Only left advantages of Cathay IMHO:
- It may suit your personal situation/ lifestyle, that at CX you are in theory able to switch between bases around the world. ( be aware you need seniority though, e.g. a command on a base might be very hard to get in the future with retirement age 65 on bases/ 55 in H.K.). Other expat-carriers, e.g. EK, do not have these basing options.
- pay in Hong Kong is still allright if you include the housing allowance and you don't need to bother about the exchange rate to Canadian/Australian $ or Euro ( = if you are from the U.S. or you want to retire in a U$ country) . In other words, CX pay is acceptable for non-Americans , if Hong Kong is acceptable for you as a permanent residence.
- There are different types of A/C to choose from (not at the bases though usually). So, in theory, you can decide between ultra long range and regional ops when on a H.K. base ( again, with restrictions, e.g. when upgrading).
- It still has a British/Australian company culture ( though fading), that might be an advantage to other Asian carriers if you are a Westerner yourself. (I never flew for Singapore/Korean etc, so I do basically not know if it is a problem there if you are a colonial-expat, to be honest).
- There is free coffee available in the crew lounge on the 23th floor.
