirements. Nearly 65 percent or more (depending on what stats you look) of the US major and LCC pilots are over the age of 50. If you come here now, you are losing out the very thing you are probably coming here for. Again, nobody can predict the future.
Now, on a final opinion, I am going looking to leave EK for the exact reason I state above. Things are not what I had hoped for here and my schedule on the bus is so bad I can hardly see straight. Its easy to get stuck here, so just be aware of that when you come this way. Everything aside, I would not trade my last 3 years here for anything in terms of the people I have met, the friends I have made, and the experiences in flying that I have gained. That being said, I honestly think it would be tough to find a more dishonest and uncaring group of management than what you will find at EK and most middle east carriers. Think US management with absolutely nothing holding them back from changing the rules. So, its time for me to move on, and hence give you my opinions. In short, I am both happy and very unhappy. That is me. But take the facts from the first 2 paragraphs more serious than my opinions when making your decision. Good luck to you and happy holidays.