Over 1 in every 15 people employed by CX in HOng Kong is an Australian pilot (over 1000), most with one or more families (Airbus fleet has the extremely high divorce rate). More CX staff travellers than there are people employed by CX have been disadvantaged.
It's is very transparent exactly the people in KA that pushed for this. The FAU is livid over this as well, so the argument that it was for CX cabin crew holds no water.
KA expats were compensated in their contracts with full fare tickets to get them home. With this change, a KA pilot wife and three children would have multiple priority 11 sectors to offload pri25 staff regardless of their DOJ.