Guys a perspective for what I am hearing out on the contract world, they are having a LOT of problems finding qualified individuals (people with heavy jet time, Trans continental time etc.) the vast majority of their applications are from people that barely meet their minimums, I suspect that the requirements will be dropped significantly relatively soon. Do your homework on EMIRATES though, don't sign on the dotted line until you talk extensively with some of the pilots, visit the watering holes when you are there etc. The rumor is that they will start taking DEC's again and that will trump the perspectives for upgrade quite a bit.