Well what I did (at the suggestion of the estimable Mrs Sobhi) was fax her a copy of both sides of my credit card and she was then happy to issue the ticket for me in advance, confirming the price and ticket number back to me by fax.

I was then able to pick it up this morning at the BA Cairo airport office since I was just doing a same plane turnround at the airport.

I guess you could argue there is a slight risk associated with this, but since in HK (and the UK) at least the credit card company can only hold you liable for a very small amount (is it US$100?) for fraudulent use, and none at all once you have notified them that to stop the card, then this is a risk I am happy to take for the sake of a much easier life. One of the advantages of dealing directly with BA is, I feel, that I can place a reasonable degree of trust in them, which would not necessarily be the case with a TA of whom I had no first hand knowledge.

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 06-29-2003).]