Cairo Airport Transit from T1(Int'l) to T3(Int'l)
 

I will land CAI from AMM then take another flight to ATH with Aegean Airlines. My question is how I can transfer from T1 to T3 without entering Egypt. (I don't want to buy VISA for layover.)
I have checked-in baggage. I will spend 14 hours in lounge in T3:cool:

Unless things have changed in the past 24 months...if you are transferring to another flight, you will not need to buy a VISA. Let the airport staff know you are in-transit, and they will transport you from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3.

With that said, I think you're crazy not going into Cairo in order to save a VISA fee and taxi fare to-and-from the airport.

I had fairly horrible experiences in transfers - and now choose to immigrate rather than trying to do an airside transfer. They don't really seem set up for it and if you don't have a boarding pass for your onward flight expect to be kept in a separate room, until your airlines chooses to collect you for your flight.

First off, T1 is a bit of a zoo, but don't be put off by the apparent chaos: inter-transfers happen all the time. But it's more that you will be transferred, rather than transfer yourself: you'll be a pretty passive player as you get shuffled through the system.

The system might appear bumpy, but it's pretty well practiced.

When you get off the bus from your aircraft and enter T1, follow signs to the information/transfer desk before you reach the immigration lines. If you don't see signs or desk, just ask one of officials. You'll be sidelined to a waiting area for transport to get you from T1 to T3: this could be a minivan or a bus. Make sure you are not forgotten :D.

When you get to T3 you'll be sidelined again. Have documentation ready, including your itinerary, e-ticket print out. You'll then have to surrender your passport and wait in a secure area for the airport personnel/security to contact Aegean representatives land-side. You will eventually get your passport back with an Egyptian transit stamp.

For you the fly in the ointment could be Aegean and the availability of their reps six hours before the flight. If they use Egyptair systems and ground services (T3 is essentially the MS terminal) you'll should be fine: if not you could be stuck in limbo until they they open check-in.

The alternative is entering Egypt. It will cost you $25 for the visa at one of the bank/exchange windows. Entering and transferring landside will give you something to do: the lounges in T3 are OK for a short visit: mind numbing for six hours.

Safety in Cairo
 

Thank you so much for kindly comments.
Yes, I may be a crazy to spend 14 hours in T3. My arrival time is about noon and the next flight is 3:00 after midnight.
My most concern is the safety in Cairo. I read an article Egypt Forces shoot tourist car by mistake. I also heard many IS related Terrorism in Cairo and all over Egypt.
I once had a plan visit the Pyramid, but I gave up going out from the airport for security reason.
I hope lounges are nicer than I'm expecting and A3 (or MS) guys let us in 14 hours before departing.

That's a lot of hoping. The lounge is absolute rubbish. A single room, a small fridge with drinks, and some stale sandwiches. I wouldn't want to spend 14 minutes in there, let alone 14 hours.

More importantly, there will not be A3 staff that early to get you your boarding pass.

If you don't want to go into the city, why don't you get a room at the new Le Meridien Hotel? It's very cheap, and they may even have a day room rate. It's a great hotel and connected to T3. 14 hours is a long time to be in limbo.

totaly agree with justforfun, T1 lounge forget about it,and I don't think you can use it as it's at your arrival, T3 lounges are better but not for 14 hours.

There is another thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/middl...d-threads.html
with many good tips, and remember the visa for transit is 25 usd.

If you book at Le Meridien and have status with them,or pay 20 usd, they have a meet&greet service, waiting you before clearing the immigration,helping getting trough it and customs, and transferring by van to the hotel, for me worth every penny.
They have day rates as well from what I remember.

I would double check about your checked luggage, not sure if they can interline easily.

I'll probably have to do a T1-T1 International transit in the next 2-3 months,AZ to QR, this should give me less headaches, I hope :cool:

I don't recognise the lounge description as matching the facilities in either terminal. T1's lounge will be out of bounds anyway. T3 lounges are really quite comfortable, though with a half-hearted attempt at food, a range of beverages (sans alcohol), views of the apron and (sometimes dodgy) wifi. There's a bar and restaurant/cafe in the public area.

T3 lounges are EgyptAir ones, but they host Star Alliance members.

The A3 staff availability will be a major concern, unless MS handle for Aegean.

The visa for airside transit should be free. You pay $25 only if you enter Egypt.

Cairo isn't unsafe. It would be unwise to throw yourself into a demonstration, but people are simply going about their lives in a normal way. The deaths were in the Western Desert - not an area you're likely to get to on your short visit.

You could throw some money about and get a guided tour of the pyramids from an agency. I wouldn't advise doing it yourself by taxi: not because of security issues, but because the hassle of touts and unscheduled visits to commission-paying tourist shops might be stressful.

You could, as other suggest, get a dayroom at an airport hotel. Novotel should be significantly cheaper than the Meridien, and they'll give you a meet and greet if you phone/email ahead to arrange it.

An odder alternative is get yourself to the CityStars shopping-mall, in Nasr City, next to Heliopolis. It's only a short EGP70 drive from the airport, and you can join middle-class Cairenes shopping, eating and cinema-going in air-conditioned comfort. It's an enormous complex with an Intercontinental hotel tagged on, should you require greater creature comforts and better dining.

Booked
 

Thank you again for all comments.

I booked Le Meridien for about 135USD. This is not day use but full stay because day use only allow us to stay until 6PM($100) or up to 5hours($70). I decided to rest in the hotel over 12 hours. I also need 2 x 25USD for VISA. That's a LOT ! I will get to the hotel by myself. Maybe on foot?

One reason I booked the hotel is my crazy itinerary. After leaving my home airport, it will take over 19 hours to land in CAI via DOH and AMM ! As A3 flight lands ATH at early morning, I noticed I need to sleep during my trip.

To get to the hotel, you could either arrange a car transfer with the hotel itself, or take the train from T1 to T3 and then walk over.

I'm now in T3 lounge waiting for the next flight.
This lounge is not good to spend over one hour. Staying hotel was great choice.

I'd like to say thank you again for all comments recommended me Le Meridien.

Hotel staff waited where the bus from the air plane arrived (it's air side of immigration) and took me through the hotel by a van for FREE.
That's a really nice complementary service.

Hey guys,

The information in these posts is from last year and I wondered if the info is still valid. According to TIMATIC, a Transit Without Visa (TWOV): Passing through an international
transit area of the airport in order to board a connecting flight, without entering the country (i.e. clearing immigration).

If leaves some questions with me:

- If you have a second flight on another booking, with another carrier even, do you still 'connect'?
- What if these 2 carriers don't interline, is there a way to get the bags checked through (by airport staff for example)?
- Why am I asking this: we (EU passport + Indonesian passport) want to travel through CAI to enjoy the low ex-CAI J fares. As an Indo passport holder cannot get a visa on arrival, it's crucial to have things clear :)

- Apart from these questions: what would the minimum time be when arriving on T3 (A3) and leaving from T1 (EY)? Would 100 minutes be ok?

Thanks!

I did a transit without visa last week, let me share my experience:

- I booked BKK-DOH-CAI on Qatar and CAI-IST-AMS on Turkish.
- Qatar DID interline my 2 bags all the way to AMS, so no need to retrieve bags in CAI
- Arrival was at T1. I went to transfer desk (gave some chocolates to the guy) and within 10 minutes I was transfered in a minivan to T3 (ride took 10 minutes). The driver got some chocolates as well.
- Arriving in T3, I gave both my passport, booking confirmation and bag tags to a guy at the transfer desk. I waited in a waiting room (toilets, coffee shop, duty free shops, money changers) for 30 mins. The guy returned with my boarding passes and I was good to go.

Bottom line: a VERY smooth transfer that took under an hour. The lounges in T3 (Priority & Egyptair) are dirty and you don't want to spend any time there.

FYI, the long awaited and renovated T2 finally opened this month, with airlines gradually transferring over from T1. - there is also word of a small airport hotel within the terminal. Should be a big improvement. No word on lounges :)

I'm thinking about fly in and out with Etihad with 2 hour-ish turnaround. From what I can see, EY currently use terminal 1, but any idea if EY will move to T2 in early 2017? I would try to get EY tickets at AUH, and will have carry-on baggage with me so 2.15 hour is enough time for me to go through transit hoopla such as multiple security, and waiting period at transit lounge? It appears to me that security is more strict, and I should expect authorities to remove stuffs from my bag?