In this day and age of revenue based status, its unlikely an AA EXP would be put into a position to post on this forum circumstances of this sort.

This is wrong. Check the big sticky thread on TWOV in the China forum.

The problem is that airline agents sometimes insist that China is the destination and not a transit when entering information into TIMATIC. China can be the destination for fare calculation, but Chinese officials don't care about that. They only look at the segment bringing you into China and the segment on which you will depart from China.

It used to be 72 hours but not most Chinese cities/airports allow 144 hours for TWOV.

There's also a 24 hour version available to more passports that allows you to fly to/through multiple cities in China.

Have you an authoritative source to support the assertion that it is incorrect rather than a thread on FT

If it is true that the rules for a visa free travel to China permits visa free travel where China is the destination of ticket rather than a stopover/transit point en route to actual destination, it would be good to see where it is stated officially

It would also seem strange that it would not just state that visa free travel is permitted for tourists staying 144 hours or less rather than referring it as a transit visa waiver

TIMATIC is the system of record developed by IATA that governs these types of situations. At the end of the day, I don't blame the airline agents for putting the itinerary in as the OP states. That would be the "normal" way to do it. An airport agent can't be an expert in every single possible scenario, which is why TIMATIC exists in the first place.

It seems to me that the OP should contact the division of IATA that runs TIMATIC and see what they say. It's a serious situation because the agents are going to personally get in trouble if they allow something that is incorrect. The airline can be fined significant sums and the employee would be disciplined.

It's easy for us to sit in this forum and criticize. I suggest you go and do the agent's job for a day. You would rely on TIMATIC too and not on a passenger who is telling you to "trick" the system by putting in the data in a strange way.

Expert: MSPeconomist is correct.

I do not believe that the poster is an authoritative source

The TIMATIC entry is quoted in the Wiki post in the TWOV thread in the China forum.

Let me correct the post for you.

I do not believe Dave Noble is an authoritative source. :D

The ambassadors on China forum are the experts. Many years of discussion and research specifically on this topic and monitoring posts on a daily basis.

Your first two replies in this thread suggest you believe AA's interpretation of the rules is correct. Have you now changed your mind on that??

That's a shame.

Takes a little time to dig up the " official state" document as their laws
make US code look like a short story. But I will find it , in the meantime.


3rd party confirmation
http://lawandborder.com/china-72-hou...t-visa-waiver/

3. Traveler must have a ticket proving onward travel to a “third country or region” (not the originating country and not in Mainland China) with a confirmed date and seat within the time limit. The arriving and departing tickets may be on different airlines. For the 72-hour program, the onward flight must leave from the same city where you arrived. For the 144-hour program, the onward transportation may be from any of the designated ports in Shanghai, Nanjing Lukou Airport, or Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport. If required, you must also possess a visa for the third country or region.

The term “region” here is a term of art which refers to disputed states (e.g., Taiwan) and subnational entities (e.g., Hong Kong and Macau). So, for example, New York -> Beijing -> Hong Kong would qualify. (But note that New York -> Beijing -> Guam does not qualify, per Timatic).
Note that the third country or region must not be the originating country. For example, New York -> Beijing -> New York does not qualify, but New York -> Beijing -> Tokyo -> New York does qualify.
Duration of stop in third country is irrelevant (e.g., LAX ->PVG -> NRT -> LAX is OK, even if NRT stop is for only a few hours).
Your departing transportation must not make a further stop in China, even if you are not required to change planes. For example, Beijing -> Kunming -> Hanoi doesn’t qualify.

How do you figure? I had someone from the EXP desk on the phone with the check in agent and it did no good. We're not magical unicorns. There's not really any special treatment, we just don't normally have to deal with the contempt airlines have for the general public.

Unless someone can provide an official interpretation by Chinese immigration, there is no written official interpretation that contradicts the common sense meaning. Also, there is no Embassy in Los Angeles. It's in DC.

Even then, Chinese rules are written in a vague way to benefit the Chinese government in an individual interpretation. Some people, perhaps none of those who have used a connection in Hong Kong or Narita as a purported destination are ot on a Chinese government watch list or didn't catch the guy processing a Visa on a bad day.

We travel for fun and miles but how can we expect a gate agent to put their job on the line and state that Narita is a destination when it's obviously not.

Here's Shanghai immigration's policy:

上海、江苏、浙江三省（市）于1月30日起施行部分国家人员144小时过境免签政策

中华人民共和国公安部公告

为推动上海建设具有全球影响力的科技创新中心，构建更为便捷宽松的出入境软环境，经国务院批准，在上海、江 苏、浙江三省市实施部分国家外国人144小时过境免办签证政策。现将有关事项公布如下：

一、适用政策国家名单
奥地利、比利时、捷克、丹麦、爱沙尼亚、芬兰、法国、德国、希腊、匈牙利、冰岛、意大利、拉脱维亚、立陶宛 、卢森堡、马耳他、荷兰、波兰、葡萄牙、斯洛伐克、斯洛文尼亚、西班牙、瑞典、瑞士、俄罗斯、英国、爱尔兰 、塞浦路斯、保加利亚、罗马尼亚、乌克兰、美国、加拿大、巴西、墨西哥、阿根廷、智利、澳大利亚、新西兰、 韩国、日本、新加坡、文莱、阿联酋、卡塔尔、塞尔维亚、克罗地亚、波黑、黑山、马其顿和阿尔巴 尼亚。

二、适用条件
上述国家人员持有效国际旅行证件和144小时内确定日期、座位前往第三国（地区）的联程客票。

三、入出境口岸
过境外国人可选择从上海浦东国际机场、虹桥国际机场、上海港国际客运中心、吴淞口国际邮轮港、上海铁路口岸 或者南京禄口国际机场、杭州萧山国际机场中任一口岸入境或出境。

四、停留区域及时间
符合条件免签入境人员可在上海市、江苏省和浙江省行政区域免签停留144小时。
外国人免签过境停留，应当遵守中国法律规定，不得超过准予停留时限或者超出准许停留区域范围。

本公告政策内容自2016年1月30日起实施。

They're also decent at fielding phone calls: +86 21 3136 6100