IAN-UK

Exactly ^


Why interesting ?

If you are transiting you need a transit stamp in your passport. Without one there's the chance the final (gate or boarding) passport checker will be puzzled that you have no Egyptian exit stamp and no transit stamp to show you are on an airside connection.

Best not to puzzle Egyptian security personnel.

dakaix

I've just completed a landside transit at CAI T2 and recorded the timings, as some may find it useful for planning their connections.

Be aware that I held the Egyptian multi-entry visa and so skipped the VOA desks; plan another 10-15 mins in if you need a visa on arrival.

Queues were largely the same both times I went through. Passport control is probably the biggest variable here, there was virtually no queue when I arrived, however if you get held up it might not be the case for you. The below times assume you're travelling J, and using the priority checkin desk (239). The Y check-in lines are a zoo.

Landed: QR1301 Monday 16:29L
Off Aircraft: 16:38
Passport Control: 16:46
--- walk across road, dodging taxi touts ---
Check-in security: 16:49
Check-in: 16:55
Departure immigration: 17:10
Departure security: 17:15
Airside: 17:20
Lounge: 17:22
Total Time: 44 minutes.

QR happily checked through my bag onto my BA PNR; despite the fact it was a mixed itinerary (QR F & J + BA Y). All considered a fairly easy process.

regtur

Did a transit last saturday, arriving with Etihad at 16.25, connecting to Royal Jordanian with their 20.00 flight.

Arrived at the transit desk as shown on the last pic of Garfield at 16.30. The guy at the desk took our passports and called the Royal Jordanian staff, only reached them at 17.00 (3 hours prior to the flight). Than it took another 90 minutes before the guy from RJ showed up with our BP. He said he had to finish the regular checkin first.

We only had carry on luggage, but he asked if we had checked bags. I guess it wouldn't been a problem to get these and check them in, but not sure.

sazhar

To purchase one-way ticket from Cairo to Singapore (to take advantage the price), do i need to purchase the ticket in Egypt or can i do it online (using Spore registered CC) in Spore ?

Phil the Flyer

sazhar - I see this is your first ever post; so welcome to FT!

I am constantly buying QR ex-CAI tickets online, using my UK-based debit and/or credit cards - so no problem purchasing online as you have outlined.

You will be offered a choice prior to finalisation of payment of which currency you wish to pay in (in your case, EGP or SGD).

more4less

Hi Phil the Flyer,

I understand that this offer is with Visa, and probably MC, but unfortunately not with Amex

bison1847

About 2 weeks ago we came in on a Royal Jordanian flight which arrived at 8:30 am (actually a little early) AMM to CAI and then transferred to a Qatar airways flight at 13:10 via the transit desk.

We came in on an economy seats on the RJ flight but we then transferred to a regional first and then long haul a380 first to bkk on QR.

RJ was nice enough to check our bags all the way though (even with separate tix) and we provided the RJ bag tags along with passports to the transit desk guys. I showed the transit guys our e-boarding check-in confirmation on my phone as we couldn't actually get the boarding passes in advance but was able to check in. Next time I'll try to print those off as it wasn't a problem but the immigration guys didn't like the phone version so much. So it all went off without a hitch but...

The catch was was that we sat in the transfer desk hallway for literally 3.5 hours waiting for the boarding passes. The whole time the immigration transfer desk guys were just sitting around chain smoking cigarettes and chatting with the various guys who came by the desk.

Not that it was a problem but after 3 hours I kinda think I should have just paid the VOA and gone out and back in as I suspect it would have been more pleasant to sit in the lounge. The only catch was that as a family of 4 I didn't want to spend 100 a hundred bucks (VOA=25x4) just for the couple hours of comfort. On the other hand after 2-3 hours the kids were bouncing off the walls so for our sanity maybe money well spent.

Now we have 3 of those very special Egyptian transit stamps in our passports. 😜

I think the long duration was due to our long connection time, and think QR were the main cause and not the immigration as we have done it twice before and it was much faster (even 45 mins as mentioned here).

something to consider! 🤔

jrobin

In my experience last October, I came in from DOH on QR and was returning to DOH on QR, and had several hours between flights. QR provided "in-time" service, not prompt service.
After the first visit by QR staff when they took my passport from the transfer desk person and asked me a question or two, I made a couple of brief excursions into the airport. It became clear that as long as I was comfortable going through the open door between the transit area and the rest of the airport without my passport or a boarding pass, the immigration transfer desk guy and the QR person did not care.
On one excursion, I had found that I could either pay to use the the lounge or wait until I received the boarding pass from QR which would document my status and then I could enter the lounge free.
So if this is still the case, having a boarding pass of sorts before arriving in Cairo might help those with status get admitted to the lounge while waiting for the official boarding pass to be processed.
The lounge, while not exciting, was more pleasant than the transit area, and included wifi and some free drinks and food as I recall

husseinbadr

Note that if you are offered this, and you choose to pay in your credit card's currency rather than in EGP, Qatar charges a 3% currency conversion fee. At least that's the case when I use my US-based credit card. Since my credit card charges 0 fees for converting from EGP to USD (and gives me a pretty good exchange rate to boot), I'm better off paying in EGP.

TGflyergirl

Having done a landside transfer over the weekend vs the transfer method above - Going landside is by far the better option. Some nationalities don't have to pay for a VOA - so if you don't, it's a lot easier and less confusing to agents/officers to go the "normal" route.

nldogbert

Hi fellow expert CAI transfers,

In a few weeks time I will have to do this transfer @ CAI. I will be coming in with TK (as I understood arriving into T2) and taking QR (T3) - 6 hours between flights. I WILL have checked bags (can't avoid it).
For my return, I will arrive QR (T3) and out with LH (T3 - as I understood) again with checked bags. 4+ hours between flights.

What's the best advise for the above 2 situations? Will I be able to avoid going landside?

EU passport.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers!

husseinbadr

LH & TK operate out of T3 at CAI, and QR out of T2. The two terminals are quite close to one another, and there's even a (landside) bridge connecting the two.
There are no doubt others who can respond better to your queries than I can, since CAI is an origin/destination for me. I can't see how you can avoid going landside if your luggage is checked on TK only to CAI. But that's stating the obvious, so I assume it will be checked through?

IAN-UK

I think you've got your CAI terminals mixed up. T3 is essentially the *A terminal, so there you'll find Turkish and Lufthansa: T2 is for (most of) the rest, which includes Qatar.

Transferring between the two airside is no trouble. But unless the carriers flying you into Cairo are willing and able to pass your bags through to (and accept them from) QR, then you absolutely going to have go landside to retrieve your luggage and check it in again.

I use Cairo a lot, but only rarely have I transferred there "offline". Still, I'd be comfortable with six hours, but maybe start getting itchy about four - an hour's delay would provoke a bit of a sweat.

You're already going to be lumbered with buying visas: have you considered making a relaxed overnight connection on your way back?

HKprince

There seems to be a lot of experience of people transiting in CAI, but has anyone tried the same at HBE? Fares out of HBE seem a lot better.

Might try this next month arriving on TK and on to QR. If anyone is familiar with HBE, is there a service that will re-tag my bags onto the QR flight? Is it possible doing the transfer without going land-side, or do they not have the infrastructure for that? What is the lounge situation in HBE? For the return leg, would QR interline my bags with TK, as I know TK would be unlikely to do the same.

Sorry for the many questions and apologize if this is in the wrong thread, mods feel free to move if necessary

remdk

HKprince a belated welcome to the QR forum.

You are on the right thread since HBE is included. There are at least 6 other posts about HBE on this thread.