What the US airlines offer is way in excess of what a Brit can get moving back to Europe.
So what are the options for someone who has the right to work and live in Europe only?
Fly brutal low cost multisector short haul rosters at 25% less pay as a DEC than our Delta friends,with only 10/11 days off a month (pinched by finishing late and starting early) and no way to control your roster? Or start at the bottom of a long list with a load of twenty somethings at BA or Virgin, more than halving your take home pay while aged in your forties?
Without the option of the wonderful US airlines, one can see why an EK captain would stay put and try to rationalise that it ain’t that bad.
Seniority ruins this career and stops the healthy movement of experienced labour that forces employers in other industries to up their game and retain staff.