EK 40k $ bond for Captain Upgrades
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Location: Rockytop, Tennessee, USA
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As I observed earlier in this thread:
Some Americans went overseas in years past because their airlines went bankrupt and they were too old to get a job in the States but too young to retire. Others did not have a 'collage' [sic 
] education required by the major airlines. Still others had 'unfortunate dates of hire' during airline strikes and were on the infamous 'Jumpseat Protection List'.
] education required by the major airlines. Still others had 'unfortunate dates of hire' during airline strikes and were on the infamous 'Jumpseat Protection List'.
My PPRuNe date of hire was even adjusted
, you can hover the mouse pointer over my screen name to see the circa 1997 seniority number.I would have repatriated sooner after my Middle East tour years ago but it took a while to find a job back home driving the lav truck. But at least I didn't leave aviation, right?
Here are the gushing first paragraphs from the 2006 WSJ article about EK and how this guy (not typhoonpilot) is treated like an executive vice-president in a garden spot like Dubai:
With Jobs Scarce, U.S. Pilots Sign On At Foreign Airlines
Global Travel Boom Yields Tempting Pay for Expats; Concerns About Safety
By Susan Carey in Chicago, Bruce Stanley in Hong Kong, and John Larkin in Mumbai
Updated May 5, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET
Nearly two years ago, at age 51, Brian Murray took early retirement from US Airways. The pilot was outraged by the airline’s termination of his pension plan and worried about his future with a carrier sliding towards bankruptcy court for the second time.
But Captain Murray’s career was far from over. Today he lives in Dubai and flies Airbus A330s for fast-growing Emirates airline, winging to destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia. He is home more than he ever was at US Airways, and his total compensation package – including health care, housing allowance, retirement plan and holiday – is superior. He says his wife and children enjoy living here in the UAE, and “from a professional standpoint, it couldn’t be better”.
In a twist on global outsourcing, a flock of US pilots is fleeing the depressed North American airline industry to work in the Gulf and other reaches of the world where aviation is booming.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks stifled air travel and sent the US industry into its deepest decline ever, more than 10,000 US pilots were laid off, and many more took early retirement. Despite subsequent hiring by a few healthy carriers, including Southwest Airlines, thousands have not been able to find new flying jobs at their old pay grades.
At the same time, the industry is expanding rapidly in the UAE, across the Middle East, China, India and Southeast Asia. As these regions have grown more affluent and loosened aviation restrictions, travel demand has soared. New airlines have started up, existing carriers are adding routes and hundreds of new jets are on order.
Global Travel Boom Yields Tempting Pay for Expats; Concerns About Safety
By Susan Carey in Chicago, Bruce Stanley in Hong Kong, and John Larkin in Mumbai
Updated May 5, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET
Nearly two years ago, at age 51, Brian Murray took early retirement from US Airways. The pilot was outraged by the airline’s termination of his pension plan and worried about his future with a carrier sliding towards bankruptcy court for the second time.
But Captain Murray’s career was far from over. Today he lives in Dubai and flies Airbus A330s for fast-growing Emirates airline, winging to destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia. He is home more than he ever was at US Airways, and his total compensation package – including health care, housing allowance, retirement plan and holiday – is superior. He says his wife and children enjoy living here in the UAE, and “from a professional standpoint, it couldn’t be better”.
In a twist on global outsourcing, a flock of US pilots is fleeing the depressed North American airline industry to work in the Gulf and other reaches of the world where aviation is booming.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks stifled air travel and sent the US industry into its deepest decline ever, more than 10,000 US pilots were laid off, and many more took early retirement. Despite subsequent hiring by a few healthy carriers, including Southwest Airlines, thousands have not been able to find new flying jobs at their old pay grades.
At the same time, the industry is expanding rapidly in the UAE, across the Middle East, China, India and Southeast Asia. As these regions have grown more affluent and loosened aviation restrictions, travel demand has soared. New airlines have started up, existing carriers are adding routes and hundreds of new jets are on order.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: The Land of Milk and Honey
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Guys
This thread started about the upgrade bond and the seemingly stringent conditions contained in it...is there any way we can make a new thread for the awesomefulness of jobs in the US please?
Even if there are no new relevant posts for a few days at a time, there are a lot of people - me included - who are paying very close attention and who don't particularly care about personal opinions about life at, and pay slips from, US majors at the moment.
The last posts relevant to the upgrade bond were around post 100. This post is number 151! All in between is squabbling about whose job (even industry!) is better that whose.
170
This thread started about the upgrade bond and the seemingly stringent conditions contained in it...is there any way we can make a new thread for the awesomefulness of jobs in the US please?
Even if there are no new relevant posts for a few days at a time, there are a lot of people - me included - who are paying very close attention and who don't particularly care about personal opinions about life at, and pay slips from, US majors at the moment.
The last posts relevant to the upgrade bond were around post 100. This post is number 151! All in between is squabbling about whose job (even industry!) is better that whose.
170
Last edited by 170to5; 5th Dec 2017 at 04:01.
Thread Starter
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Back to the topic.
We all know that there is a significant amount of pilots that joined Emirates on leave without pay from other airlines without EK necessarily knowing about it (apart from the QF guys).
Everyone has a different deadline to decide, but EK could potentially run out of NaC candidates with the required experience for next year if the majority of these guys decide to go back home - turn down the upgrade.
We all know that there is a significant amount of pilots that joined Emirates on leave without pay from other airlines without EK necessarily knowing about it (apart from the QF guys).
Everyone has a different deadline to decide, but EK could potentially run out of NaC candidates with the required experience for next year if the majority of these guys decide to go back home - turn down the upgrade.
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Back to the topic.
We all know that there is a significant amount of pilots that joined Emirates on leave without pay from other airlines without EK necessarily knowing about it (apart from the QF guys).
Everyone has a different deadline to decide, but EK could potentially run out of NaC candidates with the required experience for next year if the majority of these guys decide to go back home - turn down the upgrade.
We all know that there is a significant amount of pilots that joined Emirates on leave without pay from other airlines without EK necessarily knowing about it (apart from the QF guys).
Everyone has a different deadline to decide, but EK could potentially run out of NaC candidates with the required experience for next year if the majority of these guys decide to go back home - turn down the upgrade.
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There will be some who forgo the upgrade and others who do not. That simple.
If it was me my calculation would go like this: the jump in pay is roughly $3000/month. The bond is $40,000. So it takes me just over a year for the pay increase to meet the bond. So about 14 months after I upgrade I will be financially 'even' if I also resign in that 14th month (actually less, since I believe it is a declining bond - but rough numbers work for this exercise).
So each guy can calculate his breakeven point. It sucks that you essentially work as a captain but get paid as an FO but this is EK!
It won't stop people from leaving though. I have lost count of the number of FO's I have talked to that plan on leaving after getting 500-1000 hours in the left seat!!
There is a yuge (sorry, couldn't resist) number of young FO's hired over the last 6 years. I think EK believed they would come, bow down to the great god that is EK and the big jet, be forever beholden to the opportunity...and stay.
I think EK is sadly mistaken. These young guys are smart enough to see that there is no long term career here and with the hiring going on back home a seniority number is valuable.
There is also the Chinese option: one fellow has planned to upgrade, take off to China and spend 3-4 years saving like a maniac. He is 28, will be home in the UK with a fully paid house and can then earn less but be at home. Not a bad plan if it works for you!
Until there are no options or EK makes adjustments they will bleed pilots.
If it was me my calculation would go like this: the jump in pay is roughly $3000/month. The bond is $40,000. So it takes me just over a year for the pay increase to meet the bond. So about 14 months after I upgrade I will be financially 'even' if I also resign in that 14th month (actually less, since I believe it is a declining bond - but rough numbers work for this exercise).
So each guy can calculate his breakeven point. It sucks that you essentially work as a captain but get paid as an FO but this is EK!
It won't stop people from leaving though. I have lost count of the number of FO's I have talked to that plan on leaving after getting 500-1000 hours in the left seat!!
There is a yuge (sorry, couldn't resist) number of young FO's hired over the last 6 years. I think EK believed they would come, bow down to the great god that is EK and the big jet, be forever beholden to the opportunity...and stay.
I think EK is sadly mistaken. These young guys are smart enough to see that there is no long term career here and with the hiring going on back home a seniority number is valuable.
There is also the Chinese option: one fellow has planned to upgrade, take off to China and spend 3-4 years saving like a maniac. He is 28, will be home in the UK with a fully paid house and can then earn less but be at home. Not a bad plan if it works for you!
Until there are no options or EK makes adjustments they will bleed pilots.
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Let's look at this issue from another tack.
EK are concerned that shortly after upgrading and obtaining marketable hours the majority will bang out to the real world.
Is this a valid commercial concern? Sure.
EK have come up with the, let's be honest, punitive option, bonding. This has in one step managed to destroy any loyalty or enthusiasm of these new Commanders ( Not one of whom actually applied for their upgrades but were rostered for the course and interviews).
The other "tack" I was referring to would be to do the reverse of bonding, a loyalty bonus.
$10,000 to any new upgrade who stays with EK, for say 4 years?
Small 'tatties maybe, but puts an entirely different spin on the problem and would achieve the same, if not a better result.
But hey! Who am I kidding!
EK are concerned that shortly after upgrading and obtaining marketable hours the majority will bang out to the real world.
Is this a valid commercial concern? Sure.
EK have come up with the, let's be honest, punitive option, bonding. This has in one step managed to destroy any loyalty or enthusiasm of these new Commanders ( Not one of whom actually applied for their upgrades but were rostered for the course and interviews).
The other "tack" I was referring to would be to do the reverse of bonding, a loyalty bonus.
$10,000 to any new upgrade who stays with EK, for say 4 years?
Small 'tatties maybe, but puts an entirely different spin on the problem and would achieve the same, if not a better result.
But hey! Who am I kidding!
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Ek .. . ....
Trained and run by westerners in 1985 and now run by Arabs who think they can treat their employees like labor workers.
So much has changed over the past 18 months and to top it off 40k command bond. They are actually on the verge of implosion, stopping at nothing to save their brand name.
Good luck EK, let’s see how much money you make when your aircraft don’t have any crew to operate.
Trained and run by westerners in 1985 and now run by Arabs who think they can treat their employees like labor workers.
So much has changed over the past 18 months and to top it off 40k command bond. They are actually on the verge of implosion, stopping at nothing to save their brand name.
Good luck EK, let’s see how much money you make when your aircraft don’t have any crew to operate.
short flights long nights
Ek .. . ....
Trained and run by westerners in 1985 and now run by Arabs who think they can treat their employees like labor workers.
So much has changed over the past 18 months and to top it off 40k command bond. They are actually on the verge of implosion, stopping at nothing to save their brand name.
Good luck EK, let’s see how much money you make when your aircraft don’t have any crew to operate.
Trained and run by westerners in 1985 and now run by Arabs who think they can treat their employees like labor workers.
So much has changed over the past 18 months and to top it off 40k command bond. They are actually on the verge of implosion, stopping at nothing to save their brand name.
Good luck EK, let’s see how much money you make when your aircraft don’t have any crew to operate.
short flights long nights
Whats official?
you made my day!
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Many other bond issues...
Ionic
Covalent
Hydrogen
All bonds most captains have daily interactions with.
40k USD bond...no bloody way.
Pound sand EK
Safe travels...Sushi
Covalent
Hydrogen
All bonds most captains have daily interactions with.
40k USD bond...no bloody way.
Pound sand EK
Safe travels...Sushi
