All systems go for Scotland as direct flights to China begin

When Hainan Airlines announced a new direct route from Beijing to Edinburgh a few months ago, I got pretty excited about it, as did many others.

I've lived abroad for most of my adult life, mostly in Hong Kong, and the annual or biannual pilgrimage home has always been a long, protracted experience involving at least two flights and a lot of lost sleep.

A few years back when new routes opened up to Scotland via the Middle East, I ditched the tortuous transfers at Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle airports in favor of a more convenient switch in the Gulf, and a nicer flight on a newer wide-bodied jet out of Dubai or Qatar.