One of the main reasons being cited here against freighter PXing is length of duty day and the freighter seats being too cramped. From my experience in North America, in most cases you stay on the aircraft you came into ANC on and PX to base or preferred port. Yes the duty days are long. Sometimes some pretty ridiculous things have happened such as trying to PX guys to LAX via MIA. And sometimes there is a ground wait to PX on another aircraft. My own personal experience has been that I almost always come into ANC on the same A/C I'm supposed to PX on, and rarely are there so many guys that there isn't a bunk available. And the -8 seats are quite comfortable. But again, this is my experience on one base with a preferred port, and I have been there and watched eight guys come off an A/C from YVR.
But let me ask what people think is going to happen on North American patterns if you don't PX on a freighter? Do you think they will simply stop positioning crews? Roster you to operate every sector putting you into overtime? I think a whole bunch of people will get off in ANC, have a nice trip through security in the passenger terminal, a nice sit in a gate area, and then a wonderful Y class seat to your base or preferred port. And if that PT is seven hours a Y class seat is all you get since the US Airlines call those seats in their forward cabins "first class" seats. It doesn't matter that they aren't even as comfortable or spacious as a freighter J class seat, Cathay equates them to a Cathay first class seat and we seem content to allow that. Of course it doesn't matter to anyone based in HKG who doesn't have to deal with such nonsense as the (imaginary) US first class seat.
I'm going to guess a minimum of fours hours average ground time in ANC while you wait for a PT flight depending on time of day. Maybe a hub stop and a connecting flight as well on the way home. Compared to one hour to clear customs and stay on the freighter home. So if the company continues to position crews you are almost GUARANTEED a much longer duty day than a freighter PX. A nice middle seat in the back and if you're lucky a bag of peanuts. Make sure your suitcase fits in an overhead or you'll be waiting at a baggage carousel at home, and your flight bag under your seat in front of you. But there's a lot of leg room in Y class anyway, so that's no bother.
Now I could be wrong. Maybe the company won't want to pay PT costs and they'll schedule more efficiently or have some sort of a bid to realign the bases. Maybe we'll work every sector for full pay. I don't see them caving and offering full pay in return for freighter PX. I think a lot of people will get a Y class PT shoved up their a** and told "this is what you wanted." Nobody really seems to be addressing that scenario but people will certainly be thinking about it sitting in the back of that Delta 767 on the way to Atlanta (stop in Minnie anyone?) wishing they had a bunk to lay down in.
Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances. Its a gamble.