Basically what everybody were told in different ways;
We'll get you back whenever possible.
It took me one week to realize that was crap anyway.

A guy handed me a brown envelope and said ‘I’m sure you know what this is about’ and that was it. That was the last I heard from EK. Not a single phone call to check we were ok, or a letter of apology, concern for employees was and is zero. Disgusting treatment. Yet we were all part of a valued ‘team’ …..don’t make me laugh!

A few A380 guys, a very few, were called back. Not 1 single 777 pilot has been recalled…..none!

Anyone who has a job currently and applying to join Emirates or Qatar and the like at the moment must have a screw loose. You can see how they treat employees, and how they not only dumped senior employees but new joiners who had not finished training in an instant. Would you risk that with a family, moving them to the Middle East when you could be on the next boat home at the next whim of management?

If you are out of work and single I can understand it’s a job and it’s desperate times, but anyone currently employed or with a family, do have a long read of what they did in the past, and will do again at the drop of a hat.

Surprising what you wrote, as I know 777 guys recalled, 380 guys recalled (not all of them), and even guys that were on initial training recalled with a start date within few weeks from now, and a close friend that was waiting for an induction date has been contacted too in order to know if he is still interested to join.

i know a punch of people - not a single word sofar

Unfortunately many have learned the hard ME lesson , don't trust a ME carrier. Most if not all " managers" are strictly poppets for the locals . Do their dirty work . I've been on both sides of it . I do hope the industry comes back in time for all to rebound .

I personally know of 10 A380 drivers who were recalled, and I don't even work for EK.

And how many were made redundant ……..well over over 1000 so that 1% at best …..Whoopie

Normally I hate to state the obvious, but for you I'll make an exception. I only know about 20 people who were at EK. 15 of those were made redundant, and about 10 of those have been recalled. I obviously didn't know all 1000 pilots who were made redundant.

T54A …..
You obviously know much more than I do. After all I only worked for them for many years, and you worked for them for ……?

Were the ones you know fired or were they on unpaid leave? Even based on your limited sample size 1/3 of the people made redundant are still redundant, equating to hundreds and hundreds of pilots and families. In the meantime they hire new crew. Great loyalty no matter how you frame it.

If you are looking at joining then good luck, but don’t come complaining in ‘x’ years when it turns on you.

Same I only know 15 people who were at EK. 3 777 are back. The other 12 a380 peeps I know 6 for sure are back, FOs.

Yes its crap from EK but I was actually more surprised by the likes of BA and Virgin.

I know for sure a dozen guys/gals at least from my previous outfit have thrown the towel in on aviation completely. Some only a year in the industry some 25 years. Brutal times not getting better anytime soon.

Unless you have a magical green card.

Fired600, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but 777 pilots are being recalled and a whole bunch of 380 pilots . You need to face reality and deal with the facts that many , including you , are not getting the call. Sorry mate those are the facts . 2001-2019 before covid

Fired, I say the following with genuine compassion. Let it go. You are bitter and it's eating you alive. You spend every day trolling forums about a company you no longer work for. You are not alone in this dog show. I worked for 18 years at my previous employer. I have 15000 hrs and I'm rated on A320, A330, A340, A350. I was cast out like a bad dog and was payed one quarter of what my contract said I should get. I'm married with two kids. Just like you, I'm just trying to survive. I will take what ever job comes along, work my ass off, and look for something better if it comes along. I have peace with my circumstances and I suggest you do the same. Good luck.

Fired600, I also know quite a few guys who have been called back. Cpts that were called back were all on 380 and fo’s were from both fleets.
Luckily, I found a super nice flying job outside the ME and I couldn’t be more happy…Getting up every morning with a huge smile on my face with my family telling me i’m like a newborn…
Pretty sure if you are over 40 or so and you had any sort of sickness in the past, they will not call you back! HAH and AAR, just to name a few, will never admit they made a mistake by draining so much experience during covid…They couldn’t care less…
One can see the nett result already, and surely they are making a fool of themselves to the whole aviation world with their latest stints in aviation…
As Fatbus said, holes are lining up
…
So glad this nightmare in the M.E. is over for me. Never ever again.
Broaden your scan…there are flying opportunities popping up everywhere.

Good luck to you and anyone hanging around here! But never forget what they did to us!

5star.

It would appear that trainers on the 380 are working flat out to get colleagues flying back on the line, which gives an indication that there are more than just a few rejoining at present!

Fired 600 - Just to confirm that there have been no pilots that have joined during the pandemic who were not employed previously, which is different to what I think you are alluding to with 'new crew' joining.

All of the leave without pay fellas and lasses are back online.
20 ex redundant fellas and lasses starting course every Sunday on the Bus. Courses have been happening for a few months. And are planned like that for many months to come.

A true credit to all those concerned with their attitude towards rejoining and how quickly they are regaining their skills.

This covid has been life changing for many. Great to hear about your new gig 5 star. I hope you are doing OK fired600.

Thank you Donpizmeov.

The striking thing on my interview was to hear...' We can't believe they were so dumb @EK to let go of so many experienced guys...but it's exactly what we need 🥳''. Got my 15 days off per month, flying worldwide and a payslip not that much below EK's...
Good luck to anyone that was binned in 2020! Never give up!

People (pilots!) always want to believe their version of the truth which normally incorporates big shiny aircraft as some aspirant goal and justification for their career. My experience with EK is that they can certainly supply many hours of aforementioned wide body time but a very large chance of not surviving the experienced unscathed. Even if you are a latter day Chuck Yeager there is always an opportunity for it to go horribly wrong either because of what would have been a trivial issue to completely blameless but nevertheless the dreaded warning letter could still arrive. It may have been repeated time after time but they really are a ruthless, amoral, horrible bunch of people that run EK and the expression caveat emptor will apply.

Olster , couldn't agree more mate !

No B777 line pilots that where made redundant have been recalled and its unlikely that any will in the near future, unfairly approx 40 new F/Os who where in training have been recalled first at a time when EK needs experienced guys. I didn't receive a brown package or meeting as one of the trusted few hundred that flew up till June 2020, but a phone call killed my world, one expensive operation, OPC/LPC reports I'll share with anyone, at that time I knew of loads of guys sitting on sim fails, line issues, a lot of guys in my joining group had extra training or line issues but all got put back online after not flying in March April or May 2020. Who would you prefer flying your aircraft, I seen guys in front of me who where trainers with 20 yrs experience heading back to the UK with knowledge that was invaluable, lost now and I simmed with some of these guys and flew with them and they where the best, and I will not comment on some others.

yep…sad but true…

A very experienced gentleman TRE on the 777, who transitioned to the A380 late 2019 paid the ultimate price…Put in all his efforts and finished linetraining only to be sent home with a one-way ticket. The guys in Seattle did take notice and offered him a job with Boeing straight away…:ok:.

At least our treatment might aid the guys and girls considering joining…They won’t be able to claim they weren’t warned…

I’ve been coming here for more than 15 years, others have been here much longer. In all that time Pprune has never been short of threads giving advice, usually in the form of a warning, about joining Emmrats. Whilst it can be argued some of the whining did seem to confirm the tale about the jet engine and the pilot, countless others have laid bare how, exactly, that corporation works and what you, as a lowly employee, may expect. You will also find the Pprune archives are full of predictions of how EK will face recruitment difficulties. Soon, very soon.

Fact of the matter is, whatever happens and however it is perceived and experienced by the employees, doesn’t matter at all out in the real world. When EK posts jobs, EK gets applicants in droves. When EK calls people they previously made redundant, they get loads of positive answers.

I too used to believe in the power of mouth-to-mouth, and that honest advice on outright toxic employers would be taken onboard, but that’s not how we humans work. We’re in it for number one, and will happily turn a blind eye to things we’d have sworn never to be part of, in order for us to fulfil the desires of life. Simple as that. Only a small, very small, percentage of us will chose principles and the prospect of financial ruin when push comes to shove.

Besides, and with a huge tongue in cheek. pilots are basically 16-year olds looking for the biggest and baddest motor around and hoping to score as much action as possible. EK offers the possibility of both.

you nailed it mate. Nothing to add.

Maybe my online submission unintentionally skipped or something.

Any joining news?
 

Hi everyone,

Is there anyone with some news about direct entry FO? I and some friends applied around last august and still no reply, all of us with around 4000h midsize Jet, but no news! Anyone know about anything?

Please I don't want to hear about how bad or how good it is, I respect all opinions but that's not the goal here.

Thanks on advance and safe flights to all.

hi, mee too. Sometimes no news is good news.

Thanks for that valuable info.
All the luck for those who want to join and maybe we meet over there.
Let's keep each other updated.

were they all ex Easyjet by any chance. Anyone who joined on a secondment from EZY or SAA have been treated favorably.

just mention one thing which could shrink the number of rejoiners:

apparently hr recruits rather junior guys before the senior guys which makes people who served already a long time loosing everything especially seniority - not that it means much but at least on tickets at boarding it had a meaning so a guy who joined in 2018 initially will way ahead and 5 plus year of previous service put u at the end of the list for upgrades etc just because the call these guys last.
EK just wants everybody back but does not care about details, or respect or what so ever.

Heard guys who joined backend of 2019, early 2020 are back there since November, December. Recall has been done in reverse seniority in majority of cases.

the value of long years of service - come back to square one - unbelievable

QR rejoiners are on previous pay scales, previous seniority for upgrade and staff travel. Why isn’t EK doing the same?

OW.

Because EK is smarter.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/1...hief-tim-clark

Yeah, real smart...

4 weeks bonus
 

So this is how slap long serving employees in the face

4 weeks bonus for those who survived the Desaster and 1000 are without job or any future - congrats EK

Perhaps they will reinstate the full relocation allowance and seniority for those who where worst affected yet still choose to return. Otherwise yes, a real kick in the gut and perhaps the last straw.

What does this interview mean:
Mr, smart management didn’t plan ahead 1,5 or 2 years, rather having one selfish ignorant and disrespectful plan in mind. Having lied to the employees over job safety in early summer 2020, is now ranting over the headache to get the staff he already had. Is this kind of thinking the way you become a Sir?
i am sorry that I have my doubt in the class of management when you park 100 super aircraft without having a plan in place how to get them airborne again once things pass by. The fast and flexible management counts again on luck and is overtaken by its own inflexibility to think I a different way, except in punishing employees - luck is apparently the secret of this company.
recent have show that having only the lowest range of experience in place is just building on luck, further rehiring in reverse seniority and new pilots won’t change the drama. Seriously not impressed, you don’t need to be management superstar to misshandle an airline like that.

Or interviewing redundant pilots, telling them to expect a recall course date, only for HR to subsequently bin the application due to the exact same reasons the pilots were let go in the first place. Mostly medical reasons, even though the pilots held a Class One medical when made redundant.

Why not check paperwork prior to deciding whether to have the online chat…?

Another egregious mishandling of employees.