Interesting. It sounds like award bookings *might* be treated differently, at least by outport staff. Although I've been that CX IDB "priority" goes in-line with status, there is a recent, similar thread where a pax was IDB and the agent mentioned an award booking. FWIW, that poster is DM who got IDB from an ex-EWR flight, booked using Asia Miles, he/she was already in the lounge, although CX has since apologized and compensated him/her.

Hearing your story, my suspicion is CX has outlined guidelines to outports for IDB which includes award tickets, regardless of what I've heard. While the EWR agent seems to have booted the DM member by accident - that situation makes zero sense to me, especially the way it was handled (in the lounge!) - 2 threads in 2 weeks makes me think at least outport staff look through to ticket type, when determining IDB.

I really wonder how prevalent this is. FWIW, LAX was packed on the 10th/11th - I was trying to fly J last minute those days and nothing was available, even cash tickets sold out the morning of the flight. Methinks CX sold a few J tickets last minute at full price, and you were the lowest man on the totem pole. By chance were you going for CX897 or CX885 that day? I saw J was oversold on each IIRC, I think CX885 was oversold by 3 seats that morning.

Regardless, this kinda flies in the face of my theory that CX will not boot a low status member (Asia Miles or Green), regardless of their ticket type. After this, I don't really think those low rungs matter if you're booking an award, particularly a partner award which is an even lower revenue contribution than Asia Miles.