What I find amusing is the title of this thread. There has been a clear signal from management since at least 2009. Why on earth would anyone with the brain to fly these aircraft think that there will be any sort of change? That signal has lit for many years. Best advice I could ever give......expect nothing, smile at something, enjoy your family when you can and enjoy the 100 hrs of flights when you can. Don't make EK your life or your identity. Just know that what you have today will not really change. Factoring will not go away, 100 hours is here to stay, predictable salary is here to stay, and you will be tired. One of the biggest disappointments in all areas of life is having unrealistic expectations. And expecting anything other than 100 hours, no significant pay raises/profit share and fatigue, and you WILL be disappointed. Not a damn thing you can do about it other than move to the next uniform. But the line out the exit door is being replaced by the line at the entry door. No expectations, and don't ever be surprised by anything rolling downhill.
And I am NOT saying, "if you don't like it, leave". But sadly that is the reality. You can't change the culture and the dynamics, so let's quit banging our collective heads. The one thing you can count on, is this company is totally and I mean totally predictable.