I'm wondering how rushed I'll be with a 1 hour 40 min connection in PEK between two international Air China flights (YVR - PEK - BKK).

SEA - YVR - PEK - BKK - CNX

I've read some horror stories in my search that the connection in PEK requires two stops with customs - one coming in, and another one to get out. Is this true for international to international transfers where both legs are on Air China?

http://www.airchina.com/pk/en/travel...r_guides.shtml

According to the transfer guide, Air China says 60 minutes is the minimum, and some of my searches show that there's some Air China folks that'll help me get onto the next flight without much fuss since I'm flying Air China both legs.

Also - I assume I will need to collect my bags in YVR and BKK as I'll be jumping on other star alliance carriers. The connection times there are 3 hours plus so I'm not too worried. But will Air China route my bags through PEK onto BKK without me needing to collect them?

I would appreciate you sharing your personal experiences.