Are there any estimates for a timeline on the return of JFK?

No. Will probably come back eventually but I think they only have a limited number of planes with first class cabins. You would think NYC would be an in demand market but I guess not as much as I thought.

Could it be that CX is concerned about flying 77W over Russian airspace, and a 77W cannot reliably serve JFK non-stop w/o using Russian airspace?

Not sure that would be a reason since China and Russia are allies.

Aside from the fact that they’re flying over that airspace now, last year when they were avoiding it, the A350s out of JFK also had to make tech stops sometimes (I recall seeing LAX or TPE) for fuel.

I know the A359s go through Russian airspace when flying from JFK to HKG, but CX is still clearly avoiding the use of Russian airspace otherwise. I don't know if there are any differences between flying an Airbus over Russian airspace vs. a Boeing, but that was what came to my mind when CX announced F would return to LHR and LAX but not JFK. Maybe the consequence of an emergency landing would have been different between that of an Airbus vs. a Boeing?

Could it be because CX is partly owned by the British?

I will throw another theory out there - the NYC route is very popular for certain industries, eg finance, and F cabins pre-covid were normally full or nearly full but more from Op-Ups and BUs, so pure revenue F seats were probably a lower percentage of the total than the equivalent to LAX for example, which is a route less heavily laden with bankers who don't pay for F revenue seats unless very senior. For LHR, also a banker heavy route, there are more flights, so probably easier to justify more F seats, whether pure revenue or only part-revenue.

Just a theory.

Well those of us here long enough know business heavy routes are easier to score First seats due to ability to price discriminate work travel/leisure travel.

Will be flying F to LAX this week! Looking forward to seeing what service is like. Anyone else flying? I'll be sharing pictures with you all soon

Please let us know and share when you get a chance! Just booked F HKG to LAX for this winter. Super excited to fly CX F for the first time. Have done ANA and JAL F so excited to see how it compares.

Its pleasing to see the available 367-Er available fleet increasing every few weeks. B-KPA out of Alice springs on the way back to HK this morning

I noticed a comment by 'boybi' up thread that perhaps needs amplification
Cathay Pacific has been (and still is) a British controlled and operated airline - this for the past many decades.
Its operated by its major shareholder Swire and ultimately controlled by UK based John Swire and Sons who are perhaps interestingly one of the worlds largest Coca-Cola bottlers and a major player in the farming, property and cold storage industries

Right. Y'all remember the pre 97' days and shortly after? While admittedly this was a long time ago, but flying CX as a Brit back then most assuredly resulted in better service and treatment. And, if I weren't hampered by my American English, I'd have faked the English accent when I had flown CX during that era.

PS - Speaking of English accents, is the voice on the MTR real? That's like the most elegant English I've ever heard, even more English than in England!

I fly the airline very frequently ( at times 10 times in a month and have done so since about 1976.)
I totally disagree that the service style or delivery post or prior to 1997 was different when attending to us Brits. To be frank l I consider the above to be absolute nonsense - it just did not happen.
Of course at the time and for many years prior all of the cc were Asian drawn from 7or 8 countries with most totally unable to tell one accent from another.

Yes the MTR voice is real - there was an article in the SCMP a few years back about the person behind the voice.

SInce you feel the need to resurrect that discussion. I I feel the need to repost my answer:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35045334-post137.html

Cx is operated by CX, it is not a British operated airline, but a HK airline.
The word "controlled" is quite vague. No doubt that the "British" side have a strong voice at CX, whatever it means. But I would never go as far as saying that it is "controlled" by the British.