Just wondering how Emirates does this...

I'm used to Cathay Pacific's system, where once the online check-in opens and you check in immediately, you normally get a Boarding Number 1 (maybe 2 or 3 if someone's quicker than you).

But for Emirates it doesn't seem to work that way. For instance, I just checked in for EK038 tomorrow BHX->DXB, and I did it just when the OLCI opened, but still, my Boarding sequence is already 0052.

I can understand that for big destinations like LHR etc. there will be connecting passengers who will have already checked in before me, but I can't imagine there being 52 people connecting to an EK flight in BHX?!

I mean, do Boarding sequences matter anyway? In Cathay for example, the higher BN you are (along with your status), the higher chance of you being op-uped. Do BNs mean anything for EK?

Many thanks.