Part of my big trip in the new Lufthansa Allegris First Class to Japan included several regional flights on aircraft that don't have First Class at all. Thus, these stopovers were in Business Class.

Purchase and selection of flights

For the lowest price, I bought my First Class ticket from Cairo, where I had the choice of a direct flight with Lufthansa to Frankfurt or a flight with Egyptair to Munich, followed by a domestic flight with Lufthansa from Munich to Frankfurt.

I of course choose the second option to try Egyptair's regional business class, which I've never flown before.

Originally the flight from Cairo to Munich was to be an Airbus A320neo with the new business class, but in the end there was a type change and I flew a Boeing 737-800 with an older old-school cabin.

What does such a business class look like and is it even worth paying extra for?

• Cairo CAI - Munich MUC
• Flight time: 3 hours 50 minutes
• Seat: 11A
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800, SU-GEE

Check-in at the airport

I check in at Cairo Airport, which is Egyptair' s main hub.

This means that Egyptair has a large number of counters open all day and I can check in more than 4 hours before departure.

There are many desks dedicated to business class passengers, so I don't wait 5 minutes to check in.

My final destination is Tokyo, with 2 hours to connect in Munich and 22 hours in Frankfurt. I am offered the option of having my suitcase checked straight to Tokyo or just Frankfurt.

I take the option and check in to Frankfurt only as I will need to unpack my winter stuff - in Frankfurt I plan to visit the local famous Christmas markets.

Egyptair and all Star Alliance airlines have a dedicated fast-track to passport control for business class passengers and gold card holders. However, there are more people than in the regular line, so I won't be using it.

Cairo lounge and boarding

Most Egyptair flights operate from Terminal 3, where the airline has its own lounges.

Unfortunately, my current flight to Munich is from Terminal 2, so after going through passport control I'm moving to the smaller of the terminals where Egyptair only uses the contracted Plaza Premium Lounge.

This is a small and not very well equipped lounge which is often crowded and is considerably uncomfortable. In fact, it is separated from the corridor only by a screen and not by a solid wall.

However, the breakfast buffet is quite large, so I have breakfast and then immediately go to the departure gate - Terminal 2 is very spacious with plenty of seating and, paradoxically, a quieter environment than the lounge itself.

The flight was on time and boarding was very organised by group. Business class passengers boarded in 2nd group immediately after families with children and wheelchair users.

Cabin and seats - old-school but comfortable

Even on regional flights, Egyptair, unlike most European airlines, has a full Business Class cabin with comfortable seats in a 2-2 configuration.

However, the business class on the Boeing 737-800 is older - dating back to around 2005 - and the amenities show it.

However, the seats are wide, very soft, comfortable, and legroom is ample even for tall people.

The big drawback is the extremely uncomfortable headrest, which is virtually impossible to shape.

Also rather odd is the old-school footrest, which I still don't actually know how to use.

Completely out of place for today is the individual screen in the seat, which I think was outdated at the time of manufacture. It's impossible to watch any quality movie on a tiny screen with a miserable resolution, and I'd definitely recommend downloading movies or TV shows to your own phone or laptop beforehand.

In general though, I can say that the seat itself is comfortable, reclining is sufficient and compared to almost any European airline it is a solid product.

In-flight refreshments and service

Even upon boarding, I'm greeted with a packet of useful things to use during the flight.

Business class passengers get a fairly large and comfortable pillow, a blanket and a small amenity-kit.

The grey bag doesn't look very presentable, but the contents are quite generous - inside you'll find an eye mask, socks, a comb, earplugs, dry hand cream, deer tallow lip balm, a toothbrush, a pen and a packaged wet wipe.

Before departure I will be given a welcome drink - choice of water or juice - and a packed cold wet wipe.

Business class passengers have one half-litre bottle of still water in their seat pocket.

About 20 minutes after take-off, the first service comes in the form of a soft drink and a small cookie.

The main service is not until about 1.5 hours after take-off. Passengers have a classic printed menu from which to choose 2 different appetizers and 4 different entrees.

I choose the salmon as an appetizer and the chicken with couscous as a main course.

I've had better meals on a plane, and the chicken and couscous are pretty dry.

But the dessert with Dubai chocolate is very good.

The dining table is located in the seatback and is easy to set up and take down by yourself.

There are universal sockets between the seats for charging electronics.

A nice detail are the stickers with information for the crew, whether you want to be woken up for a meal or, on the contrary, do not want to be disturbed during the flight. You stick the sticker of your choice on the top of your seat.

My rating

The business class on Boeing 737 Egyptair is admittedly old and, for example, the IFE - the in-flight entertainment system - downright inadequate, but overall the seats are quite comfortable and better than the vast majority of European airlines.

I flew Lufthansa business class on the way back from Munich to Cairo and the comfort is incomparably better on Egyptair. Clearly and without question.

The in-flight service is rather average. Especially from the food I was quite disappointed, on the other hand the amenity-kit is rather above average for a regional flight compared to other airlines in the region.

Overall, Egyptair has an outdated but pretty solid product that outperforms mainly European airlines in almost all respects.

What other flights have we experienced?

Compare what regional business class looks like on other airlines or on other routes and aircraft in our other reviews.

We already have these top reviews on the site:

• Aegean Airlines, Airbus A321or, Athens-Prague
• Smartwings, Boeing 737 MAX 8, Prague-Salala
• Condor, Airbus A320, Frankfurt-Prague