Middle East lost its golden touch!!
 

Of all the other world airline forums, the M E has the 2nd largest usage (behind Africa). Well Africa has it's problems, NO MONEY TO PAY THE CREWS. The ME has it's problems, IT DOESN'T WANT TO PAY ANY MONEY TO THE CREWS. The greed of all the ME carriers has become legendary, despite inflation and currency movements, for eg: in UAE the salary has barely moved 20% up in 20 years. 20 years ago it would have made you more wealthy, now it make you less wealthy.
For ANYONE even thinking about a move to the ME, YOU WILL REGRET IT IN THE FUTURE< I CAN ASSURE YOU!! > Just look at your own area and see that you have laws, rules, justice and a fair days work for a fair days income. Here the money is not bad, but it is extremely expensive now. Compared to say 5 years ago, fuel has more than doubled and this list is endless.. If you are thinking about it, think for about a minute and then thank your lucky stars you read these forums. If you do come, I guarantee you the grass is not greener in the dessert, as you can imagine there is NO GRASS. The only OASIS of life support in the dessert is secretly kept hidden for those in the know, the locals!!
YOU will regret it in the long term, your WIFE will, also will your KIDS ever forgive you. The choice or decision is like sitting on an ejector seat in a crashing fighter airplane. If there is any doubt, there is no doubt. But would you have got into the machine if you new the machine is faulty and might fail at any time, poorly maintained? Thats the ME airlines for you!!
Stay on your seniority list and keep your family values, here you might loose both!!

Hmmm, I take it you are just slightly disappointed then, critical winge?:}

Well said critical wing. I don`t think you are slightly disappointed, you`re mad till your twinkle toes! I read you loud & clear. I`m out of that sandpit. Packed & took a hike the minute they started to cut down on allowances & benefits. While inflation was on it`s uptrend path, the idiots started to cut even the housing allowance. You are lucky to get a 20% movement on salary. We in Q8 got nothing. Well that was it for me, had enough b/s from the desert baboons!

That`s good advise from you critical wing.

Well said critical
 

I know exactly what you mean and all the others that read here and know it's true. I had had it with the sandpit :yuk: Looking for a way out.

Couldn't have put it any better myself. :D

One month chilled out, best place on earth. That was a holiday and that was quality of life. But then...

I was most surprized, actually dissappointed with myself I must admit; by the way my attitude just snapped back to angry desert mode as I felt main wheels contact. It was like a subconscious flick of a switch. And then; "Hey bro, what's wrong with Dad. Why is he clenching fists and yelling at those stupid people." At least my kids can ID stupid people easily now.

This is what several years of crap lifestyle in a nowhere third world village of incompetence will do to your sanity and your family. Time to leave, you bet. Actually considering demotion with big pay cut just to get out right now.

Good luck to you too Critical

We all came to the Desert for our own good reasons, the majority, myself included because our previous employer "went under". My advise would be to do one contract (max three years) regroup your finances, without collecting any desert bagage and get back into your'e own home market. This may be easier said than done but you will be way ahead in the long run and won't spent so much time whinging about your lot on pprune.:)

Boo Hoo Hoo:{

comes down to this......ME currencies at a 25 year low to the rest of the world.

So after his recent and ignominious butt kicking Crinklstein (are you sure you're not Brian?) carefully dips his toe in the waters of PPRuNe posting with:

Boo Hoo Hoo:{

Not quite as worthless as his recent contributions, but pretty close.

The mood at EK sits somewhere between trying to make the best of where one finds oneself with regard to the limits, limitations and shifting goalposts of life at EK and Dubai, and actively trying to get out. Despite what deluded individuals such as Crinklstein would have us believe.

Till the last day
 

And the day you decide to leave the hot sand, count all your money, i bargain with you you will have a bad surprise...don't forget you have to pass the immigration the same day, you dont have any bank account anymore, you had to give all your IDs back and so on...Met friends last week who had the same experience, strange no ?? So guys a tip to you: start trusting when the a/c doors re closing, not one minute before. And believe me, there is another life after ME, for sure!!!

Bye bye guyes where ever you may go. If you are not happy then leave. That best for all. I pity those who stay and bitch constantly. Make a decision and stick to it, and dont behave like a 22 year old cabin crew.

Good luck to you

to bring this thread to the top.................

moved to the sandpit and i agree not the best move. i had like to think what i read on PPRUNE was not true BUT IT IS

BE AWARE OF THE LIES LOOK AT THE PPRUNE HISTORY FOR THE TRUTH

As usual in threads of this kind, there is an element in some posts of FIFO - "fit in or ***k off!"
The thing is, it's perfectly normal in western countries to have a whinge at the government/schools/traffic/etc and usually no one says "if you don't like it, you know the way to the airport." Granted, the sandpit is not western but most of the expats in aviation are.
It's only fair for those considering a move to this part of the world to get a fair view of what life here is like ahead of time. You won't get it from a Middle East employer and you won't get it from a week's holiday. I say bring on the whinges but keep them balanced. We could be doing someone a BIG favour by reporting the facts.
I'm leaving the sandpit soon, not because of SALIK or heat or declining living standards but because someone special isn't here! Now that I am leaving though, I can see through the gloss. So, let's have a warts and all, truthful look at life here....
The Good:
Cheap(ish) cars and gas/petrol
Cheap domestic help
Cheap eating available
Lovely winter weather
Sports opportunities, off road driving, watersports, etc
Great mix of expats, often fun to work with
A great opportunity to understand different cultures, particularly the local one
Low crime rate
Learning UAE English; "what is your good name sir?", "do you have a dirham?"
The Bad:
It's never going to be home
Expensive education, not usually covered in full by allowances
Major inflation, particularly in housing costs
Pay rises do not happen every year
Many of the items you're told are cheap here are actually more expensive than in the west
A greater likelihood of dying on the roads here than back home
Stressful commutes (except for Emirates crew in their chauffeur-driven cars!)
If certain nationalites hit you with their cars, it's your fault
Stealth taxes
Poor air quality
Absolutely nothing to do in the summer except drink
Ramadan for non-Muslims
Paying Dhs20 for a 99p/$2 price-marked food item
Expensive food and beer in hotels
Lots and lots of customer service, and all of it cr*p
Mindless bureaucracy and needing a letter of no objection from your employer to take a leak
Okay, so one or two points may be exagerated, but you get the point. Dive on in and add to the list people! :ok:

Lock n'Load
Perfect overview:ok::ok::ok:
The next step when you'll come back will be to explain to your family and friends that NO, you did not earn millions a month and YES there is something different than palaces and marinas in the hot sand.
Good luck for the future!!

From my knowledge of the gulf, that sounds pretty accurate L&L.

You guys in DXB have it bad eh? Pussies....

The mud further up the gulf is much deeper and smells far worse.

"Oh please sir dont sack me, I dont want to apply for work at EK or EY, Oh please no sir no, please dont send me there...."

For me, whether it's shorts or long pants to keep clean, the smell has me beat and I'm off.

Pretty accurate, except...For me this is the highest risk to my personal safety, at least when you drive yourself you have some influence on your destiny. However driven by one of our myopic chauffeur's that have no idea of personal safety or situation awareness, well it honestly scares the crap out of me sometimes :eek:

I do agree with you. I sometimes wonder if I would be better off driving myself to work if it came to a big accident. I have no doubt I would fair better if I was driving in a large SUV and being a defensive driver, but I weigh the risks of that against the minor fender benders with the resultant hardships of that, as compared to the risk of being killed in an audi.
It does concern me and I will speak up at any and all times that I think the driver is being less than cautious. I do it in a nice way and I have never had a driver not respond to my concerns in a proper manner, at least considering what he was doing prior to my intervention.
I always keep in mind that these poor bastards are not properly trained, and are overworked but the bottom line is that its my health or perhaps even my life in their hands. I encourage all of us to politely make it known that if a driver's performance is not indicative of a safe driver, to be understanding yet forcefully voice our concerns. I have been hit by idiots when I was going to work and each time it was not my drivers fault, yet leading up to each incident if I was the driver I would have backed off much earlier and likely, or at least hopefully avoided the accident.

Stayed and worked in KSA for many years.
Much happier getting out of there.
Exactly what was accomplished there is still to be seen.
Yes things are cheap, the salaries are normal, tsx free, when and if paid on time.
But after while you have to face reality, this is not your culture, you cannot change anything and after you realize this , hoping you are not on high blood pressure medication you will decide.
Many jobs now in the USA and Europe.
I just got really tired of the Arabs telling me that 911 was all a lie, trying to convert me to a religion that I could care less about along with all the hypocrites there.
Many have said 2 buckets, one for money, one for shiX. you leave when the first one fills.
Not like it was back in the early 90"s.