OK the answer to my own question was, yes it does apply to people you're travelling with as well.
Also, there were no queues at all for Cathay checkin, so maybe things have improved in that respect since 2009.
One thing which hasn't improved was the seat comfort on the flights - I can generally have a snooze on most aircraft seats but not on the Cathay "bum slides forward, back stays upright" model.
Actually in some other respects the Cathay service had deteriorated - food was poorer than before and the choices ran out rather quickly, and smiles from the cabin crew were a bit thinner on the ground than I remember. A shame. Perhaps we'll consider Virgin next year (I have given up on BA where I have a choice, sadly).
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