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Old 1st Dec 2019, 13:04
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Emirates

G’day folks,

Looking hopefully from some info from yourselves. FO just under 3000 hours on the 737 on Europe’s largest Lowco. Getting close to command but still mid 20s and don’t want to tie myself down and I’d like to try something different. I’ve just been to Dubai and loved the city and what it has to offer, as did my fiancée. I’m wondering what the rooster is like in 2019 is like at Emirates on the 777/A380, has it improved? Also has anyone managed to settle their life down there, with a wife and kids. If anyone wants to be PM me that would be great.

thanks again.
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Old 3rd Dec 2019, 15:44
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Depending on how close you are to command , it might be worth upgrading for 2yrs and then leaving. PIC time is a valuable commodity all around the world.

Rosters on the 777 have improved greatly, but as with everything there, that will change. 380 has also improved, but still worse than it was 3-yrs ago.
A LOT of people have settled and had families. Some came with children and had more. Some came single and are now married with children.

The erosion of the medical benefits is getting near the end of the rope for me, as well as the new “ pay and claim” system.
Pay is still pretty bad, and the yearly contractual 3% step increase is violated almost every year, even though the profits are enormous.
Layover hotel locations ( and quality) have been going downhill for a few years now.

A lot is subjective and relative. Planes (380) are nearly never flown with any defects, except to get back to DXB to have the defects cleared. Good maintenance is one of the high points.

Just dig through the threads a little. A TON of info in there.
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Old 3rd Dec 2019, 17:50
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Originally Posted by pilotguy1222
Depending on how close you are to command , it might be worth upgrading for 2yrs and then leaving. PIC time is a valuable commodity all around the world.

Rosters on the 777 have improved greatly, but as with everything there, that will change. 380 has also improved, but still worse than it was 3-yrs ago.
A LOT of people have settled and had families. Some came with children and had more. Some came single and are now married with children.

The erosion of the medical benefits is getting near the end of the rope for me, as well as the new “ pay and claim” system.
Pay is still pretty bad, and the yearly contractual 3% step increase is violated almost every year, even though the profits are enormous.
Layover hotel locations ( and quality) have been going downhill for a few years now.

A lot is subjective and relative. Planes (380) are nearly never flown with any defects, except to get back to DXB to have the defects cleared. Good maintenance is one of the high points.

Just dig through the threads a little. A TON of info in there.
what an honest reply.
Very few drivers at Emirates would give the goods and the bads.
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Old 3rd Dec 2019, 20:53
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Originally Posted by Mgggpilot
what an honest reply.
Very few drivers at Emirates would give the goods and the bads.
Thanks very much you for reply. I’ve heard from a Skipper on the 777 the rooster has got slightly less busy. I’ve read through the forums, and all I see is horror stories from Emirates. In this profession, I’ve noticed folks like to moan even if things aren’t all that terrible. Working for FR, I’ve seen it time after time. So part of me goes, it can’t be all that bad. The salary is higher than anything I can earn at my company, the staff travel seems good (on paper). I see you’ve mentioned medical, I thought they covered the whole shanang including my if my wife to be became pregnant.

In regards to the housing, is the accommodation provided decent? We’d both be married, I remember someone told me previously that influenced the type of property you received.
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Old 3rd Dec 2019, 23:36
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[QUOTE= In regards to the housing, is the accommodation provided decent? We’d both be married, I remember someone told me previously that influenced the type of property you received.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, if you’re married and given Millenium Tower as Company Accommodation, you’ll be divorced very soon🤣🤣🤣

MS
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 00:15
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Roster vary way too much to use any individuals roster as an example. Fleet crewing is constantly changing hence 777 Not bad at the moment but 777 to 380 transfers will change that. 10 days off per month ! Work on that, bottom bid months - back of the clock night turns. Top bid month (1) maybe get a request ! Buyer beware if you venture here. Also the shine will wear off .
Upgrades are a real wild card but 5-7 now the norm , yes some guys got it in 3.5 but not the norm.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 07:09
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Depends on what you are after but there is more to Dubai than EK. There is an option to do 2 years PIC with your current employer and join flydubai as a Captain. EK has it's benefits but so has flydubai. Depends on what you are looking for. There are pro's-and-con's to either place.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 09:01
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Im thinking of moving across from one of Asia’s reputable carriers. What I hear from my friends working there, it’s not all doom and gloom, like every other airline, there are positives and negatives
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 10:49
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Been out of EK and Dubai a while now, but a few comments:

1) Rosters have improved slightly but as with everything are subject to change.

2) Never expect EK to honour anything they say or anything contractual. The step increment (or lack of) is but one of many many infringements.

3) Medical is now a huge issue for many families and the coverage seems to be in inverse proportion to the benefits.

4) Good and bad everywhere is a true statement. Salaries and benefits seem to decrease every year. Dubai is expensive.

5) Get your Command and consider FlyDubai.

6) Do visit Dubai and try to meet a few people associated with Dnata/EK and Fly Dubai beforehand.

Best of luck to you, my friend.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 12:43
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Get 1000 hrs command time, or 2 years worth, and then move on. Having that on your resume/CV will qualify you for more, and better, opportunities. The biggest thing that can 'tie you down' is not getting that command/Captain experience.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 17:53
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Consider the case, where the economy takes a downturn and after 5 years from now you'd be furloughed from there with an A380 rating.

OTOH, in a downturn you won't be close to a command after 5 years from now staying where you are anyway.

(This post contains no traces of useful thoughts)
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 18:55
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Originally Posted by fatbus
Roster vary way too much to use any individuals roster as an example. Fleet crewing is constantly changing hence 777 Not bad at the moment but 777 to 380 transfers will change that. 10 days off per month ! Work on that, bottom bid months - back of the clock night turns. Top bid month (1) maybe get a request ! Buyer beware if you venture here. Also the shine will wear off .
Upgrades are a real wild card but 5-7 now the norm , yes some guys got it in 3.5 but not the norm.
Do you have to buy a property now for EK to pay for your accommodation? If not it’s company provided, in the towers?

My other half is a nurse and she fancies the move for something different for a period of time and I’m sure she’d secure work, I’m not one for Shiny jet syndrome an airplane is an airplane, I think I’d enjoy working with folks from all over the world while at work.
As I said earlier We’re just back and planning to head back next winter, and possibly for a few days before that to walk around. It’s all well and good seeing the Tourists sights and walking around the malls, day to day leaving would be very different. It’s a big move, and it would be on paper for years. So it’s a big move.

Personally I feel the command is golden handcuffs at my company, no one seems to leave. I’m not sure I can do 40 years at FR with a full medical health, 4 sector days and 25m turnarounds. It’s nice to hear there’s still good aspects about the company. Although corroding away at the medical insurance is something I’d be curious to hear about.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 20:16
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Can't send you a PM - full storage.
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Old 4th Dec 2019, 23:21
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To qualify for the accommodation allowance, you have to buy property within Dubai. Property prices have been in steady decline for some time now and they are likely to continue to stay that way until after the Expo, based on what you read in the press in the free world. Some colleagues have bought a 'shoebox' in the middle of nowhere, which can be paid off quickly and then use the allowance to rent somewhere. This is appealing as it is easy to save a considerable portion of the accommodation allowance at present, due to rents being so competitive at present.

Yes the rosters are lighter at present but if you plan to come and sit it out for your command, you will see both extremes of roster workload and probably before you get to the left-hand seat too. Don't be fooled into thinking the lighter rosters now are a permanent fixture, as it can and probably will change. Also bear in mind that inflation is likely to outperform any pay increase for the foreseeable future, so you run the high likelihood of having less disposable income available until a time when/if pay increases match inflation again.

On the topic of your spouse and finding work as a qualified nurse, bear in mind that many nursing jobs in Gulf involve long hours and meagre levels of remuneration compared to the western world. The bulk of nurses in the hospitals and clinics come from developing countries, with terms and conditions that reflect that.
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Old 5th Dec 2019, 07:37
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Agree with Emma with the following additions.

"Some colleagues have bought a 'shoebox' in the middle of nowhere"....Yes and they cannot sell them for even significantly less than what they paid in an already depressed market.

"Don't be fooled into thinking the lighter rosters now are a permanent"...Wise words having seen many many such temporary lulls.

" inflation"...Using the beer guage $18 USD for a beer, enough said. Discounts through APC(EPC) Platinum which were typically 40-50% are now typically 20-25%.

"The bulk of nurses in the hospitals and clinics come from developing countries"...The bulk of our pilots are now coming from developing countries.

"when/if pay increases match inflation"...It's been almost 3 years now with no pay increase...or 3% step as per the contract. This lack of pay increase alone is worth around AED 500,000 over 15 years per pilot....Oh but its only 3% I hear over and over....the words of fools and the company knows it.

With the A380 eating up the profits and the changing pilot demographic I can't see any pay rises any time soon.

The academy turning out pilots by the 100s will also have a major impact on time to upgrade in the very near future.

If they can't plug the A380 hole possible collaboration / integration ahead with implications on seniority, pilot numbers and so on.

Last edited by allaru; 5th Dec 2019 at 18:32.
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Old 5th Dec 2019, 14:39
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I love that we are so conditioned to 90-95 hr rosters that we consider 80-85hrs flying long haul, back of the clock Flying ‘light’. Watch this space....
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Old 6th Dec 2019, 07:14
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Originally Posted by CapitalB
Can't send you a PM - full storage.
I should have storage. As I’ve nothing in my email box.
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Old 6th Dec 2019, 16:11
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just stay away

EK operation with these horrible rosters will kill your health!
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Old 6th Dec 2019, 19:28
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Thanks for all the replies folks. How much are FOs taking home at the minute then roughly with the 5% tax now and cost of living going up. The plan would to stay to Command so it’s for the long term and 5/7 is what I had in mind. I thought Emirates were still targeting folks from the US/Europe mainly? Has that dried up now. I missed their roadshow in my area of the UK this year so missed their marketing talk essentially. Also the housing allowance seems a bit of a ball ache then to get what where you’d want to live.

On the topic of the A380, coming from a Boeing which I currently fly. Is there an opportunity to have a chance to go onto the Airbus or is it Boeing to Boeing?

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Old 6th Dec 2019, 20:21
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There's are limited opportunities to switch fleets both as captain and FO, supply and demand dictates. Some FOs got screwed 330-380 , hope lessons learned by all.i thought the pay was on the recruitment web page. There always seems to be an airline shutting down which benefits recruiting. Targeting U.K./ EU ? Why? Who ever is desperate enough at the time .very hard to forecast what the place EK and Dubai will look like in 5 years . More guys seem to be leaving before the money bucket is full. 777/380 Capt's leaving for bottom of the list RHS reserve. Buyer beware!
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