Outtahere, oicur12.again;
You both are correct. Right now, there is not contract with any Chinese carrier that offers better time at home than Air China. Vancouver, Melbourne, Sydney are clear winners due to sector length. Even with simulator and 4 trips you will get 14 days off plus 3 (due to the early arrival times at ones home base). BUT. Will this last forever? Probably not. Will Air China force domestic flying down our throat? They will try. Are some pilots exempt? Yes, the Aussies for one, and anyone with a clause stating "No domestic or regional flying." My personal opinion is that the domestic flying issue will die once Air China realizes they are losing huge productivity from their foreign pilot group just so they can make some local Captains happy.
With all this said, Air China will make basing promises that they simply cannot meet. London, Frankfurt and Sydney are over-subscribed but Air China will still offer these bases to perspective employees. With the ever declining U.S dollar this job is not looking as near attractive as it did 24 months ago. Oh, and good luck passing the Chinese ATPL exam, medical and simulator assessments. By all means, come and take a look, but do not resign from your current job until you've jumped through the very last hoop.