I'm as well very suprised by blocking a seat for an SL on a full flight... on other routes I was requesting the same as GO (while already completed 80% of DM qualification) and have been told every time that they will make a huge exception since they would usually only do that for DM's... but yeah, guess it doesn't really hurt asking then.

roquejo, guess it's not only the lounges - there are plenty of elite MPC's in PH who want to take CX for status/mileage runs as well. That's why I rather flew for work multiple times the much more inconvenient route from HKG via LHR to ZRH on CX/BA or QF/BA instead of taking e.g. non-stop via SwissAir. Except for the QF flight with longer layover in LHR to take a shower, the BA lounges in LHR were only a really minor incentive