Latest round of evictions to Maydan

[gardenshed]

Great news opened my the mail to be greeted with the Dear John letter, your whole life is about to be turned upside down so we can move you all into Camp Meydan.
This will affect about 50 Villas in total within my group with some guys only just recently moved in after being kicked out of their former homes.
Resignation total may well be on the rise again.
When will they get it into their thick heads that the money they save by sending us all to a glorified prison camp, will be spent many times over with A/c grounded due lack of crews/ additional training costs if they can find anyone dumb enough to come here in the first place, and further lowering of the little if non existent goodwill. :mad::ugh:

[ChillinInTheDesert]

Sorry man. Meydan Heights or Meydan South? What compound you currently in?

[BobDole]

What part of the city are they moving you from?

[drop kick]

If you have any other option consider it..

Once you are here all other options are closed. Even if you are in meydan you are even denied Meydan South.

[gardenshed]

They have offered Camp Meydan Heights or( the yet to be even in a state to view) Meydan south, really how in God's name can you consider somewhere you cannot even look at. They have offered some other parts of town with the caveat that you may even get thrown out of there as well.
I've been with EK for nearly 11 years and been in Jumeriah for all that time, so well done EK you have just nailed yet another nail into the EK coffin, as it's now not if, but when I bail out of here.

[Desdihold]

Which complexes ?

(Currently on leave....and concerned)

9 years with Ek

[Desdihold]

I second that, my sympathies to you and your family.
These are the only homes a lot of these kids have known.

[Alloy]

The more I keep reading about EK, the more I feel a while back I really made the right move to pull my application! Whatever you do in this industry, you have to put your family first but EK in particular seems to make this significantly more challenging every year. Hope things change for the better for you guys.

[gardenshed]

Complex owned by Mazaya but to be honest unless you have your own property either rented or bought everyone will end up in either of the two Meydans at some point.
It seems to be their intent to stick all of us there under the guise of maintaining quality and standards and even cost. This is at a time when we are blowing gallons and gallons of Jet A1 out the back with a CI of 400.:ugh:

[VLS with ice]

Welcome to the hood....

[Saltaire]

Just curious, what is the villa complex and how many?

[gardenshed]

16 & 32 Group are the ones in my batch, however there may be others as well.

[PositiveRate876]

Sorry to hear about your eviction Gardenshed. I guess you won't be needing a gardenshed at the new compound, since there is no garden.


We've been served notice as well some months back. Be prepared for frequent visits to the 7th floor. The whole department is highly incompetent, and useless. Go early, as by 1pm the only person there is vacuuming around empty desks. Emails and phone calls are not returned, so your only option is to go in person, and if (when) your allocated person is not there, you have to leave sticky notes on their desk.


As far as they are concerned, they are moving staff numbers from one excel sheet to another, and not uprooting families whose whole lives are turned upside down.


It's really a shame that this could be such a great place to work, but sheer greed and arrogance is making this a "stepping stone" carrier, and not a career airline.

[SOPS]

About empty desks. When I resigned, I was told to contact by email someone to inspect my villa. I sent emails to the address given time and time again. I rang the phone number given, over and over again, it was never answered. I was contacted, after I had left EK by said department, asking when they could inspect my villa. I told the man, any time you want, I left town a few weeks ago.
His response was, yes we are very busy, and you are not leaving the company are you? Just moving to Meydan?

I won't bore you with the rest of the conversation.

[BigGeordie]

There is a simple solution to this- take the accommodation allowance instead. Okay, it won't get you a 5 bedroom villa in Jumeira and, horror of horrors, you might need to top it up out of salary but you will be happier, your family will be happier (maybe more important, that) and your life will be less stressful because you won't have to deal with the accommodation department. Sounds like a good deal to me.

900+ hours a year we can't do anything about. Where we live we do have some control over.

[electricdeathjet]

Or better still, buy a property, all the money goes straight into your pocket, win win!

Nice easy solution huh?

[Feather44]

As a new joiner, can I be 100% sure to get the allowance instead of the company accomodation??

[cerbus]

Better still fill out the pilot apps and get the hell off the Titantic.
Are you really going to stick around with all that is going on here?
What more are you going to accept?

[gardenshed]

Applications are going out, but just don't want to jump from one hole into another.

[Neptune Spear]

There are plenty of good airlines out there that don't fly you 95 hard hours a month then shaft you when it comes time to pay a Bonus.

[Feather44]

I am just asking, what's wrong with that?

So far, I am not accepting anything!!
Just considering EK as my plan "C or D"

No need to be arogant...

[boeingoriaintgoing]

Of course being forced out of your place really sucks and moving is a pain in the a$$. We live out at Meydan Heights and really like it. Thought I'd never say this but hate it when I have to go to Jumeirah now. It's really quiet out there and actually pretty conveniently located. Since the traffic seems to be getting worse it's nice to get out of the madness.

[Eau de Boeing]

+1........

As we all have to use the bathrooms in the clubhouse for fear of getting a Poo warning letter, it actually promotes a great community spirit. Kind of like carry on camping.

[BANANASBANANAS]

I would be very wary of investing in the DXB property market right now. The market is volatile, mortgage rules are apparently about to change and you could end up with a large amount of your own money (in the form of a deposit) locked into your DXB property and the UAE financial sector. And all this at a time when more and more people who a year or so ago
were happy in EK but are now seeing
their bucket of sh/t overflowing and are pulling the pin on EK. Bottom line is that the DXB pfoperty market is a big gamble and you should never gamble with money you aren't prepared to lose.


are pulling the pin on EK. T

[PGA]

Which mortgage rules are up for discussion?

[The Outlaw]

I hear the poor chaps at government villas were just given the heave...some of these guys had only been there 7 months...refugees from other complexes that got the steel boot to the package earlier last year.

I'm certain it was all done with dignity and respect....:ouch:

[Neptune Spear]

Yes because Emirates is that kind of airline. It is all about Dignity and Respect.

[Mr Good Cat]

As a new joiner, can I be 100% sure to get the allowance instead of the company accomodation??

Absolutely not.

At the moment the allowance is not being permitted as there is an excess of Company villas coming 'on-line' at Meydan. One guy just bought his own place to move into without applying for the allowance first. His request was refused. Not sure of his next move.

The villas at Meydan are bought by EK on a lease-to-own investment basis - so it makes sense to allocate these instead of paying out dead money in the form of an allowance. It also enables EK to have all their pilots living together in a camp-style compound for transport purposes. They could group the workers together in buses rather than separate vehicles.

The newer villas at Meydan south are handily located right next to the motorway and you will probably be able to use the toilet upstairs as well as downstairs. Pretty sweet.

[Feather44]

Ok, I take note.
Thanks for the answer Good Cat.

[The Outlaw]

Feather,

I've been following the Meydan disaster since it was in the planning stage. I can say with 100% certainty that all pilots in company housing will end up at one of the 3 camps in short order. This includes those at DSO 1 and 2 and NSA etc. This comes right from the departmental big man himself.

The allowance USED to be one of those things that was generally not denied if requested. If you are in company accommodation and get the email to vacate and you choose the option to opt out, that in itself still requires approval and its not a guarantee that they will grant it. I've heard that its getting increasingly difficult to get the allowance with either a house purchase or opting to rent.

With the state of morale at the company, US3, and the instability in the region, I would definitely think twice about investing any money here, it could go very pear shaped very fast if some of that instability made its way into country.

[Ana_Cleto]

Let's see if I understood...I've been doing some reading.

- You can opt out, but it has to be approved, what means it can be denied.

- You have to give a 3 months notice, so in the event you rent a place you may find yourself having signed a contract and paying some months in advance only to see that your request of the AA has been denied.

Or... maybe wait for the approval, try to find a place and if not finding any, see yourself being kicked out of company accommodation.

- If you buy a place, you must provide with documents that proof you have bought the property, in order for the AA to be approved. So...you may buy a house (no purchase no documents to provide) and after...be denied the AA.

It makes no sense...but maybe that's the intent...

Feel a little bit swindled. When joining, in the interview I was told that they would make the biggest effort to put me in a house where me and mines would be happy.

They didn't, and in spite of stating we would like to be offered something different, they suggest me to opt out.

Then, you read about opting out, regulations in the matter... and find it is really complicated.

I wasn't told that either.

Fly safe.

[bogeydope]

Ana,

Sorry to say but welcome to "EK's World"..........:ugh::ugh::ugh:

Keep recovering, hello Zero:uhoh::uhoh:

[Mr Good Cat]

Feel a little bit swindled. When joining, in the interview I was told that they would make the biggest effort to put me in a house where me and mines would be happy.


Unfortunately that's an expensive lesson to learn. I sympathise with you but a move will never happen from Meydan so try to get the family used to the idea of living there. We will all be joining you by 2016/17.

There is no benefit to the Company by helping out the lowly worker types. In fact you could say it is an insult to the corporate culture if a subordinate is to be seen being helped by a member of the office elite.

Know your place :oh:

[SOPS]

Ana..when I joined I was told I would fly 78 hours a month and get 18 days off.

I'm sure you did your home work before you joined, as far as what is to.d to you and what is reality is.

The only certainty in EK, is uncertainty.

[Ana_Cleto]

Apart from the lessons...which I appreciate (don't get me wrong) I'd love to know if what I posted is exactly right or just an strict interpretation of a regulation that becomes more flexible in real life.

Thank you all.

[SOPS]

Ana..sorry I can't help you with your questions. But what has happened to you, is you have moved from EK recruitment stories, to EK working reality.

I say again, I hope you have done your home work.

[BigGeordie]

Ana, what you have posted is a very strict interpretation of how it can work.

The opt out allowance (utilities/accommodation/call it what you will) has been delayed in the past but I don't think I've ever met anybody who has wanted it and been unable to get it. Occasionally (very occasionally) the accommodation department has said they won't process any more requests until, say, August. I don't know if this has been because of a shortage of staff or a surplus of accommodation but the trick would appear to be to ask them before you sign anything.

I moved out over 10 years ago and following various housing fiascos have never regretted it. If I hadn't I'm sure I would be divorced by now.

[Ana_Cleto]

Great to know Geordie, and glad about your situation. I'll try to take example :ok:

Thanks a lot.:O

[redkite1]

I finally worked out where Meydan South is, it's nowhere near Meydan Heights, as others have said, it is right at the intersection of the Al Ain Rd and the 311. It is in plain view and it looks huge.... really huge, maybe even 3 times the size of the other Meydan. Hope the plumbing works.

[gardenshed]

I believe somewhere between 2000 and 2500 house are going to be built at Meydan South.

[White Knight]

That's correct Gardenshed...