A 2 year upgrade would have to be on the freighter, and that pay is no where near 181,000, it is more like 123,000 USD w/ a US base. If you do take the 2 year upgrade, and pass, you will most likely be stuck on the freighter, flying the crappiest schedules in the company for the better part of a decade.

The UNIFIED FO scale, known on the line as "C" scale, will be introduced JAN 1 and apply to all new joiners outside of Hong Kong. If you join as a DEFO after the first of the year you will not be classified as a PAX or freight FO you will simply be an FO. If you get the -400 you will be required to fly both fleets and be stuck on a base outside of Hong Kong for a minimum of 4 years. The sh!t part for the guys already with the company is that a guy joining after the first of the year will be sitting with me on the -400F flying across the pacific making more money than I am. Now, you might say that I will get even and then surpass him eventually because I am on the "B" scale. Well, if they recruit DEFOs in North America, then there will be no vacancies for us guys coming off our freighter commitment, so will be therefore stuck on the freighter, with freighter pay, working the crappiest schedules in the company. Not to mention it will be a crap shoot to think they are going to train us on the 777 out of the kindness of theirs hearts so that we can transfer to the PAX fleet and get a substantial ($29,564/year) pay raise.

Good luck,

FO