Connection time in Cairo
Oct 30, 2002 | 1:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 212
Connection time in Cairo
I am planning a trip through Cairo and am wondering about the connection time needed. Egyptair has a flight from Hurghada that arrives Cairo 5.40 am. My Air France to Paris leaves at 7.25 am.
What is connecting like in Cairo
Is this sufficient time
Are Egyptair reliable!
What is connecting like in Cairo
Is this sufficient time
Are Egyptair reliable!
Oct 30, 2002 | 1:34 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CH-3823 Wengen Switzerland
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Posts: 27,043
I would be really worried. Not only because EgyptAir is very, very unreliable. You wil have to change airports too (which can take anything from 15 to 45 minutes) and I assume, that Air France will ask for check-in 2 (?) hours before their flight?
Oct 30, 2002 | 10:26 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The road less traveled
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Posts: 5,189
I would agree with Rudi. Moving through Egypt is not far off from spending time in a Third World country.
I spent a good amount of time at the Cairo airport this year and it's a pretty unorganized, hectic place. We arrived from Beirut on EgyptAir and were attempting to connect to our OS (Austrian Air) flight to VIE. We were scattered helter-skelter by people that couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand them -- lots of "charades". Most of the time, we couldn't figure out if they were trying to arrest us or trying to help us out!
In the end, they were trying to help us. Actually one security guard personally escorted us to our plane -- although he confiscated our passports and made us wait in a room for 45 minutes without explanation. We saw parts of the Cairo airport that, I'm certain, most tourists never avail themselves of.
What Rudi said about changing airports wasn't a joke either. The terminal where EgyptAir usually lands is almost a completely separate airport from the International terminal. We were "lucky" enough to have a personal police "shuttle" in the case mentioned above. Another time, we arrived at the airport and the cabbie dropped us at the wrong terminal... at 5AM. Needless to say, there weren't too many people around to redirect us! Luckily, a little "bakschis" (tip) will get you far in Egypt. I'm sure there's official transportation somewhere for transfers, but it sure beat me!
So, the answer to your question is: you may need more time! If you're unable to change your flights at this time, I wouldn't be super worried, but I would have a contingency plan in place.
I spent a good amount of time at the Cairo airport this year and it's a pretty unorganized, hectic place. We arrived from Beirut on EgyptAir and were attempting to connect to our OS (Austrian Air) flight to VIE. We were scattered helter-skelter by people that couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand them -- lots of "charades". Most of the time, we couldn't figure out if they were trying to arrest us or trying to help us out!
In the end, they were trying to help us. Actually one security guard personally escorted us to our plane -- although he confiscated our passports and made us wait in a room for 45 minutes without explanation. We saw parts of the Cairo airport that, I'm certain, most tourists never avail themselves of.What Rudi said about changing airports wasn't a joke either. The terminal where EgyptAir usually lands is almost a completely separate airport from the International terminal. We were "lucky" enough to have a personal police "shuttle" in the case mentioned above. Another time, we arrived at the airport and the cabbie dropped us at the wrong terminal... at 5AM. Needless to say, there weren't too many people around to redirect us! Luckily, a little "bakschis" (tip) will get you far in Egypt. I'm sure there's official transportation somewhere for transfers, but it sure beat me!
So, the answer to your question is: you may need more time! If you're unable to change your flights at this time, I wouldn't be super worried, but I would have a contingency plan in place.