Interesting that this proposed flight (PVG/MAN/EDI) goes to both MAN and EDI, both cities with Chinese Consulates - does Birmingham have one? Did I not read somewhere that a Chinese businessman has bought a building in Salford and has applied for planning permission to convert it into a 200+ bed hotel for Chinese tourists as its a convenient location for tours to both England & Scotland. Maybe the missing passengers from Air China were out scouting future business opportunities based on these two facts.