Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - First time Egypt Air

Hi all,

I have a ticket AMS - DXB on Egypt Air, and on a separate one way ticket right after, I plan to take an Emirates flight to KHI.

- MS 0758 - AMS - CAI Arrival 2020
- MS 0910 - CAI - DXB Dep 2200 / Arrival 0345
- EK 600 DXB - KHI Dep 0800

- Transit time in CAI is 100mins.
- Time between my arrival on MS into DXB and departure on EK is 4+ hours.

Given the above, could people in the know on MS advise on the chances that the MS flights are on time. Whats their reputation like.

My biggest fear, if I make the flights and my bags dont, would MS be responsible for transporting them from DXB to KHI?
I checked and there does not seem to be any interline arrangements. I will have to get out through immigration, collect my bags and check in again on EK. What happens if I travel onwards out of DXB while MS has to sort my bags out.. Would they expect me to fly back to DXB just to collect my bags?

Should I just abandon the entire construction and fly with EK through Germany?. This would mean me having to pay lots more cash as I only plan to use this as a one way.

What do you all say...
Thanks!

My biggest fear, if I make the flights and my bags dont, would MS be responsible for transporting them from DXB to KHI?

I do not think MS would transport your bags from DXB to KHI even in case of delay. I took MS flights BKK-CAI-CMN this week with a stopover at CAI. I think you are arriving in and departing from Terminal 3. Everything seemed to be working fine, efficiently at CAI. I did not notice any flight delays when I was at the airport. 100 minutes are enough and you will collect your bags in DXB. I would not worry.

If I understood you correctly the MS and EK segments are on separate tickets and therefore MS are unlikely to through check your bags all the way to KHI (only possible if your itinerary was on a single ticket). 100 minutes is more than enough time for you and your bag to make the CAI-DXB sector (in fact technically the minimum connection time for CAI T3 i-i transfers is 45 minutes although this will only be fully implemented next winter). In DXB you should have ample time to to pick up your bag, go landside and check in for your last flight.

I've flown Egyptair a few times and have found that they do a good job at connecting passengers with their luggage. I wouldn't worry too much about bags not arriving in Dubai, but I can understand your trepidation. If the savings are substantial, just roll the dice....if your bags don't arrive, use the savings to buy a new wardrobe at your destination! A greater concern for me is the condition of Egyptair aircraft - recently I flew CAI-JED (admittedly a short-haul) and the aircraft was an embarrassment. The toilet in first class (a 737) was GROSS - worse than anything I've ever encountered. The return a few weeks later was a different experience altogether on an A330. The cabin was spacious, the crew was superb and the meal was nice for a 2 hour flight. Egyptair is dry, of course, if that matters to you in any way.

In summary, live dangerously and take a chance!

kats, Vyker & pacman3,

Thank you so VERY much for your detailed input. Must say, wasnt expecting this thread to get any replies after the first day or two!

All three of you are in good faith over Egypt Air, so that certainly helps. For me its just a case of the cheapest one way to KHI from AMS and MS+EK was the way to go. Just a case of turn off brain, get onto MS flight and turn brain back on when getting to DXB. OK maybe a bit overboard, it might actually turn out an entire pleasant experience. With them being *A and all.

By schedule, there is indeed ample connecting time in CAI. My only concern being if the AMS-CAI flight is delayed. Then on I run and make the gate while my bag is twiddling rounds on the conveyor systems.

What would you say, if the AMS-CAI is delayed by more than 45-50 mins:
* should I bail the entire trip?
* Get to CAI and miss the flight insisting on wanting the next out
* Get to Dubai and if bags dont make it spend the day or two in Dubai waiting for bags and only then fly to KHI

PS: totally for the taking chances.. just wanting to take calculated ones
and again THANKS y'all ..

Can GA's check if one's bag has been loaded onto the plane?

Your bag will be checked through to DXB and I do not think you need to worry about your bag. If you make the connecting flight in CAI, so does your bag. I think there is a system to monitor that your bag will not be left behind. When there is a delay in the first sector, your 2nd sector flight will be waiting for you if it is a minor delay. I am not sure if GA is able to check that your bag is loaded. I do not think so.

Thanks kats.

Well after reading up all the info shared here, I am feeling quite confident of my upcoming stunt on this combo itinerary.

T3 CAI looks quite modern, instills more faith in reuniting bags with fashion victims! :)
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/150745/