AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 26 October 2009 by C Foster

Customer Rating : 2/5

Sharm to Cairo plane looked tired, scruffy seats, dirty windows and cramped interior. However the flight to Cairo was pleasAnt with a good view of the pyramids and a good landing. After a wonderful day in Cairo we arrived back at the airport for our return flight and things now began to get interesting. After passing through security we were instructed to join a queue at check in where we were joined by a cat who ignored everybody and went to the front. As we waited an officIal walked down the queue and took our boarding passes to the check in desk, on arriving at the desk ( we were last ) we were informed that only three seats remained but there were four passengers. After a few moments of anxious conversation it became clear we were in the queue for a flight to Luxor. Mistake reCtified we received our tickets for our flight to Sharm and discovered that our names were now Anton and Anna.The cat was by this time stretched out on the luggage conveyer belt. After waiting one and half hours we boarded our flight back to Sharm through the rear entrance of the plane with the engines running at what appeared to be more then idle speed. Cairo is a large airport at the taxi journey to the runway can be a protracted business (20mins) this was when a few doubts began to surface, sudden large increases of thrust that some passengers thought we were about to take off. When the aircraft braked you could hear the brakes grinding, take off was good and the fifty minute flight was fine until final approach to Sharm and changes in engine speeds that suggested there may have been a problem. However we landed safely and after taxing to stand I did think that the ground staff were a little tentative about approaching the aircraft, throughout both journeys the crew were polite and professional same crew both ways.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 26 September 2009 by J Croote

Customer Rating : 1/5

My wife and I flew Sharm to Luxor on the DC9 -as the other comments say, seats where broken, the same crew that we had in the early morning still controlled the plane on the return flight late that night. I'm sure we all recall the somewhat vertically challenged stewardess handing out the date biscuits and fruit drinks. As we entered though the tail my wife pointed to the "gaffer tape" holding things together I noticed a large puddle of fluid under the body I convinced myself it was just water! However we got there and back on landing there was a deserved round of applause.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 2 September 2009 by H Collins

Customer Rating : 1/5

We booked the Aswan-Abu Simbel excursion thinking we'd fly on an Egyptair aircraft but what we found at Aswan airport was an old DC9 of this previously unknown company called Air Memphis. The flight was ok but I wouldn't recommend the same experience to anybody. The airplane was old and smelly, seats were broken, no safety demonstration and fantasy names on our boarding cards. I'm an experienced flier but this was one of the worst experiences in my life, don't do the same mistake and if you want to visit Abu Simbel (which is beautiful, by the way) book an Egyptair flight or just forget about it.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 30 July 2009 by Brenda Jones

Customer Rating : 1/5

I agree with all other comments I've read! Flew Sharm to Luxor return last week and have never been so scared on take off or landing both ways. The MD83 was dirty, dark and smelly and passenger comfort, even on a short flight, was non existent. On the return to Sharm we boarded the aircraft through the rear of the plane, between the two engines, which were/appeared to be slightly running. We had the same cabin crew as the morning flight, 14 hours previously, and they were virtually fainting from the heat. After sitting on the plane for nearly 20 mins before take off all passengers were incredibly hot to the point of wanting to disembark. The cabin crew did they're best with limited resources. We also received juice and fig roll biscuits both ways but one lucky local passenger was given a hot meal. A holiday rep in the seat in front of us was using his mobile phone during the flight and no one stopped him. The sound of what appeared to be wind rushing through the cabin during the flight did nothing to inspire confidence. I have never been so glad to get off of an aircraft. My advice would be to check with your tour operator before booking an excursion because I would never travel with this airline again.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 17 July 2009 by J Hudson

Customer Rating : 1/5

Returned yesterday from a fantastic holiday along the Nile and Cairo. However this also included the experience of a lifetime - flying with Memphis Air twice. I am a seasoned air traveller but I have to say that flying with this airline did leave me genuinely frightened at several times during the flights to and from Aswan to Abu Simbel. The worst part was the return to Aswan where the pilot was continuously revving and throttling back the engines, seemingly at random. Presumably he did have a reason, but it felt as if he was battling with some problem. I decided to keep a check on the faces of the cabin crew and if they looked worried then that would be the time to panic! It genuinely was a scary flight on both occasions. Commenting afterwards a friend of mine described the trip as "exciting" which is one thing you do not want to hear during any flight!

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 1 July 2009 by David Sampson

Customer Rating : 1/5

We have just returned from a fantastic nile cruise but I have to say that I totally agree with all comments posted on this airline. We booked a morning excursion by plane to Abu Simbul to avoid the 3 1/2 hour each way road journey from Aswan and a very early start. What a mistake. I have to say that as an already nervous but tolerant flyer, this was the most terrifying journey of my life. We arrived at the airport in Aswan and were given a boarding card with someone elses name on, no security check in and no ID requirement. Looking at the plane from a distance it seemed ok. But my first concern was when we arrived for boarding and were taken into the aircraft through the back end which I have only ever seen on archive footage of aircraft. Immediately I was wondering how old this plane was. On taking our seats I immediately noticed cracks in the cabin wall. We had a very brief safety demo, about 30 seconds and then took off which wasn't too bad despite the high speed of the pilot taxiing to the runway. The major fear came on landing in Abu Simbul. Very sharp turns, big drops and major de-acceleration leading to a silence on board. On landing safely, applause erupted on the plane. All I spoke to said how scary that was. Understanding how I assumed this plane now landed I was a little more settled on arriving at the airport to fly back to Aswan a few hours later. That was until we were about to board and I noticed the extreme lack of thread on one of the back wheels - the most important wheels on the aircraft!! We boarded and again I put this to the back of my mind. The doors were closed, the 3 flight crew got into the very cramped cockpit, leaving the door open on an already security exposed flight and the cabin crew were told to take seats for take off after no security demo or checks of the cabin. Just as the plane went to take off all the electrics, including the engines failed. They opened the doors as the aircon was not working either and obviously in 38C heat we were sweating like pigs. We were informed of the problem and told it would take 10 minutes to fix. The longest 10 mins of my life. As the engines started up again I heard an American comment on how it sounded like the noise of a plane about to crash! I pleased to say that after another very dodgy landing we arrived safely back in Aswan. All commented how they would never fly with Memphis again. What worried me even more was when I spoke to our rep and he told of his fear on flying with them on this particular excursion and how the electrical failure was a common occurance on take off. I fear it will only be a matter of time before there is a serious situation with this aircraft and many tourists great holiday could end tragically. Tour companies, stand up and be counted against this extremely dodgy airline!!

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 3 June 2009 : by C Amos

Customer Rating : 3/5

We recently booked the Cairo trip from Sharm with Thomas Cook. We thought we would be flying Egypt Air, so imagine our surprise when we see the ancient looking (already mentioned in the last reviews) MD-83. My wife was unsettled straight away. On board we had a flaky Fig Roll with a carton of what I think was 'fruit juice' as our breakfast. It got us there in one piece and I recall breathing a sigh of relief. Heading back to Sharm later that evening on the return flight, no Safety Demo (just a quick 30 second one in the morning). The plane had overbooked so there were kids on their mums knee's and we suffered the same old ear popping upon take off. For the price you pay for the flight incl the Excursion, you cant complain really. Live the Adventure! Although not the usual luxury we are used to, it is a flight which will get you to and from your destination and it has got an excellent Safety Record despite the shabbiness of it's aircraft.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 24 December 2008 : by Nick Brown

Customer Rating : 1/5

We flew with the DC9 from ASW-ABS. As said earlier, there was no info before the flight about which airline would operate the flight - we assumed it would be Egypt Air. But no, it was Air Memphis. We were given random boarding cards with other people's names on after being checked on a list on a clipboard. The flight was an hour late, which was significant when you have only 3 hours (now 2) in Abu Simbel. The seats were cramped and bore no relation to the old US Airways seat numbers on the walls - our part of the plane used to be First Class. The interior fittings were tatty and warped. The service was provided by three men and consisted of a carton of juice on the way back - nothing on the way, but since we'd all carried water on board it didn't matter. We later found out that this plane had had an emergency landing at Baghdad two years earlier due to major engine failure. I would seriously suggest others in this situation should just not board. Abu Simbel's great, but not worth risking your life for.

AIR MEMPHIS customer review : 8 November 2008 : by M Dowling

Customer Rating : 1/5

I would agree with J Davis. We took Memphis air from Cairo to Luxor. As we were walking to the plane on the tarmac I couldn't help but wonder how old this plane was. Hoping that it was anything decent when we got on board, proved to be a dissapointment. I found the seats dirty, parts of the seats were broken and the planes airconditioning was not working properly. On our arrival in luxor, we thought our plane was coming in a little fast, understatment, the plane hit straight down on all 3 wheels instead of gliding in with the back wheels touching down first and the nose up. This was really terrifying we hit the runway pretty hard that jolted people forwards in there seats, trays opened and overhead luggage compartments opened. We were glad to get off. I do not have faith in this company.

Air Memphis by J Davis

15 February 2008   Customer Rating :

We'd never heard of this airline before, having booked the short excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel in Egypt via our UK travel agents Kuoni. Significantly, Kuoni had no information to give us about the flight before we left London. We soon discovered why they were so reticent as we crossed the tarmac (by then too late to call the trip off), and saw an ageing ex-NorthWest Airlines DC9 waiting for us. It was like climbing on board a museum piece - the jet was nearly 30 years old! I checked the 'boiler-plate' on the inside of the forward door, the date read 29th January 1979. Service on board was perfunctory, the safety briefing one of the shortest on record (they didn't bother on the way back). It was only a 30 minute flight but we only got a carton of juice on the return leg. In the end the old bird did get us there and back in one piece (and on time), but it was not a comfortable experience travelling on such an ancient piece of kit with an unknown airline. The airline apparently has newer planes which fly international routes, but they keep this oldster running for the short tourist excursions from Aswan to the temples at Abu Simbel. Buyer beware!