I don't see EK going the way of EVA anytime soon because they are apples and oranges to compare in the first place. EVA has been relatively stagnant since the late 90s. Stagnation leads to a big drop in morale, opportunity, etc. EK is growing at 20% per year so there are growing pains, but still lots of opportunity. That opportunity leads one to overlook the little cuts, or at least rationalize them. If and when EK stops growing is when you can start to compare the two.


TP

Just curious. As an Emirates pilot do you have to live in Dubai, or could you live in another country and commute? Have you ever flown with anyone who does this? Thanks.

Emirates is not a commuting job.



TP

Hi Typhoonpilot, I just got an offer from EK in the A310. My background in in pax service, but for the past year I have been flying 727-200F's in ACMI service in the US. I wanted to get back into passenger service, and I was hoping you could shed some light on whether I would be stuck on the cargo side of EK if I accept the job. Best Regards, Sophia1997

Congratulations on the job offer. The present policy for the A310 fleet is that you get to bid off after 3 years. Alternatively you can stay on type and upgrade. In which case the three year clock gets reset. Lately they have been letting guys off before the 3 year mark, but it's better to make the decision to come based on a 3 year commitment to the A310. Hope that helps.


TP

Thanks a lot for your reply. I assume it would be a bad idea to email the HR specialist and inquire about an A330 or 777 class instead, even if I had to come sooner? It is my impression that the class assignments are not negotiable, without regard to personal preferences and solely driven by the company's needs at the time of hire. I don't want to jeopardize my job opportunity by making a mistake at this late date, so any further insight you may provide would be most welcome. Best Regards, Sophia1997

This brings up a good question. Maybe it has already been covered, but what is life like on the A310? That hadn't even crossed my mind as being an option.

Actually, what you might do is send the e-mail saying you are available for a sooner class date without making any mention of the type aircraft. If they need a body in an earlier class it could get you out of the A310 and into one of the other two types. Just make sure you are actually available for an earlier class.


TP

Life on the A310 isn't that bad. They are a small group and tend to take care of each other. Trips vary from local turns to longer specialized cargo flights to the USA, Pacific, as well as some other interesting places that the pax fleet doesn't go to. Barcelona being a good example.


TP

How many 310 do they have?