Traveled to CMB recently on CX for the Easter Holidays and I figured it would be good to give folks an update on the basics. If you're impatient - the key takeaway is that check-in at CMB is painfully slow and may take over an hour, even in J lines.

Check-in at HHK airport express was smooth and efficient.

It's not a nonstop flight either way with stops in either SIN or BKK. En route we stopped in SIN for about 70 minutes where everyone had to deplane. Transit passes were given to passengers.

Checking in at CMB was a nightmare. It was simply painfully slow. The check-in agents are either painfully slow/poorly trained, their systems slow or both are. 2 dedicated J/MP check-in lines, 3 for Y, 1 for OLCI baggage drops. It would take 10-15 minutes per passenger/family to check in. Bags would just sit on the belt and the baggage tags would not be printed or if so would be slowly attached and the boarding pass slow to come.

To be fair it was a holiday period and there were many families checking in with lots of bags, many requests to be seated together etc. J lines were (looking back) predictably long.

I know for a fact that the systems had to be reset and check-in stopped for a solid 10 minutes. I asked one guy in front of me, a Sri Lankan national who often takes the flight, if this was the norm and he sort of sighed and nodded.

Flight back stopped in Bangkok for 70 minutes but passengers were told to remain on board and verify their hand luggage.

Hope this is helpful. Equipment used on both flights was the regional stuff for those who are curious.