Emirates Posts $1.6 Billion Profit

[Green]

To qualify for the expat tax exclusion, I thought you had to be stateside no more than 35 days a year. How do you pull that off with your 3 weeks off at a time?

another misconception. If your primary residence and place of work is based overseas then you are NOT limited to 35 days per year stateside. EK gives you 42 days of vacation per year and it's pretty easy to add a few days to your vacation weeks via bidding. So you can spend all 50 or so days in the USA without worrying about losing your tax status. Lots of misinformation on this website. If you are seriously considering making the move find someone working there to get the real scoop.

 

[Green]

problem is the tax free comes with ANY overseas job, and the housing allowance is useless if you don't want to live there.. I fly contract in Asia, get paid a lot more, have business class travel home for my 3 weeks off, and get the tax break... they're simply non-competative in my view at EK.

Non competitive?? Are you sure?

base pay on new rate - 85,275
flt pay per year - 9,800
housing allowance - 42,000 (find an inexpensive apt and pocket the extra)
provident fund- 10,233
2011 profit share- 18,200

Total for FO 165,508


42 days vacation and free transportation. Haven't included per diem but you could probably add another 8k per year. If you don't take the housing you get a free villa or apt with utilities paid.

 

[uba757]

problem is the tax free comes with ANY overseas job, and the housing allowance is useless if you don't want to live there.. I fly contract in Asia, get paid a lot more, have business class travel home for my 3 weeks off, and get the tax break... they're simply non-competative in my view at EK.

Ek does not allow you to commute! (cough, cough) So the allowance is great because you have to live in DXB! (cough, cough) I get Business class tickets to go home on my leave for 42 days that I can make into 60 days with a little bidding ingenuity. I also get Business class seats to any EK destination and Captains get First class seats. The Salary could be better but when I look at the entire package, I have to say that I am pretty happy with it! uba757

 

[Kalifornia]

I don't see much point in cheering on Emirates success. It's still a tight law place that pilots have to live in. When you have to worry about kissing in public and petty alcohol induced crimes to the point of massive jail sentences, something is messed up. You know what the standard sentence for a first time offender here in the states for stealing handcuffs? A weekend in jail and probation. Which should certainly suck and discourage such action. However 2 days in jail versus 7 years in a Middle Eastern prison is beyond fathom. Yea, that is really cool - international wide body Captain. However, and a big however = you are exchanging freedoms at the very place you now call home for money (which should be much higher) and jumbo shiny jet syndrome to fly at Emirates.

The UAE is also a place that's clearly propping up Emirates with subsidies to out compete the rest of the world. Why would other pilots be pro Emirates massively expanding when it negatively impacts other airlines operating in the western world.

Finally, there is no ASAP program at Emirates. In other words, never make a mistake and never be associated with anyone who makes a mistake or be in charge of someone who makes a mistake. There's no union protection....

excerpt from Melbourne Tail Strike Incident
At Melbourne airport, a 42-year-old Danish pilot was sitting in the cockpit of his Emirates Airbus with his Canadian co-pilot running through their preflight checklist in preparation for their 14 1/2-hour flight to Dubai.

The captain had been flying for 22 years, including almost five years with Emirates and was familiar with Melbourne airport, having flown there at least four times in the previous six months.

He was also familiar with the Airbus, having clocked up 1372 hours on it. But he was tired. He had flown 98.9 hours in the past month, more than Qantas pilots are allowed to fly and barely short of Emirate's monthly limit of 100 hours. The pilot would later claim to have had only 3 1/2 hours sleep in the previous 24 hours because he was "out of whack" despite spending the previous 24 hours resting in Melbourne.



Those pilots "resigned". I have also been told some management members were forced to resign or were fired. Guilt by association; TID (This Is Dubai)

 

[Green]

Kalifornia,

There is a lot of truth to what you say. Dubai is very far from perfect. When things go bad they go very bad. Certain behaviors have to be kept behind closed doors and you quickly learn that you do not live in a society where all are equal. It's unfortunate but those are the breaks when you live in a country ruled by a royal family.

Emirates is not a dream job and I don't think anybody goes there due to "shiny jet syndrome." The vast majority of Americans out here have been furloughed multiple times and are trying to salvage a career. Sure it's not perfect but you have the opportunity to walk into a very good paying job from day 1 with decent benefits.

There is no union and as a result lots of guys you fly with are anal to the extreme. Training can be a nightmare and summers are hot as h#ll. Certain nationalities tend to be more difficult to fly with. But when it comes to social life it is not as strict as many would think. More like Miami than Saudi Arabia in my opinion. Sure you don't kiss in public but in nightclubs or private residences people do whatever they want. 13,000+ cabin crew from 100+ countries living in company owned skyscrapers and the vast majority are single. Obviously there are no equal opportunity laws in Dubai and the age/appearance of the fa's here is a testament to that fact. You can have a good life in Dubai and an almost unhealthy amount of fun, but you have to come to terms with certain unpleasant aspects of life in the Middle East. As you pointed out there is zero job security and you do not want to get on the wrong side of the law.

 

[Varmint]

[/COLOR]

I don't see much point in cheering on Emirates success. It's still a tight law place that pilots have to live in. When you have to worry about kissing in public and petty alcohol induced crimes to the point of massive jail sentences, something is messed up. You know what the standard sentence for a first time offender here in the states for stealing handcuffs? A weekend in jail and probation. Which should certainly suck and discourage such action. However 2 days in jail versus 7 years in a Middle Eastern prison is beyond fathom. Yea, that is really cool - international wide body Captain. However, and a big however = you are exchanging freedoms at the very place you now call home for money (which should be much higher) and jumbo shiny jet syndrome to fly at Emirates.
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Tight laws yes but also very safe. I feel safe here going walking or biking anywhere in the city at 3am. I would never do that in LAX, IAH, SFO. There are accepted issues and unaccepted issues in any culture that other cultures would not agree with. Some countries allow you to smoke weed and possess it. In the US you get arrested and thrown in jail for possessing it...if you have a large quantity, for a very long time. Your train of thought is that the policies and rules in the US are always right and if you deviate then you are a backwards society. I guess it is better for you to stay there as your mentality is the reason that a good amount of the rest of the world dislike Americans.
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The UAE is also a place that's clearly propping up Emirates with subsidies to out compete the rest of the world. Why would other pilots be pro Emirates massively expanding when it negatively impacts other airlines operating in the western world.
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Business is business, who cares? Did Northwest and united have Asian hubs that tried to profit on the large populations in that area of the world? If the other carriers of the world want to compete....then offer the same product with the same quality. Obviously if Emirates is making money, this is what the public wants. Personally, I don't like to be bashed in the arm by some granny fat ass Flight attendant every time they walk by. I like the skinny hot ones at EK.
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Finally, there is no ASAP program at Emirates. In other words, never make a mistake and never be associated with anyone who makes a mistake or be in charge of someone who makes a mistake. There's no union protection....
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This part I agree with and could be greatly improved upon with little effort if EK would just understand. I never believe everything I read in the press or second hand including what you posted about the MEL incident. There are 3 or 4 checks that should catch gross errors such as the ones in the MEL incident during preflight. In the interest of not second guessing and jinxing myself, that is all I am going to say. There is a Lady at my previous airline who was dubbed the White Dragon. She does really stupid stuff and has been fired numerous times but the union always gets her the job back. Would you feel safe putting your family behind this woman knowing she is dangerous but the company can't get rid of her. I am by no means implying any of the MEL incident guys were not good or unsafe....I am just saying this is another case of both extremes happening. Unions in the US protecting people's jobs who don't really need to be pilots and MGMT in the middle east firing guys for an honest, although almost fatal, screwup.

 

[HA25]

Fact, there are few places in the world as safe to live as the middle east..

Also possible "Fact", EK pilots seem to work their A$$ off from what I've heard from a lot of people..

 

[Dornier 335]

Also a fact is that the Chairman and CEO of EK, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum runs the Department of Civil Aviation - Dubai (DCA). Rumors are that many EK pilots underlog their yearly flying hours and fly way in excess of their 1000hr/year limit. But if you are CEO and king (sorry Sheikh) of the regulatory authority then really there is no problem.

 

[overseas boy]

Sheik Ahmed is the head of the Dubai Civil aviation authority however EK is governed by the GCAA which is the governing authority for the UAE. Popular misconception

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Rumors are that many EK pilots underlog their yearly flying hours and fly way in excess of their 1000hr/year limit

I raise the BS flag on that one, this is a major international airline and not some papas and mamas operation