MourningCafe,
CX/Swire scored an epic own goal by not establishing and growing a LCC in HK. Instead they sat back and said it would never work in HK. Then they burnt cash and effort to actively oppose and destroy such ventures as Oasis and J*HK. Meanwhile HKA/HKE flourished as the Swire boys were distracted and so arrogant to believe they were the big boys in town. Sizing yourself up against HNA and the Beijing CCP boys is not a wise thing to do, the colonial days are long gone.
Also, the Aust based guys are not joining Aust airlines because of seniority, a concept that CX/Swire has ignored and morphed to their advantage.