Emirates to Offer Cabin Crew Unpaid Leave

Written by Andrew Young.

Emirates announced that they were offering cabin crew an option of up to six months of unpaid leave. Of course it all depends on what type of aircraft and seniority of the cabin crew member’s position. While on unpaid leave the employee will remain employed with Emirates and could still be called back to service with a one week notice. It is thought that Emirates is the first airline in the Southwest Asian region to offer this option.

“After a careful review of our operational requirements, we have decided to offer our cabin crew staff the opportunity to apply for unpaid leave on a purely voluntary basis, starting from May 2009. In anticipation of our growing fleet, Emirates’ recruitment efforts over the past 12 months have been highly successful in meeting our operational requirements. Combined with a sharp drop in cabin crew attrition, we now find ourselves in a position to be more flexible as an employer,” said an Emirates spokesperson.

“We believe some of our staff will welcome the opportunity to take time off to pursue personal interests such as: further studies, hobbies, or simply to spend time with family and friends,” continued the Emirates spokesperson.

It puts into focus that the airline is feeling the pinch just like all other airlines, and just making the hated furlough word sound a little less bad. The option is first available starting May 1.