Had my first op-up with CX this very day. Thought I would share some details with you:

Flight: CX920 CEB-HKG
Tier Status: SL
BN: 1
Ticket: Economy (Y)

Y was full, while plenty seats in J according to KVS a week before the flight. I suspect that CX sold many of the J seats as Y seats a few days before departure, due to the fact that there was a sudden increase in available Y seats a couple of days before departure.

No sign of an upcoming upgrade until my boarding card was rejected and I was handed a pre-printed boarding card at the gate.

Not extremely shocked about this though, as both CEB and MNL are typical tourist destinations with relatively low J demand.

I can't say that the regional J product impressed me very much. The aircraft was a 330 (B-HLA), delivered in march 1995. The cabin showed signs of wear and tear. Even so, a very friendly and professional cabin crew made it into a nice experience.