EK schedules
 

Hi

Can anyone provide information about typical monthly schedules for EK? Boeing vs. Airbus monthly hours, trip lengths and/ or layover lengths? Are layovers long enough to play tourist at all, or is it just eat, sleep and back in the saddle? Also is it unreasonable to think that you could bid a schedule that would allow you to leave Dubai a few times a year? Also, thanks for all the posts regarding living in Dubai--amusing and helpful!

Monthly schedules at Emirates vary quite a bit, and can vary a lot depending on whether you are on the Boeing or Airbus (I'm a Boeing guy).

All pilots are assigned to one of five bid groups. The groups rotate in their bidding order every month, meaning that you will be 'top bid' once every five months, and therefore 'bottom' bid once every five months as well. What sort of trips you fly obviously depends much on what month it is as well as your personal preference on flying. Emirates uses the Ad Opt preferential bidding system, so some of your monthly roster depends on your knowledge of the mathematics of the system and bidding savvy. You can plan on being on a month straight short call reserve for two months of every year.

A typical roster will have you flying more than you probably would in the US/Europe/Australia. As for me, I fly around 75-85 hrs per month with anything from 8 to 16 days off per month. EK is only obligated to give you 8 months off during the month and sometimes that's exactly what you'll get, although they list some days as 'rest' days so the actual monthly total of days spent in base is somewhat better than that. Generally speaking, trips to Europe go 'senior' and trips to the far East/Australia and turns go 'junior'. The longest trips in the company are on the Boeing. They are nine days long and go through Australia/New Zealand. Not sure what the longest trip on the Airbus is- perhaps 5 days? European trips are usually 24 hrs off at destination but some of the Asian and Australian trips give 48 hrs off downroute. Lots of the flying in Emirates is in the middle of the night, particularly for turns, which is why nobody seems to want them much.

I think the Airbus guys tend to work a bit harder than the Boeing guys, particularly those that are dual qualified on the 330/340. Airbus guys tend to do more turns and work more days per month, although their trip lengths aren't as long as on the Boeing. More and more Airbus flying seems to be shifting to the Boeing as more 777's show up so I suspect as time rolls on the Boeing and Airbus rosters will tend to equalize.

As far as leave goes, you are given 42 days off per year contractually. With some agressive bidding on your top bid month you might also be able to pull off another two or three weeks per year off. I don't think it'd be unrealistic to be able to get home 3-4 times per year as long as you don't spend weeks on end at home on each visit.

Hope this all helps.

Thanks for your reply Buford. It helps a lot!

I wish I had 8 months off every month ! :p

Whoops- I meant 8 days off in the month. I'm sure you all got the point....

A per diem allowance is paid for the trips in EK?
and if it's paid,how much for that?
Thank you for your reply!

;)

Budford

How often can you expect to get 15 days off compared to the months were you get 8 days off?
It really makes the difference!

Thanks Buford,

Informative post.

Allowances for trips are paid in the hotel in the currency of the country. The amount varies as it is calculated of the costs for food in the hotel (minus any discounts).
It can be anything from a 20-30 Dollars in countries like Ghana or Indonesia to about 55+ pounds in London. :cool:

I'd say months with 8 days off are as common as months with 15 days off. It depends much on which bid month you are in. I tend to bid for Europe trips whenever I can get them as they are reasonably efficient trips. You fly 6-7 hrs, have 24 hrs off, and then fly 6-7 hrs back. It doesn't take many of these to fill up a month so its a good deal if you can get it. A bad month ( 8 days off) will have you going off on a long trip to Australia and lots of turns. You end up working lots of days without a lot of flight time to show for it.

I've received several personal messages asking if commuting is possible at Emirates. As far as the American definition of commuting goes I'd have to emphatically say no. A typical month doesn't allow enough blocks of days off in a row to go much of anywhere for long enough to be worth it. Additionally, Emirates doesn't have any jumpseat provisions so personal travel would be done buying space available CAT A or CAT C (kind of like an ID90 or ID 50) tickets on your own money. There are, however, quite a few guys who live 'dual' lives and go home fairly regularly, but it isn't quite long enough to be considered 'commuting'. Living somewhere near an Emirates destination obviously aids the possibility of going home more easily but all travel would be space available in the main cabin and therefore dependent on loads.

-Buford

Thanks Buford
 

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Thank you very much for your information Buford!!
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Of course you had to be corrected on the "8 month a month" thing, because some guys are really precise.

cya
4legs

It was a sarcastic comment I made, so it wasn't about being precise.

I thought the similie face with the tongue sticking out would have given it away, but apparently, it didn't.

Re: EK schedules
 

..sorry... too much work, too nervous,

cya
4/l/a/d

Re: EK schedules
 

I'm was happy to see this revived thread, very helpful. Could someone give the EK definition of a "turn". Also wondering if the 42 days of leave is in addition to the guaranteed 8 days off in a month?

Re: EK schedules
 

Yes the 42 days of leave are in addition to the 8 days off but your 8 days off go. Fly 7, 1 DO, Fly 7, 2 DO, Fly 7, 1 DO, Fly 7 and so it goes on and on. There may be a few rest days in too for night duties. Most TR = Leave the house between 8pm and 2am and return knackered about 12hrs later after a jolly jape on the sub-continent.

Its quite interesting to read how life is in the other airline. The work rate is cyclical and depends on which fleet you are on. Even the Airbus Fleet is split. If you are MFF qualified on the 340 the chances are high that you will have minimum days off for 3 months out of 5 and have scheduling ringing on those days off to try to induce you to fly promising the earth later in the month.

I know of several guys that are on reserve and spend their time at the rolling 100hr in 28 days limit. The lifestyle has degraded beyond belief, I now spend a lot of time in Dubai resting rather than doing things I want to do. Some of the junior Boeing guys don't really understand at the moment because they are on their upgrade courses before the 3 year point and have been flying relatively little. 5 years ago the same was true of the Bus guys. With the delivery rate of 777s over the next few months I think their bubble is about to burst. You heard it here first.

Buford says that with creative bidding up the top of the bid list you could get a few more weeks off. I don't see that on the Bus, they do not have the people to fill their leave liabilities properly and strings of days off will become harder and harder the lower you are in seniority.

Could you commute, technically. Would I commute, not a snowballs chance in hell. Life is too short to spend your work and rec time on a plane. I'd rather open up a trainspotter club in Vauxhall.

Re: EK schedules
 

A330/340 90 to 95 hours per month. No end in sight.

8 days off thats it!

talk of leave in AUG being embargoed for all captains!!

Should boost moral!

Keep recovering:ok: