...Any FCN who wants to be in HKG can have full expat benefits as long as he sits in the seat his seniority allows...nothing more, nothing less...
But was that not the whole point about the Paris-based freighter guys, they did
not want to come to HKG at all. They were forced to choose between giving up their commands (which no-one -especially in CX- would in their right mind do) or not getting housing. As such it was a win-win for the company, as they simultaneously saw a way to reduce their crew complement on bases while increasing the number of HKG-based crew on local terms, sadly accompanied by barely-concealed glee by some colleagues still affected by freighter-angst.
However this thread risks derailing into another freighter-bashing vs. freighter-whingeing thread which is pointless. The big picture here is that there are basically two big attractions left to being a pilot in CX: the receipt of proper, indexed housing if you are in HKG, or a basing. Both of these seem to be in the crosshairs.
By focussing on our colleague's goat or lack thereof, we simply hasten the demise of the few remaining bright spots in our jobs (ie basings and housing).
Braced for the inevitable incomng.