Welcome to Flight Deck, where we review airlines, lounges and airports from around the world (and close to home). First up is Egypt Air because I literally just flew the carrier. I paid for the flight as part of a travel package for a recent trip to Egypt. Egypt Air offered direct flights to Cairo, so we paid extra to avoid the hassle of layovers on an already long international flight. I paid $560 CAD extra to fly business class from Toronto Pearson to Cairo, flying economy for a short flight from Cairo to Luxor and economy with a premium for bulkhead seating from Cairo back to Toronto, so I have a good sense of what is right and wrong with the travel experience on Egypt Air.
Egypt Air – The Good
Check-In At Pearson and Cairo
The check-in both at Toronto Pearson Airport and Cairo was relatively painless. The Pearson experience was actually outstanding. They told us that we could upgrade from economy to business class for $500 CAD and it was well worth it. My tip – if you bid online, you are guaranteed a seat but it is often pricier than asking at the airport. The minimum bid online was $1,000 USD. It paid to wait and go to the ticket counter.
You also don’t have to worry about paying for additional bags (you are entitled to two). With business class, you can access the Maple Leaf Lounge. Egypt Air is also part of the Star Alliance group so you can collect your Aeroplan points – another nice perk. Check-in at Cairo both for domestic and international flights was also relatively painless and again, no issue with baggage even though by the end of the trip, my bag was definitely overweight.
Timely
We left Toronto early since the plane was fully loaded. We arrived in Cairo early. Our departure time from Cairo to Luxor changed but we were notified several days before and it was just a 15-minute difference. Our plane was delayed from Cairo to Toronto by 30 minutes, but we ended up arriving in Toronto early.
Leg Room
There was literally more leg room than I have ever seen on any flight both in business class and economy. We pre-paid for bulk-head seats on the way home and I could walk (yes walk) about ten steps in front of me. It is well worth paying a little extra. The seats were also relatively comfortable.
Egypt Air – The Bad
Customer Service
Before we left on our trip, we had a couple of questions. It was next to impossible to hear back from anyone. We emailed and it took over a week for anyone to get back to us. We had to follow up several times to get a reply.
Cabin Temperature
The cabin was very warm on the way to Cairo and at least the area around my seat was freezing cold on the way back to Toronto. There was no “just right” on either long trip.
The Food
Whether it was business class or economy, the food bordered on inedible. I don’t expect a lot with airplane food, but the bread was stale, the fruit was close to its expiration date and business class should have been a step above economy. It wasn’t.
Cabin Staff Service
It pains me to say this, because cabin crews have a lot on their plate, but those on Egypt Air didn’t seem to care about customer service. The service was barely passable, with the crew yelling tea or coffee as they walked up and down the rows.
Dated
Every plane that we flew on (Boeing 777, 737 and 787) was extremely dated. The 737 that we flew from Cairo to Luxor still had ash trays and if you wanted to look out the window, it was very hard to see. The seats were fabric on that flight too. The reason why there was so much leg room is likely because the planes haven’t been reconfigured to add more seating.
Inflight Entertainment
The options were not terrible – there just didn’t happen to be very many choices for TV shows and movies.
The Ugly
Cleanliness
This was a big one. The planes were older, and the cabins just weren’t clean. I brought Lysol Wipes with me and I was very happy to have them on all three flights. Make sure that you clean everything from your seat and armrests to your tray and TV screen. The bathrooms in business class weren’t perfect, but not the worst I’ve ever seen.
The flight from Cairo to Toronto in economy had some issues. Someone dragged quite a bit of bathroom tissue out of the washroom with them and it stayed on the floor for the final three hours of the flight. There were wrappers on the floor and the cabin crew didn’t come around to pick up garbage, at least not regularly. On a 12.5 hour flight, regular pick up is needed. The interior of all of the planes that we flew on could have used a good scrub.
Egypt Air – The Final Verdict
Even with all of the issues, if I was flying to Egypt, I would fly Egypt Air again, mostly for the convenience of the direct flight. My recommendations – don’t leave home without your Lysol Wipes and buy some snacks – it’s a long flight.
