Nomad787: Apology accepted. For some reason these threads do tend to degenerate into personal name-calling. Nature of the medium I suppose.
Completely agree that one must come here fully prepared to abandon ship if contract measures are not fulfilled. The housing thing is a non-issue as we are expected to find our own accommodation on the allowance they are paying. Personally I found their inability to assist with housing location and negotiation very deficient. Hopefully this issue has been addressed.
Promises of fleet type and upgrades must be in writing and are legally binding, even in Qatari courts. Vague intimations of benefits do not cut it as they may be made in good faith yet not realized.
There is a definite difference between fleet types and I am happy to work on a wide body aircraft. Last summer was a bit rough, but it has been quite reasonable since last September. Not sure how long that will last with the new aircraft arriving. The narrow-body pilots do appear to work much more "diligently".
As mentioned before, management actions are not consistent and have led to individual actions far more severe than would be considered appropriate in western airlines. Not sure if this comes from the relative immaturity of this airline or the culture. There is definitely a level of paranoia not present elsewhere not only among the staff, but among the managers. This does add to the stress level on the line. Stress does not lend itself well to line operations and it often takes a bit of effort to overcome the "wall of suspicion", something that cannot be tolerated on a flight deck.
It is probably a good thing to have the occasional wide-body DEC "gophering" once in awhile. We certainly are not here to undermine anyone, only lend our individual perspective to the thread. Every pilot who elects to come here will face their own difficulties and achieve their own rewards. Coming from a legacy carrier, it is admittedly more work but unlike the previous company, I am assured there will be a paycheque every month. Working to THEIR rules and doing the necessary groundwork to stay current should keep the paycheques coming. There likely are easier and more forthcoming places to work, but for me, this is a pretty good gig.