Thanks Kelvin (and SMOC & IJWTF). Came back from HKG recently and while we didnt get upgraded (which I wasn't expecting anyway), my wife and I were treated very well by the check in staff! On the way to Osaka, they even advised us to keep a free page on our passports (mine was getting full) cos the Japanese Immigration like a blank page to stamp. The best thing is, we arrived at the check in early by 2hrs both ways and they checked us in on the spot even tho the flight was quite full! In my own airline, the flight could be almost empty, and you can arrive 2hrs early and they will make you wait till the last 20 mins before departure before issuing boarding passes.
So, CX has given us nothing but a good experience. In fact we were quite impressed and planning to go to Moscow through HKG as well next month!