Bahahahaha! Let me get this straight. They have pilot staffing problems because the conditions are so bad, so what do they do? Start operating 12+ hour legs with 3-man instead of 4-man crews when their pilots are already persistently fatigued.

Just like the U.S. regionals, Emirates deserves everything that’s coming to them. How about upping pay and allowing commuting contracts (or the equivalent)? All this latest step is going to do is drive the exodus even more.

Idiots....

Whack... you can't tell an Arab directly or indirectly, particularly an Emirati that he's wrong if you expect to keep your job. Most people in management positions out there know what needs to be done, but if they speak up and it causes a local to lose face, they're sent packing. The managers there aren't paid to think. They're paid to simply parrot what the headshed says, and as long as they do that and occasionally come up with some money-saving measure, they'll keep getting better titles and maybe more money.

The commuting contract will never happen at Emirates because it takes away their ability to keep you under the thumb. You see, they don't want you to send money home. They want you to spend it in Dubai.

Emirates used to be the premier airline pilot job until about 10 years ago, and it's been on a steady decline since they started staffing the management with yesmen, and if they're non-western, even better because they're cheaper. It's a shame really.

Wow, makes me glad I turned down their invite back in 2005/2006.

Yes and no. You missed out on the "magic years" of Emirates. It was a really, really good job back then.

You are right, there were no horror stories back then that I recall.

I didn't go because parents were still alive and I decided DXB was not the place I wanted to live.

From a buddy there, he's saying this is a spin that is apparently typical. The reality is they have too many planes that they don't need at the moment and need to right-size the airline because their capacity-dumping plan to take over the world isn't going as planned. But by blaming pilots and a pilot shortage, they can walk away with a clean image without hurting the Emirates ego. To them, it's all about image.

EASA allows 12+ hour sectors with only three pilots as well. But EASA also allows for FD rest.

Yes, saving face, as mentioned above, is a cultural mainstay in the ME. Nothing will ever be their fault. If you ever hope to live there or do business there, accepting that and the whole “inshallah” mindset is key. It drives most Americans and Europeans insane.
Good luck to them on those remaining aircraft deliveries. Tim Clark himself has gone on record as saying there is going to be a seismic shift coming soon in the way the ME3 operate. You just can’t keep dumping capacity and routing everyone through a region that nobody really wants to stay in or do business in save a few select individuals.

Well now that just makes it so much better doesn’t it? Why go through all that effort of leaving your seat to lay down in a bunk when you need to rest? Nice example of the Lorenzo types in Europe / UK manipulating the EASA.