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Egyptair B737: a review of the old-school Business Class on the CAI–MUC route
Part of my grand journey to Japan in the new Lufthansa Allegris First Class also included several regional flights on aircraft that do not have a first-class cabin at all. Consequently, these short hops were taken in Business Class.
Booking and choosing flights
I bought my First Class ticket at the lowest price from Cairo, where I had the choice of a direct Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt or a flight with Egyptair to Munich, followed by a domestic Lufthansa flight from Munich to Frankfurt.
Naturally, I opted for the second option so that I could try out Egyptair’s regional business class, which I had never flown before.
Originally, the flight from Cairo to Munich was due to be operated by an Airbus A320neo with the new business class, but in the end there was a change of aircraft type and I flew on a Boeing 737-800 with an older, ‘old-school’ cabin.
What is this business class like, and is it even worth paying extra for?
- Route: Cairo CAI–Munich MUC
- Flight time: 3 hours 50 minutes
- Seat: 11A
- Aircraft: Boeing 737-800, SU-GEE
Check-in at the airport
I’m checking in at Cairo Airport, which is Egyptair’s main hub.
This means that Egyptair has a large number of check-in desks open all day here, and I can check in more than 4 hours before departure.
There are plenty of counters set aside for business class passengers, so I don’t even have to wait five minutes to check in.
My final destination is Tokyo, with a 2-hour stopover in Munich and a 22-hour stopover in Frankfurt. I’m offered the option of having my suitcase checked through directly to Tokyo or just to Frankfurt.
I take advantage of this option and check my suitcase through only to Frankfurt, as I’ll need to unpack my winter clothes – I’m planning to visit the famous local Christmas markets in Frankfurt.
EgyptAir and all Star Alliance airlines have a dedicated fast-track lane for passport control for business class passengers and Gold Card holders. However, there are more people in this queue than in the standard one, so I decide not to use it.
The lounge in Cairo and boarding
Most Egyptair flights operate from Terminal 3, where the airline has its own lounges.
Unfortunately, my current flight to Munich is departing from Terminal 2, so after passing through passport control, I’m heading over to the smaller of the two terminals, where Egyptair only uses the contracted Plaza Premium Lounge.
It is a small and not particularly well-equipped lounge, which is often overcrowded and rather uninviting. This is because it is separated from the corridor only by a screen, rather than a solid wall.
However, the selection of breakfast snacks is quite extensive, so I have a bite to eat and then head straight to the departure gate – Terminal 2 is very spacious with plenty of seating, and, paradoxically, the atmosphere there is more peaceful than in the lounge itself.
The flight departed on time and boarding was very well organised by groups. Business class passengers boarded in the second group, immediately after families with children and passengers in wheelchairs.
Cabin and seats – old-school, but comfortable
Unlike most European airlines, Egyptair offers a full-fledged Business Class even on regional flights, with comfortable seats in a 2-2 configuration.
On the Boeing 737-800s, however, the Business Class is older – dating from around 2005 – and this is evident in the fittings.
Nevertheless, the seats are wide, very soft and comfortable, and there is sufficient legroom even for tall passengers.
A major drawback is the extremely uncomfortable headrest, which is practically impossible to adjust.
The old-school footrest is also rather odd; to this day, I still don’t know how to use it.
The individual screen built into the seat is completely out of date by today’s standards; in my opinion, it was already outdated at the time of manufacture. You can’t watch any film properly on that tiny screen with its poor resolution, so I’d definitely recommend downloading films or TV series in advance onto your own phone or laptop.
Generally speaking, though, I can say that the seat itself is comfortable, the recline is adequate, and compared to almost any European airline, it’s a solid product.
In-flight refreshments and services
As soon as I boarded, I found a pack of useful items waiting for me on my seat, which I would make use of during the flight.
Business Class passengers are given a fairly large and comfortable pillow, a blanket and a small amenity-kit .
The grey little bag doesn’t look particularly smart, but it’s quite well-stocked – inside you’ll find an eye mask, socks, a comb, earplugs, hand cream for dry hands, deer tallow lip balm, a toothbrush, a pen and a packet of wet wipes.
Before take-off, I’m given a welcome drink – a choice of water or juice – as well as a packet of cold wet wipes.
In the seat pocket, business class passengers have one half-litre bottle of still water.
About 20 minutes after take-off, the first service is served, consisting of a non-alcoholic drink and a small biscuit.
The main meal service is served around 1.5 hours after take-off. Passengers are given a traditional printed menu from which they can choose two different starters and four different main courses.
I choose salmon as my starter and chicken with couscous as my main course.
I’ve had better meals on planes before; both the chicken and the couscous are rather dry.
The dessert with Dubai chocolate, however, is very good.
The tray table is located in the seat back and is easy to fold out and fold away yourself.
There are universal sockets between the seats for charging electronic devices.
A nice touch is the stickers providing information for the crew – whether you’d like to be woken up for a meal or, conversely, prefer not to be disturbed during the flight. Simply stick the sticker of your choice onto the top of your seat.
My rating
Although the business class on EgyptAir’s Boeing 737s is a bit dated and the IFE – the in-flight entertainment system – is frankly unsatisfactory, overall the seats are quite comfortable and better than those on the vast majority of European airlines.
On the return journey from Munich to Cairo, I flew in Lufthansa’s business class, and the comfort on Egyptair is incomparably better. Unequivocally and without a doubt.
The in-flight service is rather average. I was quite disappointed with the food in particular; on the other hand, the amenity kit is above average for a regional flight compared with other airlines in the region.
Overall, Egyptair has an outdated but fairly solid product, which outperforms European airlines in particular in almost every respect.
What other flights did we experience?
Check out our other reviews to see what regional business class is like on other airlines, on different routes and in different aircraft.
We already have these top reviews on our website:
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