Originally Posted by
narvik
You've been here since Jan 2020? Wow!
Yeah, definitely some funny business going on somewhere; the name could be it, for sure.
But if I recall correctly, at PEK T3 there was a pre-E-Channel machine you had to first go to and have the passport checked, and it would give you either a YES or NO for your ability to use the E-Channel?
It was at this machine that I used to get a 'NO'.
Am I remembering this wrongly?
You remember correctly - but incompletely ... 😀
The YES/NO pre-channel check requires both passport and boarding pass scan - that's where things get screwed up if the name on the boarding pass doesn't match exactly the e-channel registered name (usually your full passport name). Even more annoying as the name check is really unnecessary, as boarding pass bar code should contain passport number (I think it does ..), and that could be used instead to verify the link between passport and boarding pass.
And yes - almost three-and-a-half years since I last left China ...! Very excited for this this trip (currently in the Air China lounge waiting for my flight ... Not a big fan though of the new security--train--passport control--customs arrangement).