Chevy - SS,
......a QR captain making 33,000QR a month! You'll have to tell us how you got to that number, or you're on a different pay scale than most of us.
Cost of living: A FO with a couple of kids at school and living in a decent villa, barely breaks even. Far from EK my friend. I hope that this 1000us dollar raise you're talking about will come sooner than later. But some guys share an apartment or stay in the hotel (some hotels give special rates on rooms and food to QR employees), and I find that what they bring home is very decent and acceptable. Others, huuummm...........???
Experience FOs getting upgraded within one year? I hope so but do not thing so. If they can find direct entry captains, it won't happen tomorrow. Same with your 1.5 year average for upgrades. They'll upgrade some senior FOs in the coming months, that's good. But they seem to be able to find A300 captains unemployed at the moment and they will be giving some priority as well. Attracting A320s captains at the moment seems to be a problem.
It's not that the management's intentions are not sincere, just that they are expanding and they want to do it the proper way and I have no problem with that. But one has to be realistic when making predictions on the future of experienced and not so experienced FOs at QR. But I'm sure that upgrades will come in a decent time for everybody according to experience and seniority.
I'm still very happy with the move I made in joining QR, don't get me wrong.
Cheers!!