No wai
I have had a few friends leave CX and join QF. They would all agree with you on point 2 - here at CX I only make my SOs call me "captain my captain" (from Dead Poets Society).
CX have almost no need to upgrade SOs for the forseeable future thanks to RA65, DEFO recruitment and reduced FO requirements of 3 man ULR. So things are not rosy here. I doubt they would stop upgrading them as it only takes SOs one month to learn how to make the bunk, eat the sandwiches and laugh at my jokes...the next 3 years are painfully spent waiting for a window seat!
Whilst you have your divide and conquer with jetstar, you have just ordered 188 a/c. So I am sure there will be upgrades somewhere....just like at CX where the separation of the freighter fleet has led to commands taking longer on pax fleet for those that don't want to 'enjoy' inferior pay and rostering conditions on the freighter.
I was looking at tax rates in Oz and they have come down significantly - on the first hundred you will pay about 30% flat - then it is marginal rates around 40% with both labour and liberal promising to lower rates/ increase thresholds. My tax rate works out to be about 20% flat so I am better off....but that equates to $10K in the first $100k earnt and $20K for the next hundred. And by the way, cost of living in HKG is astronomical.
I agree that the 'grass is greener in the other cockpit' syndrome is alive and well. What I do know from talking to my mates is that they will have commands around 13-14 years in QF. CX has to increase its current growth rate(compared to recent a/c announcement) to have commands at 13 years. If the current 'huge' a/c order is a sign of future growth rate then command will be about 17 years.
So what floats your boat - domicile, command, money? If you want Command and more money than CX, take EK. If you want domicile and money, take QF. The only advantage that CX appears to have over QF is cockpit culture. If you were based in Australia for your entire CX career(not possible now with RA65 soaking up all Aussie command basings) you would earn significantly more in QF - and get better hotels, allowances, car parking, etc etc etc. Also, do not underestimate the desirability of being able to pick and choose your base and a/c in seniority. Its almost impossible in CX to get either choice anymore.
One last point - I know in QF some guys choose to remain SOs thanks to their pay being higher due to roster choices. I am told the highest SOs earn $160K a year and have pretty easy lives. You won't earn that much as an FO in CX! I have been told that you can get on the 737 reasonably quickish but the workload goes up vs the pay. I guess some guys work to live and some guys live to fly 'shiny new jets'.