I thought the issue of the 146 pilots had been sorted now; haven't they been trained - or about to train - on the new A320 fleet. I recall there was some problem about captains retraining as FOs?
Surely they wouldn't risk industrial action by IALPA in this way, victimising a particular group of pilots, just because they had been flying a particular type? I mean, that's "asking for it".
As for Asian intentions, long overdue. The mention of CX makes sense; the HKG route (if that is their plan) makes most sense of all the possible Asian routes - within range for the 332, a superb hub for pax/freight and a highly desirable tourist destination in its own right. Now if they can get that crew bunk issue sorted out, they might be able to get things together. Unless Brennan has been working behind the scenes for an amendment to the Irish/US bilateral, there's not going to be much hope for new US routes this Winter, so they might as well make the best of it.