EMIRATES - Crew Discussions
 

I thought it's about time that we start a thread for those of us who are already employed at Emirates Airlines. Lets post our discussions under this thread.

To start of,just saw in the newspaper (Gulf News) that we are starting to fly directly to Toronto,Canada on 26 October 2007. It's about time! Also saw in the Business Traveller magazine that we will be starting to fly to Cape Town soon. They just haven't released the date yet but everything is set up and ready to go. It will also be a direct flight. Yippee!:D

EK Cabin Service
 

Just travelled EK 026/025 over the week, returning to GLA yesterday. Flew in Business and noticed that the two attendants working there - it was full - seemed very busy. I know that the meal service is generally unhurried but the lunch service stretched right to TOD and was curtailed; no coffee etc. During descent cabin staff from Economy came forward and assisted the Business staff in securing the cabin; I later heard one member of staff complaining about the situation.

I worked for EK as an engineer in the early 90s and always enjoyed the standard of service; several flights in recent years have showed a marked degradation.

This degradation seems to pervade quite a lot of EKs service. The Business lounge at Gate 9 in DXB was full and staff were less than polite in directing people to an alternative across the hall (instead of putting a notice up, they told each passenger as they approached the desk). The terminal reminded me a bit of LHR or CDG; neither a pleasant airport.

A few flights have been going short crew lately so maybe that was the situation. I did a Islamabad turnaround the other day and we only had enough crew to cover doors as well as a supy on her first flight ever!!

It was a 2 class 777-300 and we worked our butts off. I had a door position as well as operating the mid galley!!!

Cape town???, I never heard that one, I would really like that, it's an amazing place, any other destinations that you might know?.

Regarding to crew shortage it happens every year, lots of crew quit after the bonnus plus lots of crew go on holidays on the summer months and EK never seems to plan ahead for the summer months, what to do? :\.

Anyway, share your info on more destinations please !!!!

anybody going on the 380 flight on the 17th of august????:confused:

i would go if i could apply through the portal! the link isn't working properly...

Do you think that we could go inside?, where did you get that info?, I hope that we can, where do we apply?

Leo :}

There is a link on the crewportal where you can apply for the 380. They have 400 tickets available for crew. You must do it on your off day (thats if you get it on the 17th of August). I'm not really that interested. I dont know why everybody is making such a big fuss over the 380. Looks like a flying warehouse. Probably is.
Got an email from my cabin crew manager who asked me if I could cancel my leave for this month because they are short of SFS's! Too many SFS's are apparently scheduled for leave this month. They never prepare for the summer months it seems. I didnt reply,because if I dont go on leave I might commit murder on board:O.
Summer holidays are the worst. Did a Cochin flight with 72 kids and 12 infants! Babies screaming and kids running up and down the aisle. :ugh:

cochin is nothing, i did casablanca last summer it was like a school playground...

You are right mate, run while you can, dont even answer the mail, and becareful when answering the phone, it could be him / her.

As per short of crew it happens on every year, they never learn, do they?, the same happens on x-mas, they advertise that there is room for leave and then we go short of crew.

I'm glad that I'll be in training college during Aug and part of Sep, then LV.

The link for the A380 dont work :*, but it says that there will be snaks served by EK crew, any idea who those poor souls might be?, can you just imaging 400 pax being served on an aircraft that noone has an idea?, that's terrible, it should be a fun experience, not a stressful one.

I will be off that day so if I dont get to go inside I will try to get some pictures from the fence or somewhere.

I too am not tooooo thrilled with that big fat peice of metal :\!!!! Still feel we need more boeing aircrafts(fast ,,,fuel efficient and nice to work in!!!)...love the ER's :ok:....and they better book those 787's if they wanna fly a lot to the U.S ...or they'll never get the flight rights :ugh:

obscure EK questions...
 

Hi EK crew - I know this may be an obscure request, but does anyone have any photographs of the accommodation that cabin crew stay in, in Dubai? If so, could you PM them to me?

Also one more question - are crew able to do any part time work in the UAE (legally), for example, English tutoring? I'm soon to start as cabin crew, and I am also a qualifed primary teacher, so thought I could do some tutoring to get my 'kid fix' and earn some extra cash.

Cheers,
SHFG :ok:

There are too many accommodations to send photos of all of them. Our accommodations are nice and decent if you were worried about that. I doubt it if you will have time for extra work with our schedules. You will be sleeping on most of your off days to recover from all the flights you will be doing. Emirates is not one of those airlines where you get long periods of off days. Here you will work,work,work. If you should manage to do it,good luck to you:p There are so many kids on our flights that I doubt it if you would want a 'kid fix' after work. We have actually quite a few ex-teachers that are working for us....

yup...as etihad has a older generation of aircrafts...you will have to go through training AGAIN !!!! :)

for the english teacher....my ex-flatmate was a hair stylist from toni and guy and he did work around his schedule to cut hair....but lemme tell u it was a hush hush....private not legal thingy!!!!!!!!:ok:

777w - thanks for that tip! :ooh:

whatzmyname - I know there are a few different locations cc stay at, but if anyone has any pics of where they are (even if it is not the place I'll end up in) I'd really appreciate seeing them via PM... just wondering what they are like before I sign on the dotted line... are they serviced...? are there gym-like facilities onsite or nearby? are they usually in nice areas of town, close to transport/shops etc? I've never been to DBX before so I am unsure as to what to expect... sure it will be fabulous, but I got caught once signing a contract that was a big mistake... long story!

Luv
SHFG :p

I would like to aske a question to the follow colleagues on EK and EY. Let's suppose that you go somewhere out oo the U.A.E, on your days off. Do you have any obligation to come back 12H befor your next rostered flight ? And if let's say, you had a problem, and you come back late, and you have been already replaced by another crew on standby ( poor crew lol ), is there any sanction ?

Thank's.

The apartments are very different from each others, most buildings have gym and pool and the ones that don't, they have it near by, we also get the chance to use for free the gym and pool facilities on some hotels.

The flats are not service, if you mean "maid", but its very cheap to share with your flat mates for a weekly cleaner service, it's up to you.

The location again is very different as they are lots of EK accomodations, some are close by shops some aren't, so, it's the luck of the day I guess, regarding local transport, I must admit that I have never been on a bus in Dubai, so I can't really tell you much about it, but taxis are widely available and if you get along with your flat mates you can share the taxis to the supermarket or things like that, most crew buy car shortly after joining because it ends up being cheaper than taking taxis everyday, then again it's totally up to you and it all depends where your flat is located because you might not even need to buy car.

There is a pick up bus before your flight and a drop off bus after your flight that thakes you from your building to the training college / briefing center and back.

The flats are 2 or 3 bedrooms, some have the bathroom inside, some on the corridor, some you might have to share the bathroom, but the bedroom is yours and you don't share it, (well, unless you find some one special :suspect: ) je je je. There is a corfew from 01:00 to 07:00 when no one outside EK can stay in your flat, how ever if the guest is EK then it's no problem.

The flats are fully furnished, there is everything except TV, audio system, etc., however all kitchen stuf is there including fridge, washing machine / dryer, bed stuf. So, there is no need to buy anything major, and if you live in a place that someone is already living then there is no need to buy TV and lots of stuf as most flat mates are ok and will share it.

You will be given advances of money back you will have to pay back all of it, apart from 500 DHS that is "a welcome gift", I would recomend that you bring some extra cash as it's difficult at the begining to get yourself sorted because you are not earning that much money as you will be in training college for 6 weeks and then you will start flying, so for at least 3 months your salary wont be that good.

I hope that this have helped a bit, regarding the pictures I have to agree with the rest, it's impossible to send you any because it's all very different from one to the other but over all it's fine and you won't be making any mistake. Go for it !!! :ok:

Leo

curfew
 

with regard to the curfew between 1am - 7am. if you are not working, do you have to be back in your apartment by 1am, so is it only for having people to stay?

Thanks

Read again.......

The flats are 2 or 3 bedrooms, some have the bathroom inside, some on the corridor, some you might have to share the bathroom, but the bedroom is yours and you don't share it, (well, unless you find some one special :suspect: ) je je je. There is a corfew from 01:00 to 07:00 when no one outside EK can stay in your flat, how ever if the guest is EK then it's no problem.

You dont need to be back by 01:00, this is only for guest, that's why there is a book at the reception where your guests must sign in and if they are EK they must write the staff number as well, so the security guy knows, if the guest is not EK he/she must leave your flat by 01:00 and only return by 07:00.

I hope that it's clear now, take care !!!! :)

Leo

Leito,

Thank you for your the email you sent the other day. I have sent all medicals and singed the contract already. I got an email this morning saying that they will get back to me ASAP. I reckon, it will be another week or so.....So far my start date is Sept 14th.

I was going to send you and email asking everything you already wrote about in a previous post. Thank you anyway! Very helpful.

You mentioned we will recieve 500DHS (which is about USD135), How much should I bring with me for the 6-week training? Also, Will I be able to open a bank account straight away? The reason I am asking is because it will be easier for me to transfer money from my home Citi account to a new Citi account in DXB. I already asked and they won't charge any fees. I uderstand we will be located at some sort of hotel while in training, right? Will they pay for meals, laundry, transport, etc? (I remember American Airlines paid for all these expenses while I was in training at DFW Flagship University during 5 weeks time).

Also, I was told we will be trainned on B772-B77W and A330 to start. When can you fly A345 and A343?

Sorry about the long message but as the day gets closer I am getting more anxious.

Fly Rules:ok:

Thanks LEITO! That is reeeeally helpful info, greatly appreciated....... I guess the curfew means that means that my days of bringing random men home is over!! (unless of course they are EK crew, but that could become incestuous!)


That was a joke... seriously! :}

Cheers,

SHFG:p

When I joined, (8 years ago :\) I brought money with me but never used it as what they gave us was enough, then again some people will buy everything on the first month, (mobile phone, laptop, I-pod, etc, etc) which you dont really need straight away, but there again it's up to you, you can open the bank account streight away and they will offer you credit card and loan and the whole circus, please be careful, I suggest you to stay away from loans because they are a never ending story, unless of course you need it for something urgent, but you guys are old enough to know this.

The most used banks by the crew I believe are HSBC and Mashrek Bank, how ever there are lots and lots more, so, do take you time and do some research on them before signing in and open an account as they offer you different things and packages. I believe that bringing a couple of thousend dollars wouldn't be a bad idea, but honestly you'll do fine as during the 6 very intense weeks of training you won't have time to spend it as you will be studying everyday.

During those 6 weeks you will get the basic salary, about 1000 u$s a month and on the first day you will be given your uniform, everything, including suit case, shoes, socks, the lot!!, so I believe that the last day of the 1st week you will be wearing it already, maybe earlier, they will let you know.

You will be trained in all the aircrafts, A332, A343, A345, B772 and B773, (all that with the ER and ULR variants, but its all the same) and once that you graduate you will be flying them all.

About the hotel, I dont know, some times that happens when they have too many crew training and not enough accomodatuion ready, maybe its for a couple of weeks, maybe for longer. The hotel is good because they clean it up for you, but then again you can't cook, therefore you will be spending in restaurant, so I can't tell you anything about that.

You will have a bus that will take you to the training college and back and of course that the dry cleaning of your uniform is free, there is a dry cleaning facility at the training college, and by the way, you might start training in the new college that it's simply amazing, it's all new and has the three simulators, two moving ones, A332/343/345 and B772/773 and a fix A380 all next to the swimimg pool, you wont believe your eyes !!!.

Once again I hope that this info helped, take care !!!

Leo

Leito,

Thanks a lot! All things going well, I will see you in September!:p

Fly Rules:ok:

Leito great post of information ... Thanks for the insight.

Just curious how you feel about and other crew feel about the curfew from 0100 - 0700. If you have friends and family visiting you from overseas, does that mean they cannot stay in your apartment building with you? Is there any way around the curfew?

For instance if i am in a long distance relationship and my partner comes to vist, will my partner have to stay in a separate hotel when i am living down the road in one of the EK apartments .... and therefore have to pay some dosh for a hotel??

Seems a bit harsh.....

Seems quite normal question.

When you have family or friends from over seas then you must fiil out a form signed by your flat mates so that they are ok by you having visitors, you can only bring max of 2 people at the same time and for a period of 2 months I believe, so, when the form is filled up you give it to the security guy downstairs and accoodation looks at it and within a few days they give you the answer of wether is accepted or dennied the aplication.

As per the rest of the crew no one minds because most people visiting the flats are crew themself, so they can stay.

Some buildings dont have security and therefore they don't have corfew, (don't ask), but those buildings are very popular je je je :rolleyes:.

and just two more question Leito or anyone else who is out there...

1.Air Crew require visas in order to enter the USA. How long after joining do you go for the interview for the visa? Is it merit based? Are there only selected crew who can operate to JFK and the US.

2.Is it true that crew need to undergo special training to fly on the ULTRAlong haul flights? Is yes, then how is this undertaken?

Thanks:D

leito,

it's good to see what you posted here...
I guess it clear most of our doubts...

By the way, leito, what type of test we gonna to take during the training?is that all by written or with practical as well, o mayb oral?

and for the swimming part, how was the training like?

I know it's may sound silly, but hope for reply.


Thank you.

Soon after you graduate you will have roster a date with your batch mates to go to the American Consulate in Dubai to get your visa, (only working visa R C1/D and it's valid for 5 years), the aplication will be filled out during the first week in Dubai, that's why it's always a very good idea to bring at least 20 photos because you will be filling out lots of paper work. Every one will go to get the visa because at the moment we have 3 dayly flights to JFK and in December we start to go to Huston, next year there will be more North American destinations, so all crew will get it, they might be some nationalities that don't get it, but most will.

There is not any extra ULR training, so, any one will fly those destinations provided that they have the visa.

During training you will be doing exams nearly every second day, some written, some practicals, some open questions, they try to make it as fun and diverse as possible because although it's a very seriuos stuf the trainers know that you will learn better having fun, so, I can only tell you that for those six weeks you won't have a life, your life will be around training college and your books at home, study study and study :}.

The swiming pool it's freeeeeeezing, but you will have to get in it with the life jacket, also a t-shirt, jeans and socks, and all you will have to do is get back on the slide raft, no swiming contest I'm afraid and no extra points for "style" either je je je.

Missworld, get on the website habibi, www.emiratesgroupcareers.com and do some research, there is plenty of info in there and posted here, when I came to Dubai I didn't know anything and I survived, so some times you have to take a chance, once again, it's the good attitude that allows me to stay this long here and you have the choice every single day to have the best flight of your life or the worst, it's not the pax nor it's the rest of your colleagues, it's YOU !!! :D

Good luck !!!

Leo

Hmmm. I currently hold a U.S. -R- type visa (short business/leisure). I wonder if is the same visa they issue for EK Crew:rolleyes:. I had it since I was 2 years old and they keep renewing it every 5 years.

This is the same visa I use to get into the U.S. either for turism or work (as AA employee). I guess I will find out when I get to Dubai.

Thanks for the info!

Fly Rules:ok:

MissSmith & PB138,

I believe this is a EK Cabin Crew forum. Answers to all your questions and more details about the recruitment process with Emirates can be found at: EMIRATES - Wannabees & Recruitment I and EMIRATES - Wannabees & Recruitment II. Those forums have plenty of valuable information. My suggestion is to go thru every single message posted and you will do just fine during the OD you are planning to attend.

Also, keep in mind that your first resource must be the EK careers website, read it carefully. www.emiratescareers.com

Good Luck.

Fly Rules:ok:

EK pay and eye surgery
 

Hi,
I have got the confirmation letter from EK recently, just need to pass the body checks, then i will become part of the EK family.
I underatnd the salary is split into fixed and flying pay, but do we have to do fly 60-80 hours in order to qualify for the flying pay, or we will be paid by each hour that we fly?

Anyone knows any crew who has had laser sugrey after joining? It says if someone had laser sugrey has to wait for 3 months before joining, so i thought i may do that after joinning.

thanks!

I've done the lasik 10 months ago, just before I went on holidays, so I suggest that you do the same so that you rest your eyes and don't expose it to the dry air of the cabin while working, you must take lots of care and use eye drops, that's why I suggest to take a brake from flying after the operation, where I had it done, Emirates gets discount and it's a first class treatment.

Good luck !!!

Leo

Only to make things clear...
 

Hiya everyone!
Just want to explain something, lots of people in the company talking about the new "ULR" aircraft:
The EK fleet is:
A330-200
A340-300
A340-500
B777-200
B777-200ER (no major difference with the standard 200, just different Take Off Weights)
B777-200LR (Longer Range)
B777-300
B777-300ER

ULR (Ultra Long Range) is the type of operation that the aircraft is able to operate but it's not a type of aircraft itself. The latest 77W that the company has received have the bunks, new seats bla bla bla and it's able to operate ULR flights but it has the same performance as the 1st 77W delivered to EK (A6-EBA). The 772LR (77L) is a different type of aicraft with new wings, undercarriage, weights... therefore the difference with the other 777-200s.

Cheers!

hey guys..i just applied for the service facilitator...but have no real clue as to wat exactly is the job description...any leads????

I also applied and so most of my friends but no one has a clue of what it is, so, soon we wll find out who got it and what will the job be.

Good Luck !!! :ok:

Leo

Good evening, "colleagues"! I can officially say that now, as I have just received my start date of October 12, and I seriously cannot wait until I can get it started!

I have a few questions in anticipation of my start date that I was hoping some people might be able to help with?

1 - With the trips you get, would you say you MOSTLY get trips away (involving overnights) or mostly return trips, say to India and back? What proportion of layover trips or day return trips would be in a typical roster?

2 - With the trip allocation, if I am from Australia, will they mostly roster me for Australian flights? I have been living in Hong Kong for the last 5 years (although I am Aussie) and am really hoping I will be able to bid for trips to Hong Kong, USA etc. Will such requests often be rejected in favour of 'country of origin' trips?

3 - I understand we receive luggage as part of our joining package. Do you think I would be better to bring my things over in boxes rather than suitcases (if I am going to be provided with brand new suitcases when I get there, I probably won't need extra suitcases, will i?)

4 - Do EK have a hotel contract with a particular chain that they usually stay in? (eg - I know with Virgin Blue (my old employer), they usually stay in the Holiday Inn if there is one)

5 - When I come over, can I bring food into dubai? What about when I go on trips, am I allowed to bring packaged or fresh food into the country? When I was living in Hong Kong, I would often bring back meat and cheese from Australia because it was really expensive to buy in HK, and the quality was much better in Aus - is this allowed in Dubai?

6 - Regarding ladies' grooming for nails - do most have acrylic nails on? Or are well manicured natural nails acceptable?

7 - Can I bring alcohol into Dubai, either as a pax or crew member? I love Australian/NZ wine...

8 - I know this seems trivial, but I was just wondering... are UAE bathrooms similar in lay out to Western bathrooms? (ie - a bath, shower, basin etc?) I had a rather surprising cultural experience going to japan recently, their bathrooms are completely different. What are bathrooms like in Dubai?

9 - Are there rules against taking antidepressant medication? I have in the past taken them, as I occasionally suffer from depression and wondered if I can bring them in with me, if a doctor certifies my need for them. Or would you suggest I don't, as the company would frown on it?



Ummm..... That's all I can think of for now.... many many thanks for those who are willing and able to help this newbie!

SHFG :p

First I must say "MABROUK" or congratulations for joining the family, I bet it was worth waiting for the call, now relax and get ready for the trip, at least you have a couple of months to do so.

I will try to answer most of your questions, so, here it goes.....

1) Regarding the trips we get a fair share of everything, you could end up doing 2 or 3 turn arounds in a week, followed by 2 lay overs and then some more turn arounds, the thing is that it all depends of the group that you are placed into for the bids system, I will try to explain this, wish me luck :}.....
We are all placed in 7 groups, and every month one group will be on top, ie: lets say that for August the groups would be 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. So, group 1 will be on top and therefore will get most of the trips that they bid for, while group 7 will be on reserve during August. On September it will rotate, so, 2,3,4,5,6,7,1 now Group 2 is on top while group 1 is on reserve, and so on and so on, eventually all groups will be on top and all groups will be on reserve, so it doesn't matter how junior or senior you are we all get to do it all. We can do 5 bids including days off, so, while on top or 2nd top you could get most of what you want, (it's only a wish list at the end of the day and nothing is garanteed), and on reserve you have 35 days on a blank roster, sometimes it comes partially filled with flights but you will also have to do stand by a few days, it will all be explained to you in detail once you are here.

2) Only for language speaker they might take in consideration to send you to certain country, ie: if you speak Russian then you could do more DME flights than other crew, not necessary the rule but in some cases it's like that, but if you bid correctly and your group its nearly on top then you could end up going where ever you want, as I said, we all do everything.

3) It's up tp you if you want to bring boxes but most people bring a suitcase, even though one will be provided by the company, it's your call.

4) No hotel contracts, as it would be very difficult to have the same hotel chain all over the world, but all 4 or 5 stars.

5) Food into DXB it's not a problem, you can even bring pork or what ever food you want, but becareful, you being Astralian should know better that some countries (like yours) are very picky when it comes to importing of food, fruits, seeds, plants, etc. So just be aware !!!.

6) Cant help you in this one I'm afraid, but you will have a grooming session and can ask the ladies on your class.

7) Yes, I believe that it's 4 littres, again you will be informed about this.

8) Ever heard of cultural awareness?, well my dear, you will be happy to know that the bathroom it's not like the japanese style, I actually think it's cool that one, but anyway, it's not.

9) I don't advise you to tell anyone about your anti depressants pills, most of that stuff it's banned over here, so be careful, and think again if you are really going to be ok being here on your own as life can be tough sometimes and lonliness can take over, you need to be very strong emotionally or else you will suffer, many crew can take it :=.

I hope that it helps, once again, you will be informed about all this things once you get here, so don't worrie about a thing, when I came I knew nothing about the company or Dubai and I survived, so chill out and relax your time at home, make most of it !!!!:ok:

Leo

Final Approval
 

Hello Everyone,

I recieved the FINAL APPROVAL today! DOJ: Sept 14th:D

FlyRules:ok:

____________________________________________________________ ___

Leo,

Thank you for that last email. Once again, you have answered most of the questions I had!

See you in Dubai.