SRC Tickets use after leaving Emirates
 

Hello ex Emirates flight deck.

I'm curious as to how easy or worth the SRC tickets are once one has left Emirates. I will complete 15 years in the not too distant future and want to know whether these travel concessions are worth sticking around for.

My thinking is that once I'm retired from aviation and would like to do a bit of casual traveling, visiting kids overseas etc, that these may actually be worth something. I know your staff number goes back to zero when you leave and that SRC tickets are quite difficult to get confirmed but all that being said they should still be quite handy and make for some savings.

As far as I am aware, you keep your seniority after retirement (assuming you qualify for retiree concessions).

Zorba,

Firstly, SRC tickets must be issued within one year of leaving, and utilized within one year following issue date. There seems to be some flexibility in changing destination within the ticketing zones after the ticket has been issued, and each ticket can comprise 6 sectors - eg, if you live in UK after leaving, your ticket can be LHR/DXB/SIN/MEL/SIN/DXB/LHR. As I understand it, the same ticket could be used BHX/DXB/KUL/MEL/SIN/DXB/LHR, for example.

My experience is that you simply have to plan ahead. Don't expect to be able to decide two days in advance that you want to travel using SRC Firm tickets and expect to get seats on your desired flights. Seat availability for SRC Firm tickets changes on a daily basis, and sometimes more frequently, so you have to keep watching on Trips, which you will continue to have access to after leaving after 15 years of service. The other consideration is that you can't get these tickets online - you apply for them by email to Staff Travel, and you have to arrange to pay for them (taxes), and get them issued at your local EK office. The response time from Staff Travel varies!

Having said all that, it does work if you plan ahead appropriately - my wife and I have just flown KUL/DXB/MAN and BHX/DXB/KUL on SRC Firm tickets which we booked a little in advance, and successfully got First on sectors where the cabin was available.

You need to be aware that SRC tickets cease to accumulate after leaving and Retirement tickets kick-in, though I think the rules are the same.

Hope this helps. PM me if you have any questions which I might be able to help with, but its all spelled out in detail in the Staff Travel Manual.

7B

777byo (te he) I think the OP is talking about retiree benefits, as opposed to the resignee benefits which only last a year.
To Abzorber, I guess it depends how close to 15 years you are, and how full your sh!t bucket is.

Warning, it doesn't matter if you resign or retire.

You can also qualify for tickets without doing 15 years. Depends on when you joined, how many years you did and what age you will be when you resign. Information is readily available on the portal, go look it up.

Many permutations of entitlement, simply depends on the individual circumstances and what his/her needs will be as to whether it's worth hanging out for.

Will the firm tickets be available or reliable enough? I doubt it, treat them as sub load then you won't be disappointed.

Not the best retirement travel deal, but a long way short of the worst.