I booked 6 months out with Skymiles leaving from ORD and was surprised there was still availability as I usually book 11 months out.

KE is the way to go, an excellent J class product.

Your main problem will be finding low tier availability from CVG to a KE international gateway.

I'd go for the A380 from JFK or LAX, but the 773er from ORD or ATL has the lie flat seats. Avoid the 747 if you can.