Were post-pandemic flights contingent on US licensing? I thought Cathay already had these permissions and it was just a commercial decision to restart them. Might be the same for SEA and IAD if they wanted to restart anytime soon. Of course they might face more resistance if they need to apply for other destinations, but overall they seem have flown under the radar so to speak relative to the larger agreements needed to permit more mainland flights. Haven't heard of any US carriers objecting to Cathay.

ps: I don't look at Boston like an extra NY flight despite whatever some desk agents who think two points that look close on a map have thought in the past when trying to reroute me; having lived in both cities the surface travel time between them (3.5-4.5h, more than London-Manchester) was annoying enough that I always appreciated a direct connection. I assume a lot of CX traffic to Boston in addition to what business there is there is student and university related.