Bretofdfw
By the way we are cutting back on LAX service shortly to 2 flights a day. And getting on Staff travel with your date of hire, basically newest of new, out of LAX in winter to HKG will make getting to work next to impossible.
There are weight restrictions on those flights due winter winds. They have 2 late night departures, can't remember if it is one of those that is getting cancelled. Anyhow the 2 flights leave within 2 hours of each other, and what they usually do is try to find anyone who is at the airport early and checking in for the second flight, they tell them about the possibility of a tech stop for fuel, and ask if they would like to go on the earlier flight. Most people say yes thinking they will get there earlier than their originial flight. So they load up the 1st flight with as much as they can and tech stop it in TPE, ICN, etc which allows them to send the second flight non stop as they have moved 2nd flight pax to the 1st. It's priceless to see peoples faces when they are collecting their bags in HK and realize the flight they were originally booked on and were talked out of taking has beaten them to HK and those pax have already gotten their bags and have left the airport.
SFO can usually make it as it but it also sometimes has to stop. So if you can pick a flight to staff travel on, the one that makes a tech stop for fuel will be lighter out of LAX or SFO as it doesn't have to carry as much fuel so it can carry more pax and bags, if they decide they must put any cargo of any sort on, then foget about it.
By the way if you put in for a Super Compact roster you will in all likely hood get 2 LA's back to back, which should get you some time at home.
Of course this will all change once the 777ER takes over sometime??? Which will mean no tech stops but less seats.
So in summary carry a picture of your wife with you as that may be all you see of her for a while.