Phil the Flyer

AJ - I can confirm this to be a correct statement.

Checking-in for domestic flights in Egypt can be a bit like playing the lottery.

The following can conspire to confuse foreigners (or 'khawagas' as they say in Arabic) travelling within Egypt:

1. MS check-in desks are generally flight-specific; i.e. you can't just wander up to any desk and check-in for any flight.

2. Given 1. above you think - OK, all I've go to do is look out for the check-in desks that display my flight no. and/or destination. Not so simple - on many occasions in the recent past (I haven't flown domestically for a year now, but in many recent years have flown domestically 20 times per annum) these are either displayed, a) only in Arabic, b) incorrect flight no. (they sometimes change them at the last moment), c) given that flights between CAI and ASW either fly non-stop, CAI-ASW, or with a stop, CAI-LXR-ASW, they might show an ASW flight with a LXR sign at check-in in CAI or a CAI flight with a LXR sign at check-in in ASW.

In addition:

a) boarding domestic flights at CAI and ASW is via buses from the terminal to the aircraft. Hold on tight, the bus drivers all appear to be retired Formula One/NASCAR drivers.

b) In CAI the flight boarding, again until recently, used to be announced in Arabic only, although the boarding gate does at least show the flight no. in English. Expect a rugby-style scrum to board the buses. I have experienced a separate bus for Business Class, but this in inconsistent in its provision. In ASW, the boarding announcement is simply some guy shouting "Cairo, flight 130" - or words, to that effect.

c) Early morning (i.e. 4:00AM - 9:00AM) is generally the busiest time at CAI and ASW. In particular, at ASW - which has a surprisingly decent terminal - having been opened only 7 years ago - do not get caught up amongst the throngs of generally Italian tourists boarding the 25 minute shuttle flight between ASW and ABS (Abu Simbel).

d) Getting the check-in time right is a tricky thing. Arrive at the airport too early and you will either have to wait around a long time, not even knowing which check-in desk to queue at until someone hangs up the aforementioned signs, or you might get lucky and actually be offered seats on an earlier flight. Arrive at the airport with only minutes to spare and you will find that either you've got boarding passes for the very back of the plane or, even worse, your seats have been allocated to standby passengers. Generally better to err on the side of caution (arrive 90-120 minutes before the flight).

e) In-flight catering - in Economy - is coffee/tea/water plus biscuits/cake. Nothing to get excited about.

f) While baggage retrieval from the conveyor belt in ASW is generally a civilsed afffair, it can be chaotic in CAI - depending upon how many domestic flights have landed around the same time as yours.

When flying CAI-ASW try and get seats on the left hand side of the plane. The view of town of Aswan and Lake Nasser when you are about to land at ASW is much better from the left hand side - 99% of the time the plane, having flown south, does a left hand 180 degree turn to land in a northerly direction. Views of the River Nile between LXR and ASW are also generally better on the left hand side when flying south.

AJ - given the timing of your planned visit (January) heat shouln't be an issue in ASW, and definitely not in CAI. Travel in July though and you'll understand why so many flights are scheduled for the early morning.

The best advice I can give anyyone travelling within Egypt though is this - the average annual per capita income is approx US$1,000. A lot of the economy works on 'baksheesh' - small tips for services rendered. Tip the bus driver, the guy carrying your bags, etc (but not immigration or customs officials - this will constitute a bribe!) with, say LE5-10 (GBP0.50-1.00 / US$1.00-2.00) and you will be amazed how far an Egyptian will go out of their way to assist you.

Happy travelling!