CAIRO AIRPORT review : 28 October 2008 : by K Jasmin

Customer Rating : 1/5

I arrived and departed to Madrid on IB, and also domestic on EgyptAir. Signs and announcements are confusing, was given wrong departure gate, and staff are unresponsive and unhelpful. Terminal sheathed in decaying white ceramic makes it seem like an old WC. It took 2 hours to get past security and immigration, long queues and total chaos, and no food except one cafe with sweets and bread, both not recommended. Very hungry. Domestic Arrivals much worse. No working signs at all in baggage reclaim, only 2 working belts for all flights, so luggage split across more than one belt, extremely over crowded and no information. Wasted 90 mins locating luggage. Touts all around arrivals to "help" with luggage, taxis, whatever. No control or rules at all. Very aggressive hassle in taxi area. New terminal should now be open, may be better structurally, but I doubt will help resolve biggest problem of general disorder and confusion, is worker issue, not infrastructure. New metro line will avoid taxi touts, though. Not recommended for transfer passengers, but if flying onward in Egypt or to/from Cairo, no real choice.

CAIRO AIRPORT review : 24 October 2008 : by S Siebesma

Customer Rating : 1/5

One of the worst transit-airports ever. Flew business class from Amman to Cairo (with Royal Jordanian) and on to Nairobi (with Kenya Airways). Upon arrival a bus took me to one terminal, where I had to wait ten minutes before boarding another bus to another terminal, where I had to hand in my passport and had to wait 25 minutes (no explanation given) before my passport was returned to me. I then boarded a third bus which took me back to the other terminal. There the whole thing started again. Handed in my passport and e-ticket to immigration and had to wait for over half an hour (people smoking all around me) before I got my passport back, this time with boarding pass. All with all a very time consuming procedure. The business class lounge is very small, and asking for a drink feels like asking a big favour. Staff very unfriendly. All with all this airport is not to be advised for anyone flying in/out with two different airlines.

CAIRO AIRPORT review : 2 September 2008 : by Arun Anand

Customer Rating : 1/5

Probably the worst international airport - absolute mess in all aspects. Huge queues for immigration on arrival and chaotic baggage collection, with no clear boards mentioning the flight name. Airport full of touts to assist in passport control, taxis, hotels etc, and no one seems to be bothered to control or regulate them. Departure was worse, and resembled a cattle market, to put it mildly. Huge queues everywhere, from baggage screening to check in to passport control. No clear announcements, and all boards are totally worn out. Total disregard for smoking rules thru out the terminal. No places to sit before check in. Toilets are very dirty and unmaintained. Duty free is a joke, with items priced several times the price outside, and first class lounge ridiculous. Hardly any food on offer, and in noon, all I could see was stale bread and pastries from morning. An absolute shame for a country which houses so many tourist marvels and attracts millions every year. Probably thats the reason no one is bothered, at any cost people have to use this airport to come to Egypt. If there is any ranking less than zero, I would give that!

CAIRO AIRPORT review : 17 May 2008 : by M Albarda

Customer Rating : 2/5

Cairo Terminal 1. BA requested our presence three hours before the 8:35 AM departure, and I duly showed up. The security people however did not start screening until 2.5 hours before, so a long single form line for all classes was the result. In fact, apart from the check-in counter, nowhere in the entire process of boarding are there dedicated First, Business or Elite Customer lines. The BA check in staff were unaware of the arrival terminal change in Heathrow (not T5, thank goodness, but T4). I found out as I was trying to understand where my connecting Heathrow Delta flight to Atlanta was departing from (turned out to be T4 as well). The Cairo International terminal BA uses is old.A new terminal is in the process of being built, which surely will bring a better quality pre-flight experience. As it is, BA offers the use of a generic lounge, which is small, with very old and not entirely clean looking furniture and a TV tuned to Al Jazeera. There are two old, nondescript standard and not entirely clean fridges carrying somewhat cold water and soft drinks. There was nobody manning the bar, and there was no food apart from nuts, despite this being an early AM departure. There was free wireless internet. I went out to find some breakfast and ended up in a coffee shop which served fresh croissants. The terminal offers some shopping but many were closed at this early hour. The lighting in the terminal is harsh, and the use of tiles everywhere creates a sterile and impersonal, cold atmosphere. Boarding was the worst chaos of all. All passengers were hoarded into a pre-boarding area. The two BA representatives scanned all boarding passes but did not offer any assistance to people in wheel chairs (there were about 5 on this flight) or people with small children. A lone police man started checking passports when the door for boarding opened, and it was each man, woman and disabled person for themselves… A shambles. All in all, the fact that a new terminal is being built is absolutely necessary. But for the time being, you might be better off traveling on one of the Sky Team airlines as they depart from the already opened new Terminal 2.

Cairo Airport review by G Boisvert

6 April 2008   Customer Rating :

Arrived from and left to AMM on RJ. Arriving is fine; buying a visa was easy enough and both Immigration and Customs were painless. Departure too was mostly good, comfortable chairs and a decent amount of food and drink options in the departure hall after the Emigration checkpoint. However, I was alarmed about the security procedures. Although you have to go through the metal detectors twice - once before check-in, and once at the gate - the guards didn't seem to care if you set off the metal detector, and they certainly weren't looking at the monitors to see if there was anything dangerous in the bags (the monitors themselves were far from the x-ray belt, making it difficult to pull a bag even if they wanted to). The flight to Amman was short, but I was nervous until I was on the Jetway. This really cannot be allowed to continue, and the government of Egypt needs to step it up.

Cairo Airport review by David Grey

4 April 2008   Customer Rating :

If changing planes in Cairo, this can involve a wait in the transit area (I hesitate to use the word "lounge") in the arrivals terminal before a bus arrives to take you to the airside entrance of the departures terminal. You must then go through a hand baggage security check before being directed to the transit desk for issue of boarding passes. Occasionally at this point, the staff may retain your passport and ticket, allow you into the departure terminal proper, and ask you to return in an hour or so. I was a little sceptical about this process, but it did work - I successfully collected my passport & boarding pass 90 minutes later.

Cairo Airport review by Shirley Elmokadem

15 November 2007   Customer Rating :

I come here to Cairo once a year or more.  There are loads of places to eat in the airport and I think food offered is excellent. There are a good mix of shops. The staff are polite. I use the toilets and have never felt pressured to leave a huge tip, as someone has said in an above comment. I find the airport very clean.

Cairo Airport review by Dave Bell

9 November 2007   Customer Rating :

First visit inward - bad first impression - the longest wait for baggage reclaim (over an hour) that I can ever remember with no reason, i.e. no breakdown etc. Just an interminable wait; not good when the evening flight from Heathrow is late already. No-one seems to care or be surprised. Nice fresh modern airport however, and looks like there'll be good duty-free options on outward leg. Outward - fairly quick and easy though uncontrolled or co-ordinated check-in. Poor and small little duty-free option - what happened to the shops we saw on the inward leg? On the plane in no time and looks like being well on time. Six bus-loads and 40 minutes later, still not eveybody on board. Eventually stationary on take-off runway for further 40 minutes, but no explanation. No-one seems to care; we have no connections or worries about lateness, but several people do.

Cairo Airport review by K Tunnicliffe

29 October 2007   Customer Rating :

The domestic terminal (2) is chaotic and dirty with staff at the baggage check in arguing with one another and crowding round one check in which makes for huge queues and utter chaos. Tour group guides jostle with one another for the staff's attention. Nightmare. No business class facilities in this terminal. Terminal 1 is for Egypt Air international flights and is better organised. Note please that the business class check in is round the corner in a quiet area but you have to ask where it is as I saw no signage directing passengers to it. Once through security the business class lounge is by far the worst I have experienced. Poor service, choice of food limited to mini pizzas and croissants next to a microwave. Coffee made by a staff member to order - from a jar of instant and a flask of warm water. Remember that this is in a country where coffee is almost a religion. Soft drinks very limited in choice and supply, we got the last three diet cokes in the lounge! Seating was OK but not relaxing as the lounge is on a balcony, unscreened from the rest of the airport and the noise and smoke inevitably drifts up there.

Cairo Airport review by M Silverman

9 October 2007   Customer Rating :

Screening in Terminal 2 is a nightmare. To pass through the initial screening area, you must push and shove through a large crowd of people with your bags. It took me approximately one hour to make my way through the initial screening area. There is no line, there is no semblance of a line--everyone just pushes and shoves to the front. When you put your bags on the screener, they fall off the belt at the other end. Once you are through that initial screening area, the airport experience improves.

Cairo Airport review by G Tonstol

11 September 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

Arrived at T2 from Rome, transferring to T1 for a flight to Sana'a. Though ground staff did their best, Cairo is not the ideal hub for a terminal change. After an inexplicable one hour wait at T2, we were invited to the business lounge while ground staff identified our luggage (which had been labelled all the way to Sana'a). Had to give tickets and passports to a staff member who would provide boarding passes for onward leg. After further waiting, we were shuttled off in a minibus, together with our luggage, to T1. After dropping the luggage, we were asked to wait for another hour in transit area. Invited to business lounge upon request. Were then told to collect boarding passes and passports 30 mins before departure and rushed off to gate. Lesson learnt: Only transfer in Cairo (at least between terminals) if ample time between flights. On the positive side, lounges in T1 are very comfy and flights eventually departed on time.

Cairo Airport review by Toni Weimer

29 March 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

Second trip arriving at Cairo. Arriving from JKF via EgyptAir and on to Sharm El Sheikh. Bought visa at bank and then quickly through immigration. On to baggage carousel and waited about 20 min for bags. As a women travelling alone, took a deep breath and into terminal. Info Booth manned and helpful. Out the door and hang a right and right up the pavement to the next terminal. Who knows what number it was. Through screening, short line for check in and facilities upgraded nicely. Outgoing reminded me why I hate Cairo airport. Limo driver dropped us at wrong terminal. Had to take airport shuttle bus which entails transfering buses half way there. Not much changed once got there. Long line for baggage screening. Long lines to check in. New twist. Everyone has baggage opened and inspected before check in. Upgrades on terminal seems good, but signage could be better.

Cairo Airport review by T Marzouk

26 March 2007

I was in Cairo airport recently. was impressed with T1. Which should now be referred to as the "New Terminal". This because T2 is any thing but new or organized. I was glad to see efforts are being made to modernize Cairo Airport overall. I would strongly suggest the Cairo Airport Authority control the bathroom attendants and stop selling toilet papers to passengers. I have been all over the world. Cairo Airport is the only airport in the world that has this problem.

Cairo Airport review by Hany Anis

30 November 2006

Cairo International Airport (CAI) has improved. Terminal 1 is now completely refurbished and has state of the art facilities. Terminal 2 (newer terminal) is constantly upgraded and will be connected to Terminal 3 (the newest terminal - under construction - opening in Q4 2007). By 2007 year end, CAI will certainly re-establish itself as a major hub in international air traffic.

Cairo Airport review by Andrew Baxter

24 June 2006

First time into Cairo Airport June 12. Arrived early am - was through immigration and collected bags within 15 minutes. Departure okay, check in process (note baggage screening done before check in) very impressed with the overall cleanliness, especially in the cafe food court (terminal 2). Decent selection of shops available.

Cairo Airport review by Kevin Lawrence

25 March 2006

Cairo Airport, what an improvement in the fast-food section! It's now refurbished, hygenic and useable. How about the rest-rooms next on the refrbishment list? Your duty-free prices are still nice and honest, even if the variety lacks. And what's that new building we see being built? New airport terminal? Nice! You're getting there slowly but surely. Will you be able to match Sharm El Sheikh airport for cleanliness and organisation, in your new terminal, if indeed it is a new one that is being built? Hope so!

Cairo Airport review by Farouk Mogheth

26 February 2006

Once again I made a good choice to choose an airline that flies to Terminal 1 (Old terminal but had a total face lift). To my surprise I found out that the interesting building being built next to Terminal one is used now as the official arrival hall to T1. It was indeed a nice surprise. Brand new airport arrival hall. for the first time fast passport service, 3 conveyor belts and bags came quite quick. The arrival hall nice and airy and linked to an airport Mall by a sky bridge. Airlines as KLM and Airfrance visibly frustrated by the terrible service in Terminal two with its old and depressing building moved to T1 as well after almost a decade of using T2. Most central and eastern European airlines as Czech airlines always used the T1 since the 50s and glad they stayed there. So two thumbs up from dep and arrival halls in T1 in cairo which makes travel a bit less stressful - even good shopping with fair prices but take care that they do not accept EGP pounds in case you want to get rid of them - only USD.

Cairo Airport review by Franco Iacovella

8 December 2005

What a disaster of an airport. Arriving into terminal one on a domestic flight was alright - the lighting and signage pretty decent for a developing nation. However, T-2 which is the international terminal, is horrible. Upon entering the airport the billboards are the 1st step in determining what security screening area your airline is scheduled from. Once you pass the security screening there you must then walk down crowded, run of the mill hallways to find your airline and line-up. Bus shuttles from one terminal to another are scarce and you will get there faster by walking. Yet no restaurants/bars or great shops at all. Simply boring standard Egyptian duty free boutique and a few shops resembling 1960's architecture and poor quality of offerings.

Cairo Airport review by Stephen Kenowen

4 August 2005

The best thing about Cairo International is the fact that you can get a nice view of the city while landing. Landing in the airport isn't that bad of a prospect, although I did have a limo driver meet me at the airport who arranged my visa. Without him, it would have been a guessing game as to which window to go to purchase an entry visa. Leaving Cairo is a whole other world. The ride from the hotel was the only painless part. Once you enter the microscopic and hot terminal, you have to look for what check in desk is handling your flight. This is the most frustrating part of the airport. The check in desks are all located in one large hallway, but to enter this check in hall you must pass security first, security that is segmented by "desk numbers". When I was there, the security station for my check in desk had about 200 people waiting to clear. Cairo Intl allows this even though the security post 4, yes FOUR, desks down had no line at all. Yes, as I said, the check in desks are all in the same area, but for some reason, CAI insists you clear security at your assigned desk, no matter what. Immigration isn't too much of a hassle, although I doubt how secure it is. The departure immigration and customs desk resembles a market; people crowded the booth yelling as though exit stamps were an auction while some frustrated arabs simply walked on by, completely ignoring the customs officials who seemed not to mind. The "First Class Lounge" was less comfortable than the economy waiting lounge. The "First Class Lounge" is a TINY room (actually two, one for smoking, one for non- smoking) that has around 10 couches for all international first and business passengers, leaving most to stand around munching on the stale cookies and rancid "coffee". I promptly left the Lounge and had a much more comfortable (in comparison only) time in the waiting area for the flight for economy passengers (this area consists of hard benches, but at least you're not forced to stand or share a couch with 5 other people). Boarding is done with no organization at all (not by class, not by row, nothing). CAI staff don't even announce that boarding will begin, they simply open the jetway door and people rush to board. The biggest relief was finally boarding the flight. I do not recommend EVER connecting from this airport, but if you go in and out of Cairo, this is the only airport you can use. Good luck.

Cairo Airport review by Carol Crowle

15 June 2005

Be careful when leaving the airport in a "microbus", we went by one and the driver helped us put our bags in the back, whilst we were getting ourselves seated, (just the two of us were travelling) I heard the zip go on my small case, hand luggage. When I looked round at him he just looked back at me and zipped it back up. Needless to say when we got to our destination I checked my luggage!!!! nothing was missing thankfully, but I think that was probably because any valuables, (digital and underwater cameras) were well hidden.

Cairo Airport review by Schroeder Christiane

4 June 2005

I was very disappointed by the fact, that there is no bookshop in Cairo Airport, only a few magazines. Moreover, it is not normal to pay for a tiny piece of toilet paper and be agressed every 2 meters by women asking you if you want to go to the toilet. At least at the airport one should be left alone.

Cairo Airport review by Farouk Mogheth

4 February 2005

This might actually confuse a lot of people but the old airport (terminal 1) is being restored and looks and functions a lot better than the new airport (terminal 2). When the 2nd terminal opened it was supposed to be a state of the art airport built by the french (that is why there is a little resemblance to Terminal 2B in CDG) but alas the 400m USD were obviously redirected to someones private account rather than the terminal itself. Terminal 2 - not comfortable and by no means prepared for business travellers - and the business lounge is actually a cafeteria. The old terminal 1: Now almost completely restored, nice comfortable lighting, new C/I counters, when you pass the passport control go up where the VIP lounges are - nice sleeper seats and very pleasant cafes.

Cairo Airport review by Paul Hill

1 January 2005

Be very careful at Cairo airport, on my departure as I went through the baggage scanning at the entrance, the security personnel deliberately held my smallest and most important bag as they put all my bags through the X ray machine. I did not realise this till I got to the check-in desk. They pretended that I forgot it - no - I did not forget it! They do this deliberately hoping that you may forget about it and they steal your bag. When I went into the departure building, I also realised that I also left a piece of luggage with a friend that accompanied me to the airport and I needed to go out again to get it. But the senior policeman (he held the rank of major in January 2004, though promoted later round May as I noticed when I went back to Cairo) in charge refused to let me go out, despite the fact that a lot of airport staff go in and out all the time. He did this to get some money out of me. He asked me to show him my money, I gave him US$40 to let me go out, but he wanted even more. He eventually let me out after a lot of protestation from me. I told him that's all the money I had. I was told by an Egyptian friend that staff working at the airport are very privileged and they pay a lot of bribes to get and keep their jobs there.

Cairo Airport review by Ana Martin

14 November 2004

The new terminal is very good, it was pretty impressed by the cleanliness and spaciousness, the lighting is perfect, quite the opposite to the "Dirtiest Mad Max" Old terminal, seems that the arquitec of the lighting might be FBI agent, because when you are sitting in the departure lounge, lamps illuminates right on your face. Still have long queues on passport control on arrival and the food is not good.

Cairo Airport review by Hiro Suda

7 July 2004

In contrary to what I've heard about the Terminal 1 (which is mainly used by Egypt Air), I was pretty impressed by the cleanliness and spaciousness of the terminal. It certainly looked like it was renovated recently and AC was functioning properly. The only complaint is that a staff at the internet cafe counter didn't provide the actual prices for drinks, despite of my insists, which was over-priced by Egyptian standard (ended up paying US$3 for a can of soft-drink). All in all better airport than expected.

Cairo Airport review by E Jones

12 June 2004

I have travelled through Cairo International Airport many times between Jun 2000 and August 2003. For an international airport located in fairly poor country in the Middle East, its not that bad. However, it can be a little overwhelming if you have never been to an Arabic speaking country before. Most of the signs are in Arabic and English and are fairly easy to follow. Clearing customs is very easy if you obtain a visa prior to travelling, although its not difficult if you must obtain one at the airport, but there may be long lines. Once you clear customs and go to pick up your luggage, you should be prepared. Semi-aggressive personnel surround you immediately offering to assist you with locating your luggage, and hailing a taxi for a few pounds. If you are not interested, simply hold your ground, decline their assistance, and they tend to leave you alone. Exiting the airport to head toward the city is the ultimate challenge as manners and order are not to be found. People waiting for their family and friends to arrive block the departure from the airport and you must be fairly aggressive to make your way through the hoards of crowds only to be met at the curb of the airport by equally aggressive taxi drivers who will attempt to grab your bags and throw them in the trunks of your car so that you will utilize their services. Firmness is the key. Never get into any taxi in Cairo without negotiating the fare first. I didn't find the airport facilities too filthy but was annoyed by the lady in the restroom who is compelled to provide you with a tiny piece of toilet paper and expect to collect a tip from you as you depart. Food and shopping at the airport don't compare to other major international cities but they aren't bad. Evening flights in and out of Cairo are probably best. Not a bad airport and upgrades and construction are ongoing.

Cairo Airport review by Trisha O' Neill

24 May 2004

Not the worst I have been to, but I did find the airport very unclean. Dirty seems a bit strong - but just a simple grimy feeling. As to be expected in Egypt, the airport bathroom is looked after by an attendant, who requires a hefty tip for using the facilities. Which were dirty.

Cairo Airport review by Nick Sambrook

10 March 2004

Have been to Egypt many time and was at Cairo this weekend. Still have long queues (1hour +) on passport control on arrival (especially when a 747 arrives). Visas are available at the bank kiosks just before passport control and cost US$15 (two stamps you put on a free page in your passport. Seems to be a lot cleaner than a few years ago. Trolleys are also free now (which saves a lot of hassle). Shops are limited but ok. Process on departure seems to have improved.

Cairo Airport review by  A Hariri

12 February 2004

Cairo Airport lacks lot of services and facilities that passengers really need. Being located in the biggest city in the Middle East, it has to be improved in all its components. although, I am delighted by the new sections recently established, I still see that the work process is quite slow and needs to be done on international standard. it is the first impression a passenger would get when he/she comes to Egypt. we really need a better Airport to cope with other countries that have much better airports although they are not a center of attraction as Egypt is.

Cairo Airport review by  Nico Jansen

22 August 2003

The choice of food in the international departure lounge is limited and of poor quality. It's too expensive, and hygiene is only just acceptable. The shops are badly organised, and lighting is unpleasant. The air conditioning is not as good as the climate would ask for. The architecture is uninspired. The announcements are minimal. The place is not clean. There are people not respecting the "no smoking" signs.




 

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