DILEMMA
Wiz,
Ive got a similar background to you, training etc, and im guessing you are with EK now? Anyway you are quite wrong on this subject.In my 39 years of aviating 35 of them on jets, it has ALWAYS been the same.Required by regulation(ENZED ALL OVER ASIA also in ME) and thus appearing in airline FOMs everywhere, on a NON-ETOPS flight the crew must NOMINATE their en-route alternates on the day (write their names on the CFP) and compare the forecast to the PLANNING MINIMA TABLE we all know so well.Once Airborne actual minima apply as usual.If this is not the way you do it then UAE must be on another planet to mine.Thats their choice I guess.