Hi Cough. I understand what you are saying, as pilots we signed up for an unusual schedule and most of us accept that. However what EK rosters is beyond that, it is abuse. I have flown mid haul 24/7 operation before, but it was not like this.

If you lost a nights sleep, it was once a month or two instead of once or twice a week. It is not sustainable and it hit me hard after about a year on the line. After that it does not go away because there is no structure to the roster. You will go from midnight starts to early morning, midday, late and anywhere in between in one week, mixing between ULR/mid and turn arounds. You can't understand it until you experience it. I say this because I know, and I was warned before I came here but could not fathom it. Some people deal with it better than others, but not me.

What you say about training might have been true 5 years ago, but EK now hires pilots with no jet experience whatsoever. Some with only 2000 hours total. Consider this example. You are on your first training flight, you don't perform the best landing and the training captain "intervenes" and therefore must grade you a score of 2. You are thus sent back to the simulator. How is this a positive training environment for a new joiner who has perhaps never flown a jet before?

This right here. Waking up seeing some dim light under the curtains as your asking yourself where am I and is that dusk or dawn light 😁🤔. It will mess with you after a while. QOL and health is so much more important than the plane you fly or seat you are in. EK could be a great gig. But they refuse to make it one.

If you put yourself in the company’s shoes, how should they go about sorting out the issues of having ULRs mixed around with TAs? This is not a trick question, I genuinely would like to know. Was the “short haul” type roster (5 on/4 off) brought up at the pilot forum last week?

I actively avoid ULRs, and have been very successful recently. My sleep pattern has drastically improved as a result and there are always enough guys that are willing to take your ULRs. As u said, some guys deal with it better than others, so personally a night in Jakarta (DXB +3) beats 2 nights in Seattle any day!

Chopper Reid said “��Harden the f$&@k up!”

Do NOT expect to be valued at this company by anyone, period.

Whaaaat?
Utter bollocks, and you know it :)
SOME might not listen to you, but most will. Period.
Unless you come up with some weird stuff, like 'you should engage the AP as soon as possible after TO, Captain, or we might be in trouble with the company in case you fu.. up'.
I'm sure my reputation precedes me, and I know I'm average at best, but seriously? :ugh:

I have not seen the face of fear factor here in EK the last 15+ years, but I'm sure there might be some with a few of my fellow aviators. But not many.

dear colleagues,

I really do agree with most of the points mentioned here, but one thing I do not understand. To say it's impossible to put some money in your own pocket at the end of the month is simply not true. I have three kids, happily married, and yes life is tough, but I am still able to safe. How? I drive a small car, avoid shopping malls and try to put aside as much as possible. Where is the point to stay in UAE as an expat without saving some money?
Yes it's true, its getting crazy expansive here, but speaking for me, if I am unable to put an amount x aside monthly, I am leaving this place. There is no point of staying, if you not. Money compared to the rest of the world is still ok, the rest is, let's call it, xxxxxxxx.

+1.

Even Cabin Crew are able to save after a few years as well. Although most don't have families/etc.

To say you can’t save is just BS! I’ve been at EK for 11 years and have 3 kids. Think of it this way; live how you would in your own country. Have a car, go out for the occasional dinner and drinks, go on holiday, take the kids out (plenty of Platinum and APC offers), put good internet and tv at home, go to work and DO NOT speak to the neighbors about the company. The last suggestion will dictate how long your EK career will last, I can’t emphasize this enough. Your life and your family’s life will be fine if you sit at home on a Friday night watching a movie with them then standing outside your villa with a glass or bottle in your hand talking about the last email that came through or lastest FCI. You wouldn’t do that in your home country so try not doing it here!

Just my 2 fils

seems the majority of people that have a stern hatred for emirates are the 777 crew. Any input from the 380 crew? I hear it's not that bad.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an EK employee, but I'm getting a paid trip to Dubai.

lol, both 777 and 380 pilots have a hatred for Emirates. So do Cabin Crew/Ground Staff/etc...

Interview
 

Just cancelled my interview with EK. Wont apply again unless there is a major overhaul of EVERYTHING!!!

Life is too short and I have a 10 month old baby. She means more to me than any job and Im not prepared to be away from her and my wife all the time with min days off just to fly a 777.

Wish all the best to current and future EK pilots but there is just too much unhappiness out there from current and past pilots for all of this to be a coincidence.

EK like CX has serious problems stemming from the global financial crisis where they knew pilots were desperate for jobs but dont seem to have realised the tide has turned.

I know myself too well and will get angry and just walk out on them out of pure frustration...not what I need in my life.

Good luck to all future applicants though...hope it pays of for you:ok:

Luggage; there are a few happy'ish EK B777 pilots out there still. Me being one of them.
But agree, most of the guys I fly with are very unhappy.
Very, VERY unhappy.
The post somewhere here recently of NOT sharing a few bottles over the fence with your friendly EK neighbor makes a lot of sense.
I moved out of the EK nightmare in early 2000, so have have purposefully not had that (dis)pleasure.

17 days off in April - second to bottom bid
Senior 777 skipper.
Still enjoying (virtually) every day here in Dubai, with wife and kids

Yeah, let the beating begin ;-)

Hahahahaha...the skygods have spoken.....one day us plebs will get there!!

EK or Bust...Im glad to here things are still fairly good for you. However as you said there are MANY unhappy pilots which makes me feel a lot better about my decision as a whole.

Im not against working for EK but there would have to be wholesale changes regarding scheduling, days off, commuting and just how the company treats you in general for me to consider them.

I wonder how long before airlines like the ME3 and CX etc realise the tide has turned and pilots dont need those jobs over there as they have a lot of choice at the moment.

I hear a lot of ME3 have gone to Norwegian on the 787 and from what I understand none of them seem to be regretting their decision which says a hell of a lot.

Good luck to you though, I hope it all works out for you.:ok:

EK 777
 

Well said!!

17 XX days, or 10 XX days and 7 Rest days?

Ek-or-bust, if you want any credibility list the XX days off you've had for each of the last 24 months flying, not an anomalously good one-off roster (which was in a month where the system failed and everybody's bids were ignored. Maybe you should be a good fellow pilot and give your roster to the pilots in top/second bid group who got screwed with 8 XX days....... )

:rolleyes:

Really!!!.....Give up your roster because of a system screw up....okay calm down bud!

*facetious: fəˈsiːʃəs, adjective.

Meaning: "treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour; flippant"

Regardless of what the true reality is at Norwegian (rosters, pay, lifestyle etc), RESIGNATION 101; no one will admit it was the wrong decision and more so not to give any credit back to EK.

I know an ex colleague that works at Norwegian and says his roster has more blocks of flying than EK due to all the DH he has to do from base to base. Is he in uniform more times than at EK? Yes. Will he regret his move? No

Without doubt this. I recall saying to my wife shortly after I joined "wow look! 15 days off this is great!!!!", but you quickly realise it isnt really 15 days off.... unless you are a robot?

Sorry, my bad:
13 XX
4 Rest Days where we're getting back around midnight.
So, pretty pleased tbh.

March had 10 XX, and got one flight I bid for.
Not good, but not terrible either

Inputs on roster & life
 

Hey everyone ! I cleared the Emirates recruitment process and have a joining in September on the A380. I still haven't made up my mind whether to join since I wanted to know how the roster is and also if my wife and our 1 month baby will be able to adjust there when I'm out on Ultra long hauls. Have read about the 777 soo inputs on 380 will be really appreciated ! Thanks in advance, cheers !!

You have gone through the process, got accepted..but not done the homework? I will sit back and watch this with interest.

Got an invite for assessment. Got a few questions who are up to date with the current interview process.

Has the multi-day process changed at all from the most recent posts? I have gotten bits and pieces of the interview process but still trying to gather everything that happens on Day 1 to Day 3. Anyone know what the typical sim profile is? Is it done in 777 sim or some other Boeing type sim?

Any suggestions will help me tremendously.

schowzer,

Best post of the year...

Telfer, EK just imposed what is essentially a 150% tax on any alcohol you bring into Dubai from a layover. Before you waste your precious time and brain cells on trying to impress these idiots, think is this the sort of crap you want to put up with for the next 5+ years?

Good luck

And that is just one thing, in a long long list. Its the classic "Bait and Switch" con. They promise things and then take them away. What the job I went to compared to the job I left had only thing in common..I flew aircraft. Had they told me at the interview, what I was been offered now would change into what I had 8 years later, I doubt I would have gone in the first place.
Buyer Beware!!!!

I agree with you SOPS. I have only been here 2 years but in that time this place has taken a sharp turn for the worse. I knew it wasn't going to be great when I joined but this..... EK is no longer in a steady descent..... they have lowered the gear and deployed the speed brake. It has become so bad I am starting to speculate if they are trying to clean house entirely and start from scratch????

From what I have read here, all you have to do is turn up and you'll get the job.

That possibly/probably says more about the type of applicants they’re able to attract at the moment, rather than the difficulty of the process itself

Should I apply?
 

Hey guys, I have a question for you based in my situation at the moment. I'm 23, ATPL, and I work for a LC in Brazil, flying an Embraer 190/195 for almost 3 years. I'm moving for the A320 (in the same airline) in the next couple months and VERY LIKELY I might improve to the LHS in the next year...but in an ATR 72. Or I could just seat back in the A320 or A330 and wait for a direct entry as a captain at the ERJ, what would take about 3 years to happen.
I'm thinking about applying for the EK. My wages right now are about 2500 USD after taxes, which is not as good as it should be, but considering Brazil insn't Europe I can have a average+ life quality around here, flying 65h/month. As a captain in ATR, would earn about 4200 USD, improving as we move from equipment. Top salary if a career is build up here at this company would be about 6350 USD (after taxes) at the LHS of the A320, which I would guess is 8-10 years away from me. I know this salary is considerably low comparing to worldwide wages, and I`m really considering to build a career outside my country to improve my professional status and start saving a real amount of money.

I know a lot of guys from the forum are unhappy at the EK, but in my situation, shouldn't I give a try? I can't say Im unhappy at the airline, and I really can have a normal life with a standard car/standard apartment in my country, but I'm always afraid I will never be able to become a realized professional once aviation in Brazil doesn't offer us jobs in big carriers as EK or QR could provide me...I've been thinking about this subject over and over in the last months, and I'd like to listen to other people too!

Emirates Pilot Assessment
 

Hi,

Does anyone have any up to date information on the EK pilot assessment process? i.e level of difficulty and % success ratio, also are EK presently hiring guys with just the minimum requirements (200hrs 20T+ jet time).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Back in 2006 yours truly was 1/8 to get the offer. Four of us made it through the process and I was sure the others would make it if I did. Appeared it was not the case. Hats off for our recruitment team for fighting an uphill battle for a long time now 👍

ERJ190,
It sounds like you are considering EK for the money. My only advice is, do your research! On paper the package looks very good, and it would be if it were not for the sky rocketing cost of living in Dubai. When I came for my interview 3 years ago, I did my research and look at food prices, petrol, etc. And considering that the package looked good. But what I did not account for was the sudden and extreme price rises that they like to do in Dubai for almost no reason whatsoever. 5% VAT, more like 25% in some places! Fees on everything that have ridiculous names, like when you pay your electric bill for instance. New EK 150% alcohol tax for crew. These things add up quickly. You need to think very long and hard about what sort of life you are after. Do you have a wife and kids? Will wife be working? Does she want enormous 4WD car? These things are expensive in Dubai. Suddenly your FO pay check is much smaller. You can save money here, I do, but not as much as I would like despite my efforts. it gets harder every year to keep saving the same amount. Every time I think I am finally getting it right, another enormous cost comes flying in my front door. Everything in Dubai goes UP UP UP, but paycheck stays the same! Simple maths!!!!

Read my previous post here about everything else. You are not a "professional" here, you are a child and will be treated as such. New 150% alcohol tax for EK crew only! Wow, I sure feel like a highly respected Boeing 777 pilot. Thanks EK! Maybe right now you think you don't mind these things, but trust me after 1-2 years you will. There is no escaping it.

Come and do the interview, check out Dubai and see it all for yourself
Best of luck to you

The tax isn't just for alcohol. If you're bringing any items back with you they are subject to VAT and also to the 75 Aed charge for bringing them into the UAE. :ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

Join latest pilots jobs, everything you need to know is there

Thanks for the answer! But I can affirm you that this is not only because of the money. I really do not know much about the EK or Dubai, maybe thats the reason why Im that interested. But I would surely do the research before taking this giant step in my personal life.
Besides the money (which is considerably lower than it should be right now for me), one thing that makes me want to move forward is that in the company I work for, even that the environment is friendly and its growing a lot, won't give me the career I've always dreamed of, and that is a wide body captain. But maybe EK is not the answer. Shot in the dark!

Someone in the know told me it's personality online now, and then your full psych in Dubai on the interview day. So after sim and compass.