CXfanatic

A while ago, I heard that Cathay Pacific is adding a third daily flight to SFO in Fall 2011. However, has anyone gotten the latest information about it? In my prediction, I know the third daily SFO flight (if launched) will be a 77W.

JALPak

You meant when Winter schedule starts? They haven't published it online yet

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_...ip/timetable#P

NA-Flyer

I doubt there will be any SFO 3rd frequency soon. CX is concentrating on opening new routes in north america instead of adding frequencies to existing destinations. ORD is an example for that. May be we will see more new destinations in the streamline soon.

CX HK

CX however is looking to add a 4th non-stop, and 6th daily flight to JFK

dkc192

You mean 5th daily?

QRC3288

Curious why you say that? Have any extra insights to share? I'm not privy to the expansion plans of CX, and indeed although rumored we haven't seen anything yet out of CX for a 3rd daily to/from SFO. I do know that the SFO flights seem to be some of the most frequently oversold flights I take in the CX network.

I just can't see where else CX would want to fly to in the US (except maybe DFW for AA?). It seems like either an additional flight to JFK or SFO would make a lot more sense than adding a 5th US city as a destination. AA just got a big upgrade at SFO with their new domestic terminal, I wonder if that's helping AA traffic to SFO at all

minhaoxue

Tony Tyler is on record stating SFO can handle four daily flights. They will have a thrid flight eventually. Especially when the current 2 744 flights are running in the high eighty LF.

Their current flight arrive at 1030AM and 10PM into SFO. What would the best time be for the third flight to connect to their bank in HKG? An earlier arrival time like 0800 with a departure from SFO at 11AM?

dkc192

IMHO the best would be a 4-5pm departure ex-HKG (similar to 882 to LAX and 872 in the past), arriving SFO at 1-2pm. This would connect well with most of the regional flights that arrive HKG in the early PM (SE and NE Asia). The return would probably be a second nighttime departure, like LAX. One leaving at 10-11pm and arriving around 5am, another leaving at 1am and arriving at 7am.

EDIT: they could also shift the 2pm 870 departure time to an 11am one ex-HKG, like UA's flight, to serve O&D traffic from HKG, with the schedule of return flight 879 kept the same. The 4pm departure ex-HKG I considered above would then cater for all connecting traffic arriving HKG in the late AM/early PM.

Actually, AA are scaling back their domestic ops at SFO; they now only have flights to their "cornerstone" cities (ORD, LAX, JFK, MIA, DFW) and a few others that are being drastically cut, much to the displeasure of those on the AA forum. So most connecting AA traffic will be going through LAX and ORD.

jimyvr

It can doesn't mean it will.

It will doesn't mean right away, even if it's "eventually".

ChrisLi

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Well what I think is you will see 747 being pull out of US anytime soon when they gets more 777, especially during winter. When u pull 2 747 you obviously needs 3 777 for the capacity so I will think 3rd daily is nothing strange.

StarFeat

A 3rd daily could surface when the 74As are pulled out of this route or when the operation is downsized to 1 74A & 1 77A daily. I've noticed that seat awards for the SFO flights have been getting more difficult to snag the last year and a half or so especially CX873 outbound and CX870 inbound. I've had much better success with CX879 and CX872.

SFO currently is the only other longhaul route besides LHR that operates with at least two 74As daily.

marcusnugg

We are seeing some initial reductions in European capacity this Winter: http://airlineroute.net/2011/08/12/cx-europe-w11/

So who knows? We could see some of this capacity put into SFO or other US routes...

CX828

Whilst CX only have 2 daily flights to SFO, there are actually 4 flights a day already between HKG and SFO. 2x daily CX 747, 1x daily UA 747, and 1x daily SQ 77W. Thats more than LAX! I think however, there is still plenty of room for more CX flights, which was probably what Mr. Tyler was saying.

I think CX could go up from 2x daily 747 to 17x weekly 77W like there is in LAX currently and then 3x daily in the future. At the same time, I think CX should take advantage of being the only nonstop carrier between HKG and LAX and increase there flights back up to 3x daily, all with 77W.

AZbba

+1. I'd love to see them get the 748I's and use those on sfo and lax.
It also seems like lax is doing better for CX in terms of award availability (as in there is less of it).

krpjr

Any chance CX will add a non-stop out of IAD in the future ?