Availability is rather sporadic on this route around the dates I am flying in December -- meaning lots of F0 through F2. I'm kind of glad I didn't get around to transferring my Starpoints to Asiamiles to try for an upgrade, as it doesn't look good...
I'm still annoyed that they only put 6 F seats on the 77Ws.

As much as I hate not being able to upgrade into F easily, I'm sure CX did their sums and knows that there is a market for approximately 6 paid F seats per flight.

The ability to secure awards tickets in F doesn't factor into the performance of this route from a business persoective.

They're still offering 24-26 seats per day for the market. It's not as small as it sounds. Regardless I can care less about JFK. I can get F seats ex-YYZ now at more than half the price of JFK.

Dinner
Caviar, Balik & Champagne
Caviar and Balik salmon "Tsar Nicolaj" with cuvee William Deutz 1998

Starters
Califlower cream soup

Traditional baby caesar salad served with caesar dressing

Main Courses
Pan-fried sea bass with carrot potato mash, asparagus, shimeji mushroom and capsicum

Veal and caramel onion agnolotti with sauteed cepes mushrooms and semi-dreied tomato

Chinese Favorites
Sea conch and chicken soup

Cold plate - Sichuanese style jelly fish and cucumber salad

Braise pork belly with preserved vegetables
or
Braised duck with onion sauce

served with steamed rice and mixed vegatables

Cheese and Dessert
Shrophsire Blue, Tilsit Royalp, Reblochon, Camembert le Pere Alexandre

Fresh seasonal fruit

Pistachio ice cream with garnish and mango compote

Baked sago pudding with lotus paste

Chocolate chestnut cake with vanilla sauce and chocolate tuile

Tea and Coffee

Prailines and Cookies


Snacks
Braised beef rib finger and tendom flavored with chu hon sauce in noodle soup

Shui gow with choy sum in noodle soup

Wild mushroom and ricotta cheese pie with grilled zucchini and red onion confit

Plain congee with Shanghainese soya ban salad, picked mustard greeens, roasted peanuts and salted egg

Haagen-Daaz ice cream

Up till the second meal, this is exactly what I had on CX 870(or 807 ) the 2 or 4PM flight HKG SFO in F. 10/28/07

Wasn't CX serving up Abalone and Lobster not too long ago in F? Although the Chateau Lynch Bages 2001 in F is a nice touch.

Seems to me there's a downward trend in the menu selection.

I took 841 on 17 Dec and there's a strange loading:
F(1/6) C (19/57) Y (238/238)

from comments of other forum members, it's unusual since they claimed that F and J are always full but not Y. just wanna know again if it's true. 1 more thing, there're a few problems onboard B-KPA during my flight:

1) right front Y toilet was out of service (the one in front of 31G)
2) controllers of 31J and 31K (my seat) didn't work. all buttons! so that i could't even use lamp and calling FA button.

the F section is great tho, but i wonder if they'd let u upgrade by AM even if it's F(1/6) in my flight.

This is because of the Christmas holiday season.

I remember talking to a CX FA once (during "summer holidays") while I was in F.

She commented that First / Business is usually "full" when it is "low/shoulder season" for Economy Class, and First / Business is usually empty when it is "high season" for Economy Class (eg. during summer and Christmas holidays).

I think a way to see if you can upgrade to F on the HKG-JFK route is to ask at the service counter at the airport. CX has this "Instant Upgrade" option, where you can upgrade at the airport for the same amount of miles. If F loading was 1/6 that day, perhaps an instant upgrade would do the trick.