Chadflies,
For years, they have been telling us it is cheaper to keep everyone in Hong Kong and not on the bases. You just have to do some simple math to figure out that the savings are huge by putting everyone on the base. Last year Jepperson recommended that they put 800 pilots on bases and that it will save them a boatload of cash. The biggest reason they do not want to let the majority of us go and live in our home countries is that they will then have to abide by first world labour laws and by doing that, they will lose control of their crews! Swire, who manages CX, thrive on division and control. They will contest the smallest of cases in court rather than giving something to a staff group for free. A real petty example of this is that the cabin crew had to go to court and fight with them, just so that they could choose to wear long pants rather than skirts during the flight. They also fought the retirement age case in the human's right court in New Zealand, to the cost of thousands of dollars, knowing that they were going to lose. This case would have only benefited about 30 pilots at most, but they fought it. The cabin crew also had to give concessions to them, so that they could extend their retirement age to 60! Where anywhere else in the world, it is illegal to age discriminate. The Paris base closure is another example, but I will not bore you with the details. look if you want to come here, do so, but be aware that you will not be getting a base. You will be earning significantly less than they promised you, as the hourly threshold you have to reach is very high. For an example, on the Airbus, you will have to fly 840 hours per year just to make your basic salary. I've been on the Airbus for 19 years plus and I have never hit that target. At best I have had 780 hours in a year, and I probably only go sick for 5-7 days a year. You will never make a cent in over time even when flying 100 hours a month, as they control the hours and are free to work stack you before or after you leave. Your HKPA, or "housing allowance, will not be sufficient for you to live in a spacious apartment..never. It is not indexed to the housing market, and it goes for years without being increased. When they do increase it, they will expect you to offer something in return in the form of more productivity. In a nutshell, this is what you will be signing up for, not what they promise you at your interview.