Just finished a 3-city Asia trip that began EWR-PVG for under 72 hours then on to SIN.
PVG-SIN leg was booked as a MP Award flown on Singapore Air (2 business class seats for 22.5k each).
Agents at EWR had no knowledge of the Chinese 72-hour TWOV (travel without Visa) policy for certain Chinese cities and couldn't find any documentation of it in their system (even after telling them exactly what/where to look). Eventually after 3 agents got involved and a phone call was made they checked us in for EWR-SFO-PVG.
The EWR agent then said, "I'm going to print out your PVG-SIN tickets since you need proof of your onward travel." Ok I thought, that will be perfect to satisfy the Immigration authorities in Shanghai.
All went well getting to Shanghai but the problems soon arose when we showed up at 6:00 a.m. for our 8:20 a.m. PVG-SIN flight on Singapore Air. When we went to check in and presented our passports, the China Eastern Contract employees told us that our reservation was void (one rep) and cancelled (another rep). We said that was impossible and showed our paper tickets as proof. They said they don't accept paper tickets and our E-tickets were cancelled/void.
Ding: I get it...the agent at EWR printed actual paper tickets (not copies or itineraries etc) which then voided our E-tickets. The Chinese agents refused the paper tickets, said there was nothing they could do and we need to step aside and call United to figure it out (there is a United Shanghai ticket office but they don't open until 8:00 a.m.)...they were the least helpful or sympathetic airport agents I've ever encountered (but not at all surprising for a Chinese airline employee).
Luckily I had my international emergency phone and I got a hold of a Service Director at the 1K line...after 58 minutes (at $2.99 a minute), and still being at the counter well after boarding began, the UA agent had to book us 2 brand new award tickets for the following day then he talked to the agents and instructed them to switch those tickets to the current flight. (Now I have to try and get the original 22.5k x 2 refunded).
We were ran through security with an escort and made the flight as the door was closing.
If I had not had my international phone there is absolutely NO way we would have made the flight...no one at all was willing to help us.
So words of warning/advice (if you skipped the narrative):
Downright awful stress-inducing experience due to one simple thing (the printing of paper tickets by the agent at EWR) and then the helpless feeling of having no one whatsoever willing to help on the ground. Again, without my cell-phone to call the 1K line we would have been stuck and overstayed our 72 hours.