Penko,
Depends what people want out of their flying career. Not everyone has your opinion. Do you want to see the world or stay local? Some people don't mind flying for a Euro LCC run by a tyrant to the same destinations over and over and over with exhausting early and late schedules. Sure, it is a consistent paycheck at a stable airline, but every day is like ground hog day.
On the other side of the coin, some people would rather try new things and see new places and fly the most advanced equipment:
Photos: Airbus A380-861 Aircraft Pictures | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or
Photos: Boeing 777-36N/ER Aircraft Pictures | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They want to broaden their horizons and experience new cultures and perspectives. Plus, spending 7-8 years at EK could open up new doors to other expat opportunities down the road if the EK job loses it's luster.
Getting a few years of EK experience shouldn't hurt your overall career prospects - especially with Europe's downturn and the resulting flood of cheap pilots who want to stay in the area. Comparing Dubai to India should be a no-brainer. The Indian airline market is a mess and most pilots are paid squat - especially compared to the full EK package (salary, housing, etc.).
Don't misunderstand, EK is certainly not perfect. Just listen to the very vocal EK pilots on Pprune - exhausting flying, broken "promises" and some cultural issues. I don't fly for EK, but I know a few people who do and I hear about the positives and negatives. QR and EY also have serious negatives. That said, if this chap has already passed the EK process, perhaps he should give it a go and see the world........ That's my 2 cents.
