Originally Posted by 18wheeler_vanrekt

I ended up traveling through in Scenario 1! I was issued my boarding passes for Abu Dhabi and onwards to NYC, and was only asked to present my COVID test within 48 hours of the first flight, and 72 hours of the second flight in printed form with the QR code available. UAE admitted me with automatic gates, then at the PCR testing station they asked to see my CDC Vaccine card and QR code given to me by ICA and I was free to enter and spend the night at the hotel that I'd booked.

No mention was made about the 12-hour layover rule when checking in at Cairo airport or entering the UAE.

If the check in agent in Cairo had brought up the layover rule, I would have:
- Knowing Scenario 3 is out, try Scenario 1 and argue my eligibility to enter Abu Dhabi and my hotel reservation for that night
- If they refuse to say I could be admitted to Abu Dhabi (though I believe I can), I would have suggested Scenario 2 and made an overnight hotel booking for Dubai on the spot if they said that would allow me to fly.
- If they refuse that at well, I would proceed to Scenario 4 and request the later flight that would fit the layover period. I would have planned to argue for this option basically until someone intervened to escort me away
- At that point I would ask them to refund, change, or cancel the ticket and made an alternate booking and been extremely upset... thankfully it did not come to that!

I'm glad I didn't end up in Scenario 3, I visited the Etihad business class lounge the next morning and it's a far cry from say the Emirates one in Dubai, nowhere really comfortable to sleep and I think I would've lost my mind a bit if I'd had to spend 16 hours there...