Donpizmeov
Not sure I entirely get the sentiment but it is nice to be remembered. I still maintain that life is not as hard in some aspects as many ppruners maintain. As an example I still think those at EK have a much easier life than they believe they do.
I completely understand that things are not as promised but the facts remain. You are not subject to the housing market, you are paid well and you have career options. Personally I really don't think anything much else matters. Being happy, and being treated nicely are niceities. Granted they are free of cost niceities as is respect and professionalism however I don't think that EK is made to fly things they can prove are illegal or dangerous or that they have the sort of risk inherent in FZ destinations. Worked hard, for sure but not illegally (frequently inefficiently but illegally)
I accepted all of those risks until the reward was no longer enough to outweight the gain IN COMPARISON to the career path offered in China.
But it does all depend on what is important to you. To me pay, promotion and prospects outweigh time at home or roster etc. I still do not care how hard I work or what my roster looks like as long as you pay me well enough to compensate me. I tend to find those that complain about time at home or time with family or rosters are those who have the luxury of not needing the money, lucky them!
So to most things my view on DXB and the airlines and life in it have not changed since I arrived. The most dissapointing thing but least surprising thing to me that I learnt was just how little the airlines care about your famies and how they are prepared to treat them to get to you.
The other thing that has changed in my time in Dubai was not so much the cost of living just the fact that the airline when ever given the choice between welfare of pilots/cabin crew/engineers who frankly are the profit element would consistently take the views or needs of office staff to be preeminent. So not to start another discussion on things like parking, staff travel etc but this was in reality the tip of an iceberg that from every way of management can only ever have one outcome and I'm just surprised they have gotten away with it for so long.
I shall watch with interest but not quite so invested from a few time zones away. I personally still cannot understand why so many of you stay. I got what I needed and left. I get the many of you who have no choice as your home countries offer nothing worth returning to but for those of you from US, Europe and commonwealth unless you have less than 10 yrs to retirement I genuinley still dont get why FDB has any pilots in that demographic. I'm sure that someone will post to tell me though
