After flying Aer Lingus to Manchester, the next leg of my journey was flying Egypt Air business class to Cairo. I had hoped to fly in Egypt Air’s lie flat configuration, but for our 5 hour trip from MAN-CAR, we sat in the standard large seats on the Boeing 737-800. Here’s the full review!
Check In and Pre-Departure
My flight from JFK to DOHA was booked on one award ticket, but upon landing in Manchester I had to pick up and recheck my luggage. This was rather odd since the connecting time was just under 6 hours and Egypt Air’s check in desk would not open until 3 hours before departure. Additionally, since we landed in terminal 2 at Manchester Airport, the walk to terminal was quite far and you went through the train station as well. Since we were unable to check in our bag until 3 hours before departing, Jen and I passed time by hanging out Cafe Nero in the train station.
There’s a dedicated check in line for business class passengers. There was no one when I got there so we were quickly checked in and were on our way to security. We were given fast track security status but it honestly did little as lines were short. Fast track passengers still had to remove laptops, liquids, and other electronics from their bags.
After clearing security, Jen and I made our way to one of the only lounges in the terminal for Star Alliance flyers. The Aspire lounge was subpar, but better than sitting at the gate for 2 hours. The lounge was clean but food and drink offerings were fairly limited. We got to the lounge early and it was half filled, but when we left there was a long line waiting to get in. I think this coincides with international flights times for Middle Eastern carriers from the terminal.
Cabin
Flying over 5 hours in “business class”, I would have liked lie flat seats. Unfortunately, Egypt Air only operated narrow body planes for this route and I got an extra large similar to what you would find in standard domestic first class in the United States. I think you get more leg room with Egypt Air, but overall the seats were comparable.
The seats showed significant signs of use with an IFE that looked a tad dated.
Food
We had dinner service during this flight and with only one option, a fish dish with lentils. The food was alright and actually exceed my expectations. Jen and I both had the same dish along with warm bread and hummus.
Amenities and Service
No amenity kit was provided which left me a little disappointed. I enjoy collecting such kits, but otherwise we were provided with a lite blanket and pillows for our flight. I thought service was solid as the flight attendant came around multiple times to refill my drink and check up on us. The business class cabin only had 5 out of 16 customers which probably made it a lot easier to manage.
Overall
Egypt Air’s business class onboard their narrow-bodied planes are a solid product, but for a flight over 5 hours from Manchester to Egypt, it would have been nice to be in a lie flat seat. I really enjoyed the service and it was nice to get a blanket. Overall, not my favorite flight but it was solid!
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