Cairo Airport

✅ Trip Verified | Simply one of the worst airport experiences in my almost 50 countries traveled. Everyone very unfriendly and confusing at the security gates. All toilets extremely dirty. Also I can't understand why they have to take your only lighter (every other country lets you take one (not more) and then you go to a smoking lounge where only the security guards have lighters and are clearly keeping them for themselves.

Not Verified | 1. It's the only airport in the world where everyone smokes - even the guards, but no one uses the smoking rooms, making the air unbreathable. It made me very sick. 2. Every person who works at Cairo International Airport is not properly trained in airport procedure. When I was leaving Cairo, the check-point guards kept asking me for my boarding pass though the airline check-in where tickets are issued was on the other side of the TSA/check-point. I'm obviously a foreigner (European) and have a foreign passport, which I showed them. Why would they need to see a ticket which is impossible to get at the airpot entrance?? 3. Guards charge a fee to enter the airport to wait for family - even if you yourself just landed but at the other terminal. 4. Terminals are not cohesive. Terminal 1 is practically in another town, away from terminal 2. My wife who was flying in from a different country after visiting family had landed earlier than me, so she had to take a taxi from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, and they didn't let her wait inside. She had to wait outside with beggars who aggressively harassed her. That is when they charged her to re-enter the airport despite her showing them that she just landed at the other terminal. 5. They would not let me exit Terminal 2 to go to Terminal 1 to get to my proper flight. Since I had landed at Terminal 2, I thought I'd be departing there as well, so that was my error, but they handled it so poorly, I nearly missed my flight. 6. Terminal 1 is very, very dismal. Terminal 2 looks like a normal airport. Why is this? Why does Terminal 1 have people washing their feet in the bathroom sink? And why do I have to pay to use the bathroom in Terminal 1, but not Terminal 2? It makes the traveler's first impression of Cairo one of great disappointment. 7. Terminal 1 Arrivals has no wifi, no place to charge your dying phone and nothing to eat.

Not Verified | Do not expect special assistance to be available. There were two people coming off the flight from Luxor and I was unfortunately one of them. We were connecting with the flight to London Heathrow. We had to wait for nearly half an hour for one wheelchair to arrive and then we were hoisted to the ground which took another few minutes. The man took my companion in the wheelchair but not myself. My carer tried to tell him that I would be unable to walk very far. He did not speak any English so could not understand. He then set off very fast and we had no idea whether he would come back or not. I decided I had to try and walk and follow him which is lucky I did as he was going off work in any case. We then followed the man with my friend in the wheelchair and myself struggling to keep up to a seating area when he informed us in sign language that he was finishing work - in other words he expected a tip. He did not get one as he was most rude not waiting for me and not slowing down. There were some smartly dressed people around but no sign of a wheelchair. We asked where the assistance was - this man told us to sit there and wait so we waited 15 minutes. He obviously had no intention of helping us. People were so rude and arrogant. We then decided we had to go without the wheelchair to the security check which was a distance from the seating area labelled special assistance. We had to stand for about 15 minutes while they allowed people from the other queue to join what was the fast track queue. We then had to strip most of our clothes off and they even asked me to remove my rings. After security we were told to sit in a seating area at the gate and wait for the wheelchair to come. We were then told we couldn't sit there in sign language - no sign of a wheelchair. Eventually with minutes to spare a man appeared with one wheelchair for three of us. It was obviously a mistake to require special assistance and they want to increase the number of tourists! Never again.

✅ Trip Verified | Transit in Cairo. First time in years and was nervous given other comments. But it was easy. Handy tip make sure you buy water from the big duty free and get it sealed in an approved plastic bag if you want to take it on the flight. Seating pre gates is limited. Toilets clean but small and busy. No water fountains for drinking. All flights announced and security (pre boarding) efficient. Overall a few hours here was fine. Didn’t use WiFi

✅ Trip Verified | I arrived and departed Cairo Airport several times.My experiences were always quite similiar. You arrive at the airport and you have to go through immigration. Visa is easily obtailable, but then you need to wait. Sometimes nearly one hour until you can finaly reach your immigration desk and can enter the country. With luggage I've never had a problem, but then, before leaving the airport, you need to go through customs check, where they select people to put their luggage through an x-ray. As a European, I had never have my luggage inspected. Even when I wanted to declare that I have more bottles of alcohol with me than allowed, custom officials kept sending me away. So I gave up and walked through the green corridor, nobody seemed to mind. Then starts the hassle, as Cairo Airport has a public transport connection, but people at the airport will just deny it! Actually, from T2 or T3 you need to catch a shuttle bus (running irregular intervals) to get to a bus station and from there take a bus to Cairo. Very inconvenient, so try to get a taxi. This is quite difficult, as drivers will always try to rip you off. From the airport to Tahrir Square or Dokki, 150 EGP is the local price, as a foreigner, getting a deal for 200 EGP is fine, 250 is also okay. Problem: Upon leaving the airport, taxi drivers need to pay at a toll gate, and some will insist you pay it, which was never agreed in the first place. Fun fact: If you are going to the airport, they will also insist you pay extra. If you need to go to central Cairo, that can become a painful ride, as streets are congested, best case 30min, worst case 2 hours to Cairo. (It can take 2 hours even when arriving at 1 a.m.) On the way back you will have similar problems, only in Cairo you have more power to negotiate. Beware: Some drivers are too stupid to find the airport. If you want to make sure, everything is okay: Download Uber Egypt App before getting to Cairo and use Uber. Taxi drivers complain about Uber, but they do not realize if they charged "sensible" rates or did not change their price during the ride, they would not face this problem. When picking up people, you are not even allowed to enter the airport building or stay on the same side. You need to stand in a large crowd of people waiting for your people to arrive. Hated it. When you made it back to the airport, you will be greeted by "helping hands", that will take your luggage out of your hands and start moving it to security check. Last time I just started shouting at them to let my luggage free. They want a "tip" for their service, like every Egyptian. That is okay, but they will not settle for anything less than 20 EGP, which is, by Egyptian standards, way too much. (If you tip ordinary people 5 EGP, they will be very happy). Then security guards insist you showing them your ticket, passport is enough. So always carry a copy of your ticket on your smartphone or in your bag. Then it is check-in time, which I have never had a problem in Cairo. Passport checks can be slow or can be fast, but it is usually faster than entering the country. The duty-free and waiting areas are pretty boring. Before your gates open, you need to sit on a few metal benches. Before entering your gate, there is another detailed security check, only whole airplane needs to pass through one lane, so terribly long queuing. Airport needs a subway and more security lanes

Not Verified | Worst airport ever. Over staffed by people trying to rip you off. A seeming lack of management, and goodness knows what is getting through security. Generally dirty and unsafe.

Not Verified | This airport is hilarious as long as you don't have to catch a flight. I surely recommended visiting (but not flying from here). Wifi is hilarious, security is slow but lax, the queuing times per desk are ridiculously slow even at three in the morning when there is hardly anyone there. It can happen that staff are just looking up from their computers and admitting defeat with a sigh of "broken". After passing security and going to the gates you can buy water and what not, but then you turn a corner for another security check, where people have to throw away their beverages en masse. However, not to worry, I simply started "finishing my water" and walked away while they processed the next guy. Still had plenty left and just put it back in my bag. After the sign with your gate (lets say G3), there follows another sign saying: G1-G10 this way. Funnily, this way leads you right into the plane!! Actually had to ask if I am in the right plane. I am writing this review before receiving my luggage, so there is plenty of opportunity for prolonged hilarity. Cairo airport, certainly a sight that is not to be missed.

Not Verified | We used the domestic terminal where most tourists in other resort towns of Egypt arrive to tour the capital city of Cairo, mostly by chartered domestic Petroleum Air Services flights from and to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. The terminal itself was clean but showing signs of ageing and no wifi compared to the international part of the building. You could smoke on a not materially limited area at the bar. Queuing times very slow. Security staff at the airport's entrance very unfriendly, yelling rather than speaking. The air conditioning was also too cold when compared to the outside temperature.

✅ Trip Verified | This airport is a disgrace to Egypt. If the country wants to attract tourists back it needs to completely overhaul it, including ensuring corruption-free and polite process administration. The whole thing is a mess but the absolute worst part is the main area security staff. They simply ask you for money and seem to target young westerners in particular. Having been asked for money and having refused, I then watched while one security guy searched through my son’s bag, while still sitting at his screen station, looking for, finding and then opening my son’s wallet. On finding it completely empty (luckily my son had given all his money to me) my son was allowed to pass. Check in was ok apart from a man shouting at the line for reasons that no one could work out. On to passport control and a gym chewing, un-smiling, not sure why I bothered to get out of bed young woman was who we met next. The service is the cafe area is very poor. Long lines and the place is very dirty. When you get to the gate there is a better security process but no indication that there are male and female lines until you find yourself nearly at the front of the wrong line. The few helpful and pleasant staff that we came across must find it so difficult that their reputation is damaged by what is clearly a systematic “I don’t care” approach. Come on Egypt. You can do better than this. Your country and people are warm and welcoming. Let the airport be a proud gateway to this.

✅ Trip Verified | Service must be improved as it’s the reputation of Egypt! When we arrived to Airport to the departure sale i totally agree about the security check points but I refuse being dealt with a bad manner from security and luggage boy and at the end waiting for a tip after doing nothing even I carried my bags by myself, I was surprised when I saw the self check in machines woow that’s amazing in Cairo as we used to use it in most of the Airports around the world and I happily got the print out of my boarding pass after leading me to a very rude officer which he refused to take my luggage’s and he is working in the online check in counters and simply says I will not take more. After queuing for me here for about 15 minuets you need to go to another queue in a very rude and non professional way at all, people must know that this is their job and working in the biggest airport in Egypt is simply representing Egypt and it has to be well represents. I left the queue upset looking everywhere to queue in another queue for Dubai flight whoever I have my boarding pass with me , it’s a big joke to see guys carrying the luggage’s for some tips to other Guests steps in front of you and not following the queue , nothing organized at all , rude way! It’s really disappointed to see these very bad service in the Airport that’s represents your country and honestly I will definitely take another Airline next time and will never recommend it to any of my friends