Thoughts

[Dixi]

After 10 years spent in the sandpit i got both buckets full.
Terms and conditions eroded to the maximum with now too many attempts to take all my hardly earned savings back.Up to few years ago enough
Was given to us and enough was left in the country but nowadays i can't immagine a family of more than 3 members surviving here
There is a basic rule which these people are missing...if i have to elaborate a plan every year to be able to save money because another law/tax has been issued to dig further down in my pockets there is no more reason to stay.And i have noticed an increasing arrogance showed by the management and from freshly trained kids from a certain nationality...guys if you think that you no longer need us you are more than welcome to take over and to show us how you do it.
I would be cautious though since previous examples of"we can do it better" and by ourselves"didn't work well
There is a basic rule taught to me when i started flying that worked every time the sxxxt hit the fan"never forget where you started no matter which position you have now"...Jimmy forgot it...looks like you too.
That's my 2 cents guys
All the best to the good people who made my days there.
Off for good
Dixi

[Basic Service]

I don’t usually post, but this made me break that rule..

Dixi, you are well known for your well thought out and articulate posts... but this one has a different ring to it.. It’s obvious that like many of us, you have woken up to find the bucket labelled “S” full.. It looks like you might not of noticed it was full and are now annoyed that it’s all over the floor.

Without spelling it out again, I share your view and will be not long behind you. And that’s a shame, because it really doesn’t have to be like this. Most people would be happy to accept an adjustment that at least kept us at the same level each year, we are so far behind now that it’s very unlikely to ever be possible.

Good luck wherever you are going, I’ve enjoyed reading your rare posts in amongst the. s**t that normally populates these pages.....

Basic

[Busss]

Best move ever. Congratulations!!
I’m planing to leave this place ASAP either.
They will never learn...

[RK Blue sky]

I’m trying to get the he11 out of this dump too. It can’t come soon enough.
What a sh1tbag outfit.

[dustyflightdeck]

Congratulations dixi, best of luck to you. I will also be gone as soon as the contract ends.

[Cantbebothered]

Left November. Life is so much better. Even with less of an income and a few adjustments to our lifestyle. Quality over Quantity.

[SOPS]

And some people on here give me such a hard time..about being at home..walking the dogs..drinking wine with my beautiful wife, its not until you leave that you realise how good it is...

[JAARule]

Dixi, you are well known for your well thought out and articulate posts... but this one has a different ring to it..
Maybe you're thinking of "Pixy" instead of Dixi. This one has about it the faint aroma of the bottle.

attempts to take all my hardly earned savings back
Gold!

[desert witch]

My wife will become beautiful?? Opening Laptop...

Jokes aside, all the best to Dixi and the rest leaving/left. Glad it worked.
See you on the other side...

[Cantbebothered]

And some people on here give me such a hard time..about being at home..walking the dogs..drinking wine with my beautiful wife, its not until you leave that you realise how good it is...

Cheers to that! The good life and freedom!

[Airbubba]

You'll always have some genius telling you that you are making a mistake, his kids love the 'international experience' and going to the 'American School'. He doesn't pay taxes, he's not going to take a pay cut and start over etc. As things continue to go downhill, the justifications for staying become ever more strident and convoluted.

I ran into one of these folks recently, years after I left the Middle East to resume my, uh, career back in the U.S.

He was with his new teenaged Filipina wife on Orchard Road in SIN. He and his wife had bought a bar back in the Philippines with his retirement money and you know the rest of that familiar story.

One thing I noticed when I left the Middle East, nobody asks you why you left, they ask why on earth did you go over in the first place? ;)

[Laker]

I used to work for EK and now work for a major airline in the US. I earn about the same now, average 17-19 days off/month, complete control of my schedule, training is a piece of cake, strong union, etc. Yet at times I still miss Emirates. There is no denying that Emirates provides things most airlines can't. The expat lifestyle, a worldwide route network, working with people from every corner of the globe, tax free money, pretty FA's, First Class travel, wide body acft, etc.

In my case the negatives eventually outweighed the positives and I felt like I was devoting my whole life to Emirates and Dubai. I was constantly fatigued and didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I left for a better company when I had the chance. But I wouldn't trade my years working for Emirates for anything.
So far it's been the most dynamic part of my career.

I would still leave knowing what I know now because 20+ years in the Middle East sounds like a prison sentence. But at the same time flying back and forth from JFK-LAX for 30 years sounds like just about the most boring flying job in the world. My advice would be to start looking for a better job but try to enjoy the experience while it lasts.

[givemewings]

No argument that you get experiences and opportunities you won't get anywhere else. But there's also downsides you won't get anywhere else too.

The trick is to know what your punch-out point is and stick to it. Remember you are just a number, use the perks & advantages while you can, and have a plan B/post EK

As another poster mentioned, some "lifestyle adjustments" may have to be made but if you stay realistic and don't become reliant on the luxuries like a maid, gardener etc the transition should still be easy enough

[bringbackthe80s]

I used to work for EK and now work for a major airline in the US. I earn about the same now, average 17-19 days off/month, complete control of my schedule, training is a piece of cake, strong union, etc. Yet at times I still miss Emirates. There is no denying that Emirates provides things most airlines can't. The expat lifestyle, a worldwide route network, working with people from every corner of the globe, tax free money, pretty FA's, First Class travel, wide body acft, etc.

In my case the negatives eventually outweighed the positives and I felt like I was devoting my whole life to Emirates and Dubai. I was constantly fatigued and didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I left for a better company when I had the chance. But I wouldn't trade my years working for Emirates for anything.
So far it's been the most dynamic part of my career.

I would still leave knowing what I know now because 20+ years in the Middle East sounds like a prison sentence. But at the same time flying back and forth from JFK-LAX for 30 years sounds like just about the most boring flying job in the world. My advice would be to start looking for a better job but try to enjoy the experience while it lasts.


Maybe.
Thing is when so many people are looking to leave a wide body well paid tax free job there is something not quite right.

Depending on one's circumstances (young and single? sign me up) it surely woks for a few years, but so do many other gigs that do not bond you. You are looking at a minimum of 8 years commitment, if you don't fancy paying for the privilege of making them money.

We need to adapt and try to use the shortage in some parts of the world to our advantage, I know I will definetly try to. Not sure 90+ hrs a month with 24hrs layovers do that, I might be wrong though.

[misd-agin]

“But at the same time flying back and forth from JFK-LAX for 30 years sounds like just about the most boring flying job in the world.”

Many would agree. But if you’re flying JFK-LAX at a minimum you have the entire U.S. available. And the majority of the pilots flying the JFK-LAX route also will be able to fly Europe, the Caribbean, S. America, C. America and Asia routes.

But some will stick to flying the JFK-LAX routes, for decades, because for JFK based pilots it’s some of the best flying in the world.

[Freehills]

Nah - North East <-> Florida. Reduce the times zone you have to cross. Years ago I read a post from an old, wise American pilot who did this on the A300 I think. Not glamourous, but his seniority on an 'unpopular' fleet gave him the healthiest work/life balance

[adolf hucker]

Maybe.
Thing is when so many people are looking to leave a wide body well paid tax free job there is something not quite right.

Depending on one's circumstances (young and single? sign me up) it surely woks for a few years, but so do many other gigs that do not bond you. You are looking at a minimum of 8 years commitment, if you don't fancy paying for the privilege of making them money.

We need to adapt and try to use the shortage in some parts of the world to our advantage, I know I will definetly try to. Not sure 90+ hrs a month with 24hrs layovers do that, I might be wrong though.

Not sure how you work out that every pilot has to stay for 8 years to avoid paying for the privilege of the job. Bit of a generalisation to say the least.

Within a couple of weeks of joining EK, I put operation ‘tick the box and get the f£&@ out of here’ into effect. Just over 2 years later I’d seen all the layovers I needed to see and managed to leave having saved £80k. If you need 8 years in Emirates to break even, you might want to take some financial advice or, at least, ease up on the brunches and his and her Land Cruisers.

[anson harris]

Been out of EK for a few years now. Glad I went there, it was an adventure and opened doors for me. Would I go back? Nope. There are only 2 things I miss about EK - the money and flying cargo (yes, I know - I just enjoyed the total lack of BS from pax and crew and the interesting places you go).
I'm very happy to be working in a legacy carrier with proper terms and conditions, fairness, transparency etc, but most importantly I really value living in a relatively civilised country, with real seasons and real people. I also no longer feel that I exist solely for the purpose of working.

[sealear]

Not sure how you work out that every pilot has to stay for 8 years to avoid paying for the privilege of the job. Bit of a generalisation to say the least.

I assume he meant 5 yrs for the bond + 2yrs for full provident fund pay out? So more like 7.5 years.

[BigGeordie]

Not forgetting the upgrade bond as well. I've flown with guys who have turned down upgrades because they don't want to be bonded again.

[bringbackthe80s]

I assume he meant 5 yrs for the bond + 2yrs for full provident fund pay out? So more like 7.5 years.

What he said.

[PPRuNeUser0215]

Been out of EK for a few years now. Glad I went there, it was an adventure and opened doors for me. Would I go back? Nope. There are only 2 things I miss about EK - the money and flying cargo (yes, I know - I just enjoyed the total lack of BS from pax and crew and the interesting places you go).
I'm very happy to be working in a legacy carrier with proper terms and conditions, fairness, transparency etc, but most importantly I really value living in a relatively civilised country, with real seasons and real people. I also no longer feel that I exist solely for the purpose of working.

Out for 18 months and like you only two things I miss about EK.... But I have no idea what they are 😂😂😂

[mmmbop]

+1 For what Anson Harris said.

Real life, real seasons, real people. And am no longer a slave that exists solely for the purpose of working. When somebody says 'let's do brunch' its a mid morning catch up to have a friendly chat, not the 'let's eat as much third rate food and get our money's worth out of alcohol on a Friday to forget where we are' affair.

[The Outlaw]

I assume he meant 5 yrs for the bond + 2yrs for full provident fund pay out? So more like 7.5 years.

At EK everyday is a holiday...what difference does 6 months make?

Must be aussie.