Hm, point well taken. I was playing with the idea of throwing this (see below) in my original post, and should have, but didn't.

In my experience most pilots on CX and KZ are expats (seen and heard) which I can see since HK isn't exactly huge. I've seen plenty of expat pilots in SE Asia too (not as many, but enough), as well as with Emirates (no real other MENA experience) but never in India in all my travels/airport visits etc. hence the surprise, especially one being a very local (where I have had nothing but good experiences) carrier.

I was just wondering if some were leaving US carriers for something better (similar pay/higher status in a much cheaper country), given the issues faced by many in the US today. Canada I am not as certain.

FYI: I'm of Indian origin and go back to visit family about once a year which results in a few flights (depending upon length of stay). So I'm far from a frequent flier in India.