Well said TangoUniform...
No matter how shiny the jets or how smart and golden the terminals are, the thing that makes the hardware work are the employees. No matter how comfortable the seats are or the bar areas and even having a shower in flight, without dedicated employees all that is worthless.
As a decade + employee, I feel that the squeeze is begining to tighten on EKs recruitment prospects. I hear that a pilot recruitment session in Italy recently saw only 3 candidates bother to turn up!
To those thinking about coming, be very very careful now what you wish for. The honeymoon soon ends and the reality soon kicks in. Shiny BIG jets are nice, but all the rest of the promises will not be met, I guarantee that will be the case.