Egyptair Business Class Review 787: IAD to CAI
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I was very excited about boarding this Egyptair flight as it would be my first time in business class and while most people do not go out of the way to visit Cairo, I did.
This was one of various legs on my journey to Australia, and I thought it would be fun to just stop off and see the pyramids. Well, Egyptair business class is a fine way to do that.
I booked this as part of my one way award through Air Canada Aeroplan using credit card points, which I will detail in a guide to aeroplan.
Positioning flight to IAD
Coming from Miami, I needed a positioning flight to first make it to one of Egyptair's flights out of New York (JFK) or Washington D.C. (IAD).
I chose IAD because I love visiting the Smithsonian museums, there are several  cheap Hyatt airport hotels, and the business class product is better on this route.
I flew in the day before to avoid any possible mishaps, and stayed the night at the Hyatt Regency Dulles for only 5,000 points. The Hyatt Regency Dulles has a shuttle to the airport and it was about a 15 minute walk to the train station for getting into Washington D.C.
During the day I was able to explore the Library of Congress and the Hirschhorn Museum. I wrapped up the day with happy hour at dLena before heading back to the Hyatt to rest up before the big flight on EgyptAir.
On the Ground Experience- Check in, Lounge Access
The check in process took a while since there were many business class passengers with a lot of luggage to check in. Once I was able to leave my bag, I was told about the available lounges where I could wait for my flight.
The United Polaris lounge was not mentioned, probably because it was in a different terminal and takes a train and some determination to get there. However, it looked to be the nicest of the options available, and I would have access to it thanks to my long-haul international business class ticket on a Star Alliance airline.
I really enjoyed my brief visit, skipping the buffet and ordering at the sit down restaurant area, a breakfast sandwich, ricotta toast, mimosa, and a cappuccino.
While I had hoped that the Capital One Lounge would be open by the time my trip came around, it was not (Fall 2023). I look forward to visiting it on a future occasion, since I can access the Capital One lounge anytime with my credit card.
On-Board EgyptAir Business Cabin
Boarding went smoothly, and I was given a welcome juice while waiting for takeoff. Egyptair is a dry airline, so that means no alcohol even for business class passengers.
This is the Boeing 787. I was in seat 9k, which was spacious and functional with direct aisle access. There were several storage compartments, a touch screen seat control to lean the chair or make it fully-lie flat bed, and a good entertainment screen although the movie selection was somewhat limited. While the seat lacked the glamour and style of many competing business class products, it still was decent hard product.
Egyptair Amenity Kit
The amenity kit included lip balm, hand cream, facial mist, ear plugs, eye mask, hair brush, toothbrush, and socks, all in a nylon zippered pouch. It was certainly a very complete amenity kit! At the seat there was also slippers, a blanket, pillow, and headphones.
Food In-flight
The food was not particularly memorable, but not bad either. What did leave an impression was the flight attendant rushing me to finish my food, which I definitely did not appreciate. The starter course was comprised of scallops, a cheese plate, and salad. There was an overdone steak and a potato for the main course. Dessert and coffee finished off the meal before trying to get some sleep.
Breakfast included a cheese and fruit plate, rather dry pastries, and pancakes.
Was it worth it?
Overall, the flight was an ok business class experience, but I would not run out to try it again. Improvements could be made in the food and service to make it a more enjoyable trip.
Upon landing, it is easy to follow the directions to stay within the airport, but what's the fun in that? With a few hours to kill in Cairo, I met my hired tour driver outside after getting a visa.
Time to mark some spots off the bucket list, check out my next article where I detail the different sites you can see in Cairo in just a few hours.
