RWY02KTM
Nov 4, 09, 10:09 am
Quick Report: Beirut - Cairo - Bangkok on Egypt Air
Since there aren't many reports about Egypt Air on this forum, I thought I should write this down. I hope I can get a full trip report for this trip which went Kathmandu – Bangkok – Los Angeles – San Francisco – Denver – Rapid City – Chicago – DC – Frankfurt – Beirut – Cairo – Bangkok - Kathmandu with a side trip to Australia from Bangkok done at some point.:)
First of all, I had apprehensions about Egypt Air, when my bookings on checkmytrip.com started showing up without the Egypt Air segments, and the e-ticket receipt didn't include the Egypt Air segments. I followed up with the Travel agent after I was already in the US, and all was good later, but I was worried. . These two segments was part of a RTW I am doing. I arrived on Lufthansa into Beirut and will fly out of Bangkok on Thai.
Beirut Airport:
You have to go through the first round of security before you check-in. Pretty straight forward. There are two sides – east and west. Egypt Air was east side check-in. Once inside, the Egypt Air check-in desk was more towards the center. Signage is not that good, but it is acceptable. I am sure for newer travelers they'd go to the MEA counter and be re-directed. Check-in was not much of a problem. Since the Business Check-in was empty, I just showed up and the agent was happy to check me in. Checked my bags through to Bangkok.
There were no priority tags, not even for business class passengers. Also, none of the signage had any indication that *G could check-in at the business desk, or if there was a designated desk. I was also not handed a lounge invite or given any directions on that. :td:
Passed immigration, went to find the lounge - was told invite was needed. Since boarding time was near, and I didn't see any sense in arguing with the MEA lounge staff, I just left and went to the gate. The lounge was massive though and seems like all airlines used it. Before boarding area, there was another security check and then to the gate. There are places to eat after the second security as well. Boarding commenced roughly on time. No priority order called, not even for business class.:(
On Flight:
I was on the left aisle 2nd row of economy. I think it would always make sense to board early here and get your overhead space, as people walked in with large bags all the time. Boarding took a while due to large bags it seems. The aircraft was a 737-500. There were 3 FAs, one female in Business, two males in Economy.
The flight departed about 5 minutes late. At first the FAs went around with candies. Then came newspapers, mostly Arabic, but I found an English language Egypt Gazette. They also distributed small earphones. Interestingly, these are earphones with standard connector - can be used on iPODs, MP3 players etc. They didn't collect these back.
We were then served a small snack. It was already noon by that time, but this was definitely a breakfast menu. Consisted of two breads, a cake, tea/coffee, slices of meat, some cucumber and a pack of juice. Some local appetizers and mousse for desert. Basic and OK.
When we finally landed in Cairo, we taxied for like 20 minutes. One of the longest taxi periods I have ever been on. Already lots of phones were beeping. As soon as the aircraft stopped moving, half of passengers were up and opening the overhead bins. We de-boarded at the still new Terminal 3.
Cairo Airport
This was great, and possibly one of the highlights. For those who have to buy visas, lots of bank counters to buy them from, with enough officers at immigration. Also an adequately staffed transfer desk for all Star carriers. As I had long layover, and as recommended by one of the staffs there, I went on a tour of the City/Giza organized by some Egypt Air related agency. Included car, guide to pyramids, as well as dinner. Good deal at $50 if you ask me - but I am not sure how much was the real cost, as I was never given a receipt etc. I didn't insist either, given that the official taxi fare to Giza was listed about $40. :o
Now, even though I was technically in transit, I got to see the check-in areas. They are many and have enough space. There were six rows that I counted for Egypt Air, but the screens had specific flights listed on them, so not sure if you could go to any counter to check-in. Business check-in at the end of the row. I didn't check if there was a dedicated premium check-in area elsewhere in the terminal.
I went to the row which said Bangkok, and which was completely empty. Again there wasn't any *G signage, but since it was all empty, I walked to the free agent who waved at me. He got me a new boarding card, with the gate number, and then I gave him my TG *G and asked to check if the number was there. He said it wasn't but there was some wrong info, got the right number in, verified everything and then printed a new boarding card with the FF number on it. On asking about lounges, he also gave me an invite after checking the status on the screen and also told me that my bags were already transferred to the Bangkok queue.
Now about the FF number in my booking -- Because of the ticket confusion earlier, I had handed over my TG Card to the check-in agent at Beirut airport to verify if it was included, he said it was and did some typing. The status wasn't shown on the boarding pass, but since I was flying MS for the first time, I thought, may be they don't indicate FF status on the BP. Now it seems, the agent actually didn't understand / know and inserted my FF number as 'star-link' or something else - at least that's what the agent in Cairo told me. He put something completely wrong in there. So far, about 4 days after the flights, the Cairo-Bangkok segment has posted, but not the Beirut – Cairo segment. The Cairo – Bangkok sector too posted with the TG codeshare flight number, rather then the actual MS flight number I was booked in. You go figure. :rolleyes::mad:
I was sent to the Ailoth (spelling?). They wanted to see the Gold Card despite the status indicator on the BP. The lounge was basic. No alcohol of course, but also no international newspapers or magazine. Food was also basic, only breads. Fruits were almost non-existent but non-alcoholic drinks were plenty. I saw a zero alcohol Amstel there. Coffee Machine is good. Seating was also not much. If you want to stand and watch the tarmac, it's good – but can't really do that sitting down on the couch along the wall. It's basically a long hall. Bathroom was decent. It's still a new terminal with new lounge. It reminded me of the domestic TG lounges. Free Internet works, and plenty of power ports.
I think there are about 3 or 4 lounges, the invite had them all listed. On my walk to the Gate, I passed through another lounge which also had a *G logo on it. Not sure how / why I was directed to the lounge further away from my gate.
Boarding to Bangkok
By the time I got to gate, boarding had commenced. There was security check again. No hassles, and straight to the plane. No priority boarding or anything. And this is a 777. There were two jetways, but all boarding was done from the front left door. No idea why. Walked through business class, and I'd think it's not worth paying for, unless it's very cheap. Also, no sense in boarding early if you are in business. The seats reminded me of the old TG business class.
Again, good thing I boarded as soon as I could. Lots of people with big bags. Overhead bins almost full even before half the plane had boarded. What looked like big crew bags were in some overhead bins already. Anyway, my small bags fitted nicely next to the big suitcase.
This flights final destination was Guangzhou with stop in Bangkok. It was also a TG code-share flight.
Flight:
Now I would happy report that Egypt Air economy has one of the best leg room ever. It's even better then the old TG planes. I found the seat quite good. Seating was 3-4-2 - another quite a unique setup on the 777. ^
Service was OK and professional. First candies. Then round of drinks, non alcoholic of course. Then a small amenity kit - with comfort socks, eyeshades, earphones and toothbrush. I actually like the amenity bag. It's shaped like a small digital camera bag. Then food was choice between chicken with potatoes, or beef with rice. I tried the chicken. Over cooked, no taste and it seemed it's been in the pack for too long, but then it's airline food. Accompanied by some salad, dressing and rice pudding - which was good. Got re-fills of my juice and later tea. Entertainment is old style. Multiple small screens spread over the aisle. Showed 'Star Trek' and 'New in Town' and bunch of Egyptian shows. After dinner, all lights were turned down.
Two hours before landing, a round of cold paper towels and a round of drinks. The only option for breakfast was a bread bun, some fruits, with a box of eggs, potatoes and sausages. Tea/coffee as usual.
Landing was smooth. The under carriage camera was turned on, which was nice. Once we landed and taxied to gate, both the doors on the 777 were connected to the jetway and so de-boarding was much quicker. At gate everyone had to show the boarding pass to prove final destination was Bangkok. I guess those to Guangzhou got transit cards.
Immigration was almost empty. Arriving mid-day seems to have it's advantages. Bags took times to arrive - but they did. Since it wasn't priority tagged, I didn't expect it to show up early. Walking out got the familiar 'limousine' hawkers. I had arrived into familiar territory.
Overall:
Bad: :td:
The outstations like Beirut are probably not up to date on training and following rules with regards to Star Alliance. Not being able to check and input the correct FF number is the bottom in my opinion.
Average: :)
The airport in Cairo is decent and not unlike many other airports I have gone through. It's acceptable for a *A member hub airport.
Good:^
The economy seats on Egypt Air is the best of the bunch, and if you don't mind a bit crowded overhead bins, then it's a good choice to fly them.
Since there aren't many reports about Egypt Air on this forum, I thought I should write this down. I hope I can get a full trip report for this trip which went Kathmandu – Bangkok – Los Angeles – San Francisco – Denver – Rapid City – Chicago – DC – Frankfurt – Beirut – Cairo – Bangkok - Kathmandu with a side trip to Australia from Bangkok done at some point.:)
First of all, I had apprehensions about Egypt Air, when my bookings on checkmytrip.com started showing up without the Egypt Air segments, and the e-ticket receipt didn't include the Egypt Air segments. I followed up with the Travel agent after I was already in the US, and all was good later, but I was worried. . These two segments was part of a RTW I am doing. I arrived on Lufthansa into Beirut and will fly out of Bangkok on Thai.
Beirut Airport:
You have to go through the first round of security before you check-in. Pretty straight forward. There are two sides – east and west. Egypt Air was east side check-in. Once inside, the Egypt Air check-in desk was more towards the center. Signage is not that good, but it is acceptable. I am sure for newer travelers they'd go to the MEA counter and be re-directed. Check-in was not much of a problem. Since the Business Check-in was empty, I just showed up and the agent was happy to check me in. Checked my bags through to Bangkok.
There were no priority tags, not even for business class passengers. Also, none of the signage had any indication that *G could check-in at the business desk, or if there was a designated desk. I was also not handed a lounge invite or given any directions on that. :td:
Passed immigration, went to find the lounge - was told invite was needed. Since boarding time was near, and I didn't see any sense in arguing with the MEA lounge staff, I just left and went to the gate. The lounge was massive though and seems like all airlines used it. Before boarding area, there was another security check and then to the gate. There are places to eat after the second security as well. Boarding commenced roughly on time. No priority order called, not even for business class.:(
On Flight:
I was on the left aisle 2nd row of economy. I think it would always make sense to board early here and get your overhead space, as people walked in with large bags all the time. Boarding took a while due to large bags it seems. The aircraft was a 737-500. There were 3 FAs, one female in Business, two males in Economy.
The flight departed about 5 minutes late. At first the FAs went around with candies. Then came newspapers, mostly Arabic, but I found an English language Egypt Gazette. They also distributed small earphones. Interestingly, these are earphones with standard connector - can be used on iPODs, MP3 players etc. They didn't collect these back.
We were then served a small snack. It was already noon by that time, but this was definitely a breakfast menu. Consisted of two breads, a cake, tea/coffee, slices of meat, some cucumber and a pack of juice. Some local appetizers and mousse for desert. Basic and OK.
When we finally landed in Cairo, we taxied for like 20 minutes. One of the longest taxi periods I have ever been on. Already lots of phones were beeping. As soon as the aircraft stopped moving, half of passengers were up and opening the overhead bins. We de-boarded at the still new Terminal 3.
Cairo Airport
This was great, and possibly one of the highlights. For those who have to buy visas, lots of bank counters to buy them from, with enough officers at immigration. Also an adequately staffed transfer desk for all Star carriers. As I had long layover, and as recommended by one of the staffs there, I went on a tour of the City/Giza organized by some Egypt Air related agency. Included car, guide to pyramids, as well as dinner. Good deal at $50 if you ask me - but I am not sure how much was the real cost, as I was never given a receipt etc. I didn't insist either, given that the official taxi fare to Giza was listed about $40. :o
Now, even though I was technically in transit, I got to see the check-in areas. They are many and have enough space. There were six rows that I counted for Egypt Air, but the screens had specific flights listed on them, so not sure if you could go to any counter to check-in. Business check-in at the end of the row. I didn't check if there was a dedicated premium check-in area elsewhere in the terminal.
I went to the row which said Bangkok, and which was completely empty. Again there wasn't any *G signage, but since it was all empty, I walked to the free agent who waved at me. He got me a new boarding card, with the gate number, and then I gave him my TG *G and asked to check if the number was there. He said it wasn't but there was some wrong info, got the right number in, verified everything and then printed a new boarding card with the FF number on it. On asking about lounges, he also gave me an invite after checking the status on the screen and also told me that my bags were already transferred to the Bangkok queue.
Now about the FF number in my booking -- Because of the ticket confusion earlier, I had handed over my TG Card to the check-in agent at Beirut airport to verify if it was included, he said it was and did some typing. The status wasn't shown on the boarding pass, but since I was flying MS for the first time, I thought, may be they don't indicate FF status on the BP. Now it seems, the agent actually didn't understand / know and inserted my FF number as 'star-link' or something else - at least that's what the agent in Cairo told me. He put something completely wrong in there. So far, about 4 days after the flights, the Cairo-Bangkok segment has posted, but not the Beirut – Cairo segment. The Cairo – Bangkok sector too posted with the TG codeshare flight number, rather then the actual MS flight number I was booked in. You go figure. :rolleyes::mad:
I was sent to the Ailoth (spelling?). They wanted to see the Gold Card despite the status indicator on the BP. The lounge was basic. No alcohol of course, but also no international newspapers or magazine. Food was also basic, only breads. Fruits were almost non-existent but non-alcoholic drinks were plenty. I saw a zero alcohol Amstel there. Coffee Machine is good. Seating was also not much. If you want to stand and watch the tarmac, it's good – but can't really do that sitting down on the couch along the wall. It's basically a long hall. Bathroom was decent. It's still a new terminal with new lounge. It reminded me of the domestic TG lounges. Free Internet works, and plenty of power ports.
I think there are about 3 or 4 lounges, the invite had them all listed. On my walk to the Gate, I passed through another lounge which also had a *G logo on it. Not sure how / why I was directed to the lounge further away from my gate.
Boarding to Bangkok
By the time I got to gate, boarding had commenced. There was security check again. No hassles, and straight to the plane. No priority boarding or anything. And this is a 777. There were two jetways, but all boarding was done from the front left door. No idea why. Walked through business class, and I'd think it's not worth paying for, unless it's very cheap. Also, no sense in boarding early if you are in business. The seats reminded me of the old TG business class.
Again, good thing I boarded as soon as I could. Lots of people with big bags. Overhead bins almost full even before half the plane had boarded. What looked like big crew bags were in some overhead bins already. Anyway, my small bags fitted nicely next to the big suitcase.
This flights final destination was Guangzhou with stop in Bangkok. It was also a TG code-share flight.
Flight:
Now I would happy report that Egypt Air economy has one of the best leg room ever. It's even better then the old TG planes. I found the seat quite good. Seating was 3-4-2 - another quite a unique setup on the 777. ^
Service was OK and professional. First candies. Then round of drinks, non alcoholic of course. Then a small amenity kit - with comfort socks, eyeshades, earphones and toothbrush. I actually like the amenity bag. It's shaped like a small digital camera bag. Then food was choice between chicken with potatoes, or beef with rice. I tried the chicken. Over cooked, no taste and it seemed it's been in the pack for too long, but then it's airline food. Accompanied by some salad, dressing and rice pudding - which was good. Got re-fills of my juice and later tea. Entertainment is old style. Multiple small screens spread over the aisle. Showed 'Star Trek' and 'New in Town' and bunch of Egyptian shows. After dinner, all lights were turned down.
Two hours before landing, a round of cold paper towels and a round of drinks. The only option for breakfast was a bread bun, some fruits, with a box of eggs, potatoes and sausages. Tea/coffee as usual.
Landing was smooth. The under carriage camera was turned on, which was nice. Once we landed and taxied to gate, both the doors on the 777 were connected to the jetway and so de-boarding was much quicker. At gate everyone had to show the boarding pass to prove final destination was Bangkok. I guess those to Guangzhou got transit cards.
Immigration was almost empty. Arriving mid-day seems to have it's advantages. Bags took times to arrive - but they did. Since it wasn't priority tagged, I didn't expect it to show up early. Walking out got the familiar 'limousine' hawkers. I had arrived into familiar territory.
Overall:
Bad: :td:
The outstations like Beirut are probably not up to date on training and following rules with regards to Star Alliance. Not being able to check and input the correct FF number is the bottom in my opinion.
Average: :)
The airport in Cairo is decent and not unlike many other airports I have gone through. It's acceptable for a *A member hub airport.
Good:^
The economy seats on Egypt Air is the best of the bunch, and if you don't mind a bit crowded overhead bins, then it's a good choice to fly them.