Qatar Airways from Alexandria in year two: the economy roster, the Egyptian crew in Doha, the Cairo commute and why I chose Doha over Dubai
-
#1 Qatar, from Alexandria, two years, economy, and the Egyptian threads on here are Emirates and Etihad. Here is the Qatar version for the Egyptians choosing between the three, because the choice is real and Doha is the one people know least.
Why Doha over Dubai
I had both offers three weeks apart. I chose Qatar for three reasons: the smaller operation where I would be known (the Etihad thread makes the same point for Abu Dhabi), the QSuite as a product I wanted to work eventually, and honestly, Doha being quieter. Alexandria is loud and I wanted a quieter city for a few years. Two years in, all three reasons held.
The economy roster in year two
A mix of the Europe long haul (London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan), the Asia routes (Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, Mumbai), the Africa routes (Cairo, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg), the US and Australia occasionally, and the Gulf turnarounds. About 80 to 90 block hours, four to six layovers, nine or ten days off. The Cairo route comes up and Egyptian crew bid it for the family visit disguised as a duty.
The Egyptian crew in Doha
A large community, close, with the food and the dialect and the Ramadan comfort the other threads describe. Smaller than in Dubai and therefore closer. The Egyptian crew are across every grade and the senior ones look after the new ones in a way that I did not expect and now do myself.
The Cairo commute
Doha to Cairo is under four hours with several daily flights on Qatar and on EgyptAir. Standby on staff travel, home for a night on a two day off block, back on the second day. I go every six weeks. The Alexandria drive from Cairo adds three hours and my family meets me in Cairo more often than I go to Alexandria. The commute is the reason the Egyptian crew last.
The Doha specifics
The accommodation rules are as the Doha threads describe and they loosen after probation. The city is small and clean and hot and the Egyptian cafés in the older districts are the social life. The Corniche in winter is lovely. The summer is a personality test, as Ruby wrote, and Alexandrians who grew up with the sea breeze find Doha in August hard.
Emirates or Etihad or Qatar for an Egyptian
Dubai: the biggest community, the most to do, the most anonymous. Abu Dhabi: the smallest and the quietest with the Etihad operation size. Doha: in the middle on size, the quietest city, the QSuite, the closest community. All three have the Cairo commute. Choose on the city and the operation size, not the salary, which is close.
What I would tell an Alexandrian
Apply to all three. Take the first if they are far apart. If they are close, ask yourself whether you want to be one of thousands or one of hundreds. I wanted hundreds. The sea breeze I miss. The rest I chose.
-
#2 EgyptAir, and the 'family meets me in Cairo more than I go to Alexandria' line is every Alexandrian in the Gulf. The Cairo drive is the real commute. Good honest comparison of the three.
-
#3 Emirates training from Cairo, and I chose Dubai for the opposite reason: I wanted the thousands. Farah wanted the hundreds. Both of us are right and both of us are Egyptian in the Gulf with the Cairo commute. Good luck in Doha.
-
#4 Etihad from Alexandria, so the third city, and the Alexandrian in August point is the truest thing in the thread. We grew up with the sea. The Gulf summer is a specific punishment for us.
-
#5 Economy purser, Jordanian, and the Egyptian senior crew looking after the new ones is a thing I see on every flight. The Levant and Egyptian crew have a culture of it. It makes the operation better.
-
#6 Moroccan, Qatar, and the Doha in the middle on size description is right. Big enough to have the community, small enough to be known. The North Africans and the Egyptians share the cafés.
-
#7 Cairo, reapplying to all three, and this thread has made the choice a real choice instead of a ranking. Operation size and city. Not salary. Noted.
-
#8 UK, Qatar, and reading the Egyptian version of Doha is interesting because the commute changes everything. My home is seven hours away. Farah's is four. That is a different job.
