Gents ... and Ladies,
Before I started my reply to Lonelyplanet, I gave it a bit of a thought as to what a new joiner, as I was one myself many years ago, expects initially from an airline he is joining ... Also, I stuck to the fact that Lonelyplanet does not necessarily wants to know where this airline is heading, as he states it himself.
However, Both of you ( BLSA and Landflap ) are right and yes I omitted a few things that are, or were bad, as they might not necessarily affect a new joiner ... so, here are then a few additional ( negative ) points I'd like to share :
There has been a bit of an injustice to quite a few of our colleagues in the recent past, and those had to leave or left on their own accord.
As far as the political situation and unrests are concerned, I can't recall of any one of the fellow pilots who were or are now directly affected by it, they were rather affected by the downsizing of the airline, but then again, those affected by the downsizing, left with a lump sum in their pockets that makes a decade old seniority end of service indemnity look like a joke ! Therefore, at this stage, politics should not be of a concern.
It is very difficult ( for an expat, unless he or she is somehow connected to the management ) to predict where GF is heading and that has been the subject of many previous posts on this thread, as it turns out so far, not even the management knows, or at least they are hiding it well.
GF used to be an airline that one would choose for building up a career: joining on A320, getting A330/340 rating on the house after a short while and even command upgrade, but not any more. There was no pay raise for the last 7 years although the overall cost of living has increased significantly in Bahrain and currently career progression prospects are close to zero for someone in the higher mid seniority.
Still, in my opinion, GF is a good option for several years to come or as a transition to a better option.
This is how I see things at this moment and I hope I corrected my
"one-sidedness" Landflap.
Of course, I stand to be argued upon my views, that's what a forum is all about, I guess ...
Cheers all and happy flying wherever you are
Soft Altitude Out