Thanks for the comments. If it just me I would take CX economy, but when I suggested that to my wife, who hates to fly and is indifferent to travel, she said "then let's stay home".

So my choices are:
CX or ANA, both direct, at about US$1550.
BR or CI via TPE, US$1330 for BR and US$990 for CI.
Hong Kong Airlines, direct, US$850

None of the fairs vary within a week either way of our dates.

From what I've read, Hong Kong Airlines seems rather like something between and LLC and a full-service airline, and we don't mind changing in TPE is the fare is good (our last trip KIX to HKG on Eva business was just US$800), so that is why I'm leaning toward CI.

Although I would not expect CI to be as nice as BR, is CI regional business really that bad?