Something for Nothing?
Pulse 1
According to Cathay Pacific’s blurb in the past when online check-in was first introduced, it does not affect one’s “chances” of an operational upgrade however I have not read this recently as I don’t need to.
I would respectively suggest if you wish to be sure, you book passage in business or first class.
You may well have been successful in the past, but times have changed. I must admit that personally if I want that bit extra, I pay for it. I have occasionally received an operational upgrade from CX from business to fist but that is because they need to do it for their own reasons, not because I fancy it. They choose me because I travel 100 sectors / 200,000 miles a year with them and have high status in the frequent flier program.