NBC
 

When are the JFK-HKG flights CX889/888 going to get the NBC seats?

What do you mean? The JFK-HKG routes have long had the NBC. They are usually the 744 or 74J variants that have either the small or large J cabins, respectively. The 74B is the only aircraft that has old BC and is used only for SFO-HKG.

Wondering why they still use OBC on SFO flights, given that NBC is available on all other North American flights.

My guess is a combination of yield and traffic. The internet bubble collapse has seriously cut F/J traffic out of SFO, a huge reduction from 3 years ago (at least for the flights that I've taken from SFO in F). CX obviously finds more money out of YVR and YYZ than SFO. I've been offered some very low consolidator fares out of SFO. Presumably these will end when the planes are converted to NBC (fewer seats and a better product). CX does have quite a few AA codeshares into SFO, which suggests they would like to expand this service. But the CX lounge is so bad that I stay at the DL Crown room until it closes (at midnight). Pretty sad for a brand new terminal that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to construct (but UA seems to have made sure that the other airlines didn't get decent lounges there).

number_6: Do you have names of consolidators that you would recommend ?

Think it's luck of the draw. I flew HKG-JFK last month and it was only OBS...

I saw B-HOO (74J with NBC and large J cabin) servicing the HKG-JFK route last Wednesday.

JFK is one of CX premium routes, so you will likely to get the NBC 99% of the time. Of course, there will always be last minute substitute.

LAX is the other premium market. They also get the 74J much, and with Airbus A340-600 returning to LAX late September, there will be one flight guaranteed to have NBC.

Carfield

PS. JFK is nice, but only wish that CX can use its own staff in the future and finally launches the nonstop JFK-HKG flight.