Originally Posted by
swallowtail
just want to report briefly that it worked out transiting on this A-B-C-D routing. I wouldn't recommend anybody to repeat this, though. It seems to work fine with Air China, but China Eastern did not know anything about TWOV on an A-B-C-D routing. I appeared at the counter in Hong Kong 3 hours before departure and they first wouldn't let me on board saying that I need a visa. I explained to them that I talked to Chinese Immigration at Shanghai Airport on my way to Hong Kong and that they confirmed to me that such a routing is eligible to TWOV. However, I trusted them and did not ask for a written confirmation. So, at the checkin-counter in Hong Kong, after I explained that it is actually legal, China Eastern staff started calling Chinese Immigration, faxing my documents forth and back. Finally, after 2,5 hours of waiting, half an hour before take-off they gave their ok and let me check-in. A horrible experience with a happy ending.
Again, it seems you had a difficult double whammy: not only were you changing airlines in China,
but you were on separate tickets. The combo of those two things is what made things tricky. Not impossible per the rules, but trickier to pull off. I suspect if you had been on one ticket with originating carrier China Eastern (even with an switch of carriers for one segment), you would not have had so much trouble. Boo to China Eastern anyway for not knowing the rules cold, but begrudging kudos to them to at least hang in there and be willing to deal with getting OK's from Chinese immigration, for your benefit. This forum's FAQ on China, Visa section, TWOV subsection is accurate on A-B-C-D transits, but it does point out that when you do it the way you did, it might be more challenging.