thanks
 

guys,

thanks a bunch for all your replies. they sure help to get informed.

as for my lonely sole:

- no chance for accelerated cmd
- and no DEC( i sure don't wonna start that issue again, although remember that it is the company that hires DEC and undermines the F/O's, not the DEC applicant)

by the way, what does ek mean by''4000hard hours''. this was written as part of their upgrade requirements among the 6000 total time and 3 year seniority?

again folks, thanks for all your comments.

flyboy519,

Tell us more about 'Cyclone's'.. this thread shouldn't be monitored in Saudi so don't reply in German OK!

BFB

Trot ...

If memory serves, your time is broken down into 'hard ' and 'soft ' hours. 'Hard' hours is any time ( CPT / FO ) in an aircraft over MTOW of 10,000 KG ( I think thats the number ) and 'soft' , obviously is anything less the 10,000kg MTOW.

Hope this helps

FB519

This is a really good post, I think it should even be stickied because alot of people have questions about living in Dubai and I think this is as good of an answer as one could find on this forum. :ok:

I figured there would be someone that would hijack this thread sooner or later... :rolleyes:

Yes they are a Third world airline, in a third world country with unfortunately an accident just around the corner.

Chine et al
Why don't you just start your own thread, rather than, as you said, hijack this one?
Don't get me wrong, I totally agree with you regarding our seniority system. I too suffered from it, but somehow every time someone ( trot, in this case) asks a question about the company then it always ends up the usual mish mash of anti-ek posts. I'm surprised that d***head Waldorfin hasn't showed up in this one yet, with the resultant mud-slinging, as in most of the other EK threads.
People like Trot have the right to ask questions about EK and he has the right to relevant answers. If he's seriously interested in joining EK, I'm sure he'll have a good look at ALL threads, whingey ones included.
I totally disagree with the company employing DECs but ultimately if I were somewhere else and offered a DEC job with EK, I WOULD TAKE IT AND SO WOULD YOU AND THERE IS NO ONE IN THE WORLD WHO WOULD CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.

I agree with Chine, the new guys should have all the info.

On another thread, someone talks about the low caliber of DEC's on the 310.
Did you know these 310 DEC's are only locked on type for 3 years and not the normal 6.
AAR is filling his boots with DEC's via a backdoor that no-one cares about.
The 310 FO's are taking a shafting of note; lock in on type for 3 yrs, then one year on a different type, before upgrade.

Financially, new joiners should add all the no's on this thread:

Groceries 6000
Phone 1700 (1 home + 2 mobs)
Maid 1000 (low starting, increasing)
Provident 800
School 1000 (if one kid under 5)
Car 2000 (not your 3 series trot)
Tennis 200
Swim 200
Football 200
Ballet 200
Maid visa/mnth 500
2 dinners/mnth 1400 (1 romantic +1 family)

TOTAL 15200

I don't know what FO's start on, but these are basic figures.
No clothes, golf, hobbies, holidays, ID90 tickets etc.

Man, doesn't look so good to me.

Noticed Waldo disappeared on other thread when he was caught out.

Geeeez, I thought I was the only one having romantic dinners.:ok:

I better start eating better cos I can't see how you can spend 6,000 dh's a month on groceries!!! That's 1,500 dh's a week. For a wife and 2 kids, and a maid.

I gotta agree with that. Have been here 9 years and never spent more than 2000 per month in groceries (wife+1 kid+1 dog) and that includes the non-edible items, like a$$-wipe, dog food, soap and other sundry items! Even ordering a pizza and other delivery food twice a week, we cannot spend more than 2500? Must be the "Klumps" family if spending 6000 ??

Monthly totals:

Groceries = 1500/month

Car = Zero .. paid for after 4 years and still drive it, cause it works perfect and I don't have to worry about idiots denting the doors on my Series 3.

Car Insurance = 1000 per year

Gas = 150 month

Booze = 500/month (depends on how much you need to de-stress)

Satellite TV (Orbit and Star Select) = 250/month

Internet (hi-speed or at least what they claim is hi-speed) = 249/month

Entertainment (movies/delivered food from Pizza/chinese etc.) = 500/month

Phone = 100/month (absolute max as we use the NET)

Live in company villa, so no water/power/rent to pay

Incidentals (clothes/toys) = 500/month (depends on what you need/want)

Pilot Club Membership (beach club access/discounts at restaurants) = 100/month

Golf Membership = 2700/year (going up to 4000 in 2006)

That's it ... all I can think of ... might have missed something, but nothing major. We live a normal lifestyle, nothing overly fancy, but certainly we aren't hurting. Usually 2 or 3 trips a year to Europe/North America.

Driving has gotten a lot worse, not only the crazy drivers, but the congestion, which is the big problem now. They say they will sort it out, but they have been saying that ever since we got here, so I doubt it will ever be fun again. They wanted a world class city ... now they are getting it and all the problems that come with it. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Hope it helps somebody!

Kokkos the clown:} :}

Cut down on caviar when you buy groceries, hang up the 'phone (1700 dhms a month?? - you need to change your wife matey:D ), nor are maids a requirement...
With wife, kids and animals still save a bit - and go on holiday from time to time, and eat out a couple times a month.......

Sorry lads, just added figures from earlier posts.

My personal grocery bill = 4000/mnth
I blow my booze license to collect free beer = 1000

We drive 3000 km/month @ 15lt/100km = 700dhm on petrol (2 cars)
If you spend 150/mnth = 600 km/mnth (20km/day) DO YOU HAVE A LIFE?? You obviously not a sim instr.

Groceries 1500, sorry, I come from a higher living std than you. Do you have dinner parties?? That’s what one party for 10 sets me back, I have style matey.

Phone, same as you, internet.

Clothes, toys 500???? Your wife and kid/s must be the laughing stock of DXB, poor things, Heineken T-shirts and Continent clothes is it??

You ONLY play golf at NAD?? Bet 10 on each 9 and 10 on the game?? You sad man. Try Monty, Abu Dhabi, Ranches, Al Bhadia LIVE A LITTLE or can't you afford that?

Not me mate, I have pride and a healthy social life.

Hey 00B - thought I'd try a different approach for a change:)

Kokkos, really have to say that spending wads of cash doesn't mean you have a great life, although I'm sure you do. I've never worked out why people HAVE to buy the branded names when they buy their groceries at Spinneys when they could get the same product (in a different packet) for half the price at Geant?? Is it really a case of keeping up with the Jones's - or just wasting money:confused:

I have to agree with WK. If I was to shop exclusively at Spinneys I would probably spend 4,000 dh's a month on groceries. Instead I buy everything I can at Carrefour, and then just pop into spinneys and get my bacon and ham etc that I can't get at Carrefour.

Also in choosing products. I can buy a pack of name brand corn chips for 15 dh's a pack, or a pack of locally made corn chips for 5 dh's a pack and they are practically the same. Snobbery when it comes to groceries in the middle east costs you at least a couple of thousand dirhams a month.

Well, I must congratulate the trouble an' strife next time we're both at home at the same time on what a good job she does in feeding three of us for 2000ish Dits per month.

It'd be a bit more if I was home every night, and it gets towards the 2500-3000 Dit mark if we throw a dinner party, but the Choithrams' bill has been a bit over 2000 Dits a month for the last few months.

Only six or so months ago, the average would have been around the 1500 a month mark, but like everything in Knoteetinghamm, grocery prices have gone up of late.

Air, you obviously have a cast iron gut. Do you eat "Local Chicken" as well to "keep the costs down" !!!!! :confused:

Wiley, 2,000 dh's a month is pretty much the going rate I would say. I think if your wife tells you she is spending 6,000 dirhams a month on groceries, she's having a lend of you. Maybe she is including a few midday margharitas each day in the monthly grocery bill. Or a few pairs of shoes.

Ok ratpoison first off I use Amigos corn chips for nachos etc, and I find them to be better than Doritos for that, cos they are just corn chips without all the crap coating.

As far as local chicken. The local chicken breasts, especially the recent ones from Oman, are really good. They are only small, unlike the monster steroid filled ones from back home. They are not always pure white, cos they haven\'t been bleached like the ones back home, but they are great. To be honest I didn\'t even know there was an alternative to local chicken as I\'ve never needed to find an alternative.

I do buy New Zealand or Aussie beef and lamb only. But at Carrefour that is at least 25% cheaper than the same thing at Spinneys. Similairly, except for a few locally grown fruit and veg items I will buy imported stuff (eg. Holland tomatoes as local ones are nasty). Again the fruit and veg in Carrefour is at least 25 % cheaper than Spinneys for exactly the same thing.

Over the 3 months of summer school vacation I survive on Rum and McDonalds. If you get the rum duty free the monthly food bill becomes insignificant. Try it.....

Ahh Chine, you beat me to it. I was about to say that Safa Park 'Eat and Drink' remains "Food Central" for the Dubai WANKERS* each summer, and has been for many years. Safa Park E&D do the best shwarmas in Knoteetinghamm.

(W.A.N.K.E.R = Wife Away, No Kids, Eating Rubbish.)