Emirates Update

[typhoonpilot]

The big news from the Middle East's fastest growing airline is that they will now look at hiring Direct Entry ( That's right, the dreaded DE ) Captains. The requirements are:

10,000 hours total
3000 hours PIC Wide-body
4000 hard hours ( I think, that means real jet time )
Preference for A330/340 type rated pilots and instructors
Age under 56 at joining


They have also raised the minimums for First Officer applicants to:

4000 hours total time
2000 hard hours
ATPL
Age under 49 on joining


The Direct Entry thing is a little disappointing to those of us sitting in the right seat, but the Airbus fleet has grown very rapidly in the last year and management has decided that they want very experienced pilots to fly the extra A340-300s that they may be getting from Boeing ( ex-Singapore ).

Barring another SARS epidemic or terrorist event the current F.O.s are still being promised an upgrade at around the three year mark.

The Emirates website www.emiratesgroupcareers.com has been revamped over the summer and can answer many questions on the package, interview, Dubai, etc.


Typhoonpilot

 

[ACWild]

Hey Typhoon,
Any news on the New York base? It looks like a good deal. I'm tempted. I guess you still like it there?

 

[typhoonpilot]

ACWild:


EK policy is to have all crew based in Dubai. That said they may have to start looking at some other bases as they grow. I highly doubt New York would be one. London or Sydney would be more likely.

I do still like it here, but the Direct Entry Captain thing is a little worrying. We'll have to see how it plays out before passing judgement.


Typhoonpilot

 

[teedub]

ek bases & dubai

Typhoon Pilot
any rumors as to when the other bases may emerge? ie london
and whats life like over in the middle east with emirates? ie days off/trips/efficency/scheduling/ appreciate the input

teedub

 

[typhoonpilot]

Hi Teedub:

Maybe I should have phrased my last response a little differently. Ek Policy is to keep all crew based in Dubai. Another base will only happen when an overriding economic or logistical argument can be made. No rumours exist as to another base I was just speculating those that would make the most sense.

A typical EK pilot flies 80 pay hours per month. Training is paid at 3.5 hours per day, vacation at 2.5 hours per day, flight time is by the scheduled block ( which works out pretty well ). On the 777 it is not uncommon to have 15 plus days off per month, but saying that doesn't do the schedule justice because days that you return to Dubai at 0100 count as a work day. Most trips to Europe are two days trips leaving Dubai at 0800 and returning the next night around midnight. Most trips to Asia are more than two days, up to the present eight day Singapore-Melbourne-Auckland trip which I'm on right now. The Airbus does the majority of ugly trips to India in the middle of the night, which are turn-arounds that leave Dubai at 10:00 pm and return the next day at 8:00 am.

Most layovers are 24 hours but there are some up to 72 hours in Jakarta ( good golf ), Kuala Lumpur, Malta, Casablanca, and a few good 48 hour layovers in Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka and Nairobi. Of course that changes all the time with the schedule.

Life in Dubai is good. It has something for everyone. Lots of activities for kids, excellent golf, good beaches, good cultural events, good nghtlife. It all depends on what you want to make of it. I think it is a good environment for a child to grow up in since it is much safer than the western world in terms of drugs and violence. CNN doesn't give that impression because they like to sensationalize the hot spots of the Middle East. People from all over the world come to Dubai on vacation because it is a good vacation destination.

I'm not trying to sell Dubai, I suggest to everyone interested in EK to visit Dubai and see for yourself. Bring the wife and kids as well because they need to be happy with the environment.

By the way, two TWA guys started in September.


Typhoonpilot

 

[teedub]

thanks a lot

TyphoonPilot

thanks alot for the response..I've been mulling the whole idea for a while now and keep peeking at the EK website..can't be a bad deal scooting around in a 777 for about 55K a year! Is that about what you make? how does the pay scale go for F/O's ?
Point taken about the "other bases". Given the accuracy of airline rumors are inversely proportional to flight crewjob security I shall go mull the website some more and keep listening

thanks again
Teedub

ps Is the beer good in dubai....I here there's alot of brits out there so it should be!!

 

[ACWild]

Hey Typhoon,
Thanks for all the good info. My wife has reservations about moving out there, but I think it looks pretty good.

 

[typhoonpilot]

Hi Teedub:

Given the alternative of another lengthy furlough from Useless Airways, I quite enjoying scooting around the globe in a 777 for 55K per year

The F.O. pay scale goes up at about 3 to 5% per year. Although the entire package needs to be looked at. With housing provided as well as water and electricity a major expense of life has been eliminated. Quite honestly the tax free nature of the income makes it the equivalent of 100K per year in the States.

Did you say beer ? Lots of that in Dubai, and yes it's quite good. I prefer German and Czech beer in those countries but one can't be too picky.

Typhoonpilot

 

[AA717driver]

Typhoon--Thanks for all the good info. What's the retirement age? I'm 45 now and looking at the end of the tunnel.TC

 

[typhoonpilot]

Retirement age is 60. You become fully vested in the Provident Fund after 7 years.


Typhoonpilot

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Do they put you up on Jemeirah Beach?

Thats what IM talkin' about....

 

[teedub]

wots it mean?

typhoon pilot

read in 9-15 sept flight intl in the pilot training article that emirates use "flight operational quality assurance" ie the use of flight data recorders...something about "to talk about risk depersonalises things. Talking about performance puts people at the center"...Chris Knowles

whats that really mean!!! and have you any thoughts on the deal???

also how tax free is tax free for us nationals?

cheers & warm beer (czech ok also)

 

[typhoonpilot]

Hi teedub:

I'll answer the easy one first. A U.S. National living overseas qualifies for the " Foreign Earned Income Exclusion ". You still have to file a 1040. but the first $80,000 of foreign earned income is tax free. You can add to that any exclusions or deductions for things like mortgage interest, filing status, etc. The UAE does not have an income tax so the salary is tax free.

FOQA isn't as sinister as it may sound. We used it at USAirways to monitor a variety of parameters. In one case we were able to get the Charlotte Airport to smooth out a bump in the runway because we showed a significant G spike every time a FOQA equipped airplane went over it. Emirates uses a British Airways designed program to monitor flight parameters and look for significant safety trends. They are not really looking to bust an individual in particular, but if someone should do something way beyond a " gate " they will be called to have a a chat about it. Stabilized approaches is the big item at the moment.

FOQA is in place at almost all International Airlines these days so it is something we live with. At Emirates if we inadvertently exceed a parameter then we just file a safety report and that covers us. If you do it on purpose though it could get bad.


Typhoonpilot

 

[iluvetops]

FOQA

China Airlines do use FOQA to bust, suspend or even fire a pilot.

 

[GCD]

Hey Typhoon,

I'm spending four days in SHJ at the end of this month. What's there to do and see?

 

[typhoonpilot]

In Sharjah itself I would go to the Blue Souk for shopping. It is one of the better places to buy carpets. The Corniche in Sharjah is quite nice as well. I haven't been, but Sharjah has a few good musuems as well. The nice thing about Sharjah is that it is a quick twenty minute drive over to Dubai. If you come over to Dubai go to the Wafi Center Mall where the Dubai tour bus originates. They have a fairly decent tour of the city from double decker buses. The tour includes the Gold Souk, Jumeirah Mosque, old fort, old palace, the creek, and creekside park. You could easily spend most of the day doing that as it is a hop on - hop off type of bus tour. There are good public beaches in Dubai, not sure about Sharjah. Just down from the Jumeirah Mosque is the Jumeirah Beach. If you get a rental car you could drive out to the Palm Sales Office on the beach road. That is interesting to see. Out that way as well is Wild Wadi, a waterpark and the Burj Al Arab ( world's most exclusive hotel ).

If you are interested in day or evening tours a company called Arabian Adventures does tours out to the desert for 4 wheel drive type stuff or the more toursity Arabian dinner out in the sand dunes. They have a web site.

I'm actually back in the States until early November otherwise I could have met up with you.

Oh, if you want to drink you have to go to Dubai since Sharjah is a dry Emirate.


Typhoonpilot

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Do you guys have pilots that commute from the US? Is 55k a year worth flying for Emirates and living over there? Whats there currency like compared to the US?

 

[Dieterly]

Well, 55k is 55k.

 

[GCD]

Typhoon,

My trip has changed. I will be staying in DXB from the 27th of Oct through the 31st. I'll be back in DXB on the 3rd Nov, and deadhead out on the 4th on EK 45 from DXB to FRA.

 

[typhoonpilot]

Dieterly:

Actually 55K can be very different from country to country if you look at taxes involved. In the case of Emirates, or the UAE in particular you pay no income tax on that 55K. So I would ask, how much would you have to earn in the United States to pocket 55K ? Add to that free housing and utilities and the Emirates package is worth well over 100K equivalent in the USA.

Typhoonpilot

 

[ghostrider]

Emirates Hiring Criteria

Hello Typhoonpilot.

As you seem to be the resident authority on Emirates can you shed some light on what the competitive or rather the realistic hiring criteria are at Emirates. Considering the vast pool of highly qualified and experienced captains out there with thousands of hours of 'heavy' time is Emirates really looking at others such as regional pilots? I am aware of the official requirements as posted on the website's career link. Secondly is Emirates indicating a preference towards British trained pilots?

Thanks

 

[typhoonpilot]

Hi Ghostrider:

I can't answer your question with anything other than my own perceptions but it would appear that Emirates is still in a position to be a little picky on who they are selecting. That seems to be guys with fairly high time ( over 5000 ) and either narrow body command or good widebody F.O. experience. There are always exceptions to that and they do hire a fair number of guys who have never had a jet command but have good f.o. time on newer narrow body jets. They can do short course programs on people who are currrent within one year on Airbus 340/330/320 as well as Boeing 747, 777, 757, 767, and 737NG. That makes guys who fit that criteria float to the top of the call list for interviews.

There has to be a point where they shift to a little less concern over guys who can make captain in three years because that isn't going to continue indefinitely. At that time, which should be within the next year, they will probably start looking at lower time guys down to the minimum requirements. It really is supply and demand and right now the supply is quite high.

I wish I had better news because I have a very good friend with time and experience very near yours and he would be great at Emirates. I think that guys like you would be more willing to sit right seat for five to seven years before an upgrade versus former A-320 captains. Once Emirates gets over 1000 pilots the upgrades will start heading into that time frame versus the current three. That is my opinion based on the total fleet growth.

Emirates doesn't seem to have a preference for any one group. They try to keep a balance and right now Americans are in favor since there are so few of us.

Typhoonpilot

 

[ghostrider]

Emirates Hiring Criteria

Hello again, Typhoonpilot.

Thanks for your time and the info you have provided. It was very valuable and pretty much matched what I had expected. You are absolutely correct: I wouldn't mind at all sitting FO for 5 or so years. Given my current perspective an FO position on a heavy with EK and all its associated perks do look very appealing. One more question. How do Americans deal with the taxation issues as the US taxes on citizenship rather than residence. Any 'legal' ways around that?

Ghostrider

 

[501261]

Dieterly:

Actually 55K can be very different from country to country if you look at taxes involved. In the case of Emirates, or the UAE in particular you pay no income tax on that 55K. So I would ask, how much would you have to earn in the United States to pocket 55K ? Add to that free housing and utilities and the Emirates package is worth well over 100K equivalent in the USA.

I have to agree with Typhoon, 55K a year tax free is not too shabby! According to my contract I make well over 6 figures (USD), yet after you get done with income tax, Social Security, Medicare, State Income, State disability, insurance, and dental. I bring home less than 55K a year, throw in another 3K per month in mortgage payments and a car payment, that Emirates package is pretty dang attractive!

Ghostrider, you asked about taxation issues. I believe as an expatriate the first 80K you make outside the US is tax-free; however as an ex-patriot you can only “visit” the US for 30 days a year. If you come home for more than 30 days your income will be taxed like normal. There used to be ways around this, like flying into Canada or Mexico and walking across the border (thus no record of you being in the US). Though I’m sure much of this has changed as all this is pre 9/11 information.

 

[typhoonpilot]

501261 and Ghostrider:

The answer to the question on taxation by 501 is pretty close. The exact IRS code you want to look at is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. There are two ways to qualify for it; one is to be resident of another country for at least one full calendar year, the second ( as 501261 alluded to ) is to be in another country or countries outside of the USA for 330 days out of 365. The advantage of being resident in another country is that there is no technical limit on the number of days you may spend in the USA. That said, it is wise to keep it to a minimum and not push the IRS to look too closely. As a resident of Dubai with 42 days of vacation per year it isn't unrealistic to spend all 42 days in the USA and still qualify under the residency test, but the IRS would probably frown on much more than that.

Typhoonpilot

 

[Gumby]

Wondering...

Hey Typhoon...I need to jump in quickly....You say that you are furloughed in the US? I have a buddy at UAL who is a hair away from getting furloughed and was looking into EK. It sounds like you've had a really good experience there. How long have you been there? How are the majority of crews to fly with, and the FA's?
Thanks...

 

[ghostrider]

taxes and so on...

501261 & Tyhoonpilot.

Thanks guys for the info. The 80K exemption and the foreign residence 'workaround' is actually pretty good news as I was initially told that the US can tax no matter where you reside, as long as you own a US Passport. That makes the deal pretty attractive. It would have been a real clincher to 'only' make 55K --albeit tax free-- and then to turn around and get 'bled' by Uncle Sam. In spite of the perks it would have made the deal far less attractive. Thanks again. If, and hopefully when the time comes I'll definitely explore the above options.

Ghostrider

 

[typhoonpilot]

Hi Gumby:

Yep, I am furloughed USeless Airways. Not going back ever again either. I was furloughed 7 years and 3 months the first time and made the mistake of leaving a good job at Boeing to go back in 98. Went back for the pension, oops, what pension

Emirates requires seniority resignation which wasn't a big issue for me, but could be for some who think that their major will recover.

The crews are very good to fly with and the F.A.s are okay.

If your buddy is serious he needs to start right away with an application because it takes about a year from app to class date. I applied right after 9-11 and it took me over a year from app to class in January this year. That time frame may be quicker for some but that has been pretty typcial so far.

Ghostrider:

Just a little more clarification on the tax issue for U.S. Citizens. You must still file an income tax return on your worldwide income. That is what some people confuse with having to pay on your worldwide income. With the $80,000 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion plus what ever other deductions you can come up with you should be able to make more than 90,000 and even upwards of 100,000 before having to pay any Federal Income Tax.

Typhoonpilot

 

[Gumby]

Ek..

Great Typhoon...Thanks for the info...

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Was your Boeing job a flying job? Couldn't imagine a better job than flying for Boeing in the BBJ! Or is that jus me?