Jumpseating on Cathay is not free.... you pay the equivalent of a ZED E/Y fare. You will be given an E/Y seat if one is available, only if E/Y is full will you get the jumpseat. (as previously mentioned, the jumpseat on the 744, long haul, is actually in business class seat)
The jumpseat is only available to CX staff and their immediate family (over the age of 12). It is NOT available to crew of other airlines.
You do not need right of abode for a Temporary Basing. You stay based in HKG, you keep all you HK living allowances. The only change is that you roster starts and ends at your Temp Basing port.
Temp Basings for SOs are 2 months in duration. For FOs and Capts they are up to 4months. Successive Temp Basings must be split by a complulsory period of 3months back in HKG....and are awarded in seniority order.
Re: Hawaii.
There are no direct flights from HNL to HKG. The most direct is via Taipei with China Airlines, otherwise United and Northwest fly the route via Narita and poss Continental via Guam.
Just advertised within Cathay last week we applications for current CX pilots wishing to transfer to North American freighter bases as FOs and for early commands too.
So, yes, a pax SO, can apply/transfer to freighter FO (or even apply for an early command slot!)
*Obviously all such applications are in competion with other applicants and dependant upon both your seniority, flying experience and CX checkflight history