I know quite a few Cairo-based Business class patrons who travel this route regularly, used to be loyal BA customers over many years, but have since switched over to MS. They already find BA's Cairo-based CW fares excessive compared to MS; the lack of booze doesn't bother them too much (those who care enough bring their own ); they otherwise find the MS hard and soft product on the 777-300 quite excellent for the price; and the MS schedule is better (a later departure out of CAI on the way out; and an earlier evening arrival back in CAI on the way back).

I fly this route on BA, one-way CAI-LHR, twice a year, typically in the third week of January and in late July, and have never found CW more than maybe 60% full (even before Jan 2011). On my last trip, this past 24 July, Olympics notwithstanding, UD on the 747 had barely a dozen passengers (on the other hand, it was early Ramadan.....). CAI is a relatively easy route to find CW & F redemptions on, which again doesn't speak to the 747s/777s flying with high occupancy up front. But people with vastly more BA experience on this route than I report the opposite experience, so I'm a little bemused......

The Egyptian authorities have a long, stubborn tradition of restricting the number of flights foreign airlines can operate into CAI/Egypt as a way of protecting MS's market. But I cannot seriously believe that, with a little help from the UK government, BA, now virtually the sole scheduled UK carrier into CAI, cannot get permission to run two daily A321 flights into CAI when MS is running 11 weekly 777 & 333 flights into LHR. My guess is that, for whatever reason, BA just doesn't care to.