I stumbled on this the other day in the Foreign section of the forums. It helped me deal with the jealousy over their growth. All told, I guess I wouldn't uproot the family and move there, even for the bigger paycheck. Sounds like a lot of the guys there view Emirates as a stepping stone.

"Now, would I go back to the US? Absolutely. Would I go back to a US regional? Hell to the NO! Would I leave a US regional to come to Emirates? Absolutely. Is it Delta Airlines? No. You'll work to the max, and you'll be tired and jet lagged. There's no ALPA here, no union contract, and they can modify your contract at their whim - they actually did that when they raised the overtime threshold at Emirates - again, you can quit or you can put up with it.

Having said that, show me a US airline that will pay for your house or apartment, pay your utilities, and give you over 7 grand take-home pay after it's all said and done - TO START... AS A FIRST OFFICER."