Egyptair Biz Class, Up To 4 (June 2023 - Jan 2024)
Since so many of you want to visit Egypt to see the pyramids, I thought I'd flag an option to book up to four business class seats to Cairo. For families who try to keep connections to a minimum, this could be a particularly good way to go.
Please keep in mind that this is not the most luxurious business class option on the market, This is about getting a lie-flat seat and reducing travel time.
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Now, let's get into the details!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: IAD-CAI
Operating airline: Egyptair
Class of service: Business class
Dates: June 2023 - January 2024
Seats available: 2-4
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Air Canada Aeroplan: From 70,000 miles
- ANA Mileage Club: 104,000 miles (round-trip only)
- Asiana Club: 60,000 miles
- *Avianca LifeMiles: 78,000 miles
- EVA Infinity MileageLands: 67,500 miles
- Lufthansa Miles & More: 71,000 miles
- Singapore KrisFlyer: 88,000 miles
- Turkish Miles&Smiles: 60,000 miles
- *United MileagePlus: 93,500 miles
*No Surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way: ~$8
- Round-trip: ~$79
- Surcharges: ~$270 one-way, ~$540 round-trip
Bank transfer partners:
- Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Marriott
- ANA: Amex, Marriott
- Asiana Club: Marriott
- Avianca: Amex, Capital One, Citi, Marriott
- EVA: Capital One, Citi
- Singapore: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Marriott
- Turkish: Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Marriott
- United: Bilt, Chase, Marriott
Don't forget to let me know if you book and how you did it!
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Flight Experience
Egyptair's business class cabin on their Boeing 787-9 is arranged in a reverse herringbone layout so each seat will have direct aisle access. This continues to be one of my favorite business class layouts. Seats are lie-flat.
For those who like to enjoy a glass of champagne, please note that Egyptair is a dry airline. While they don't provide alcohol, it's been reported that crew are able to serve you wine or beer that you buy at duty free prior to your flight.
As with any flight, I think setting expectations is important. Egyptair's catering hasn't been great since they implemented restrictions for the pandemic. When flying out of Washington Dulles, I would suggesting eating at the Turkish Lounge prior to your flight.
The inflight entertainment system and WiFi can be spotty, so I'd download what you want to watch and bring your own headphones. I know many do this anyway, but wanted to flag it just in case.
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Available Dates
IAD-CAI
May: 6, 13, 20
June: 3, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24
July: 1, 8, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
August: 1, 5, 12, 19, 26, 29
September: 2, 9, 16, 23
October: 3, 17, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31
November: 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
December: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30, 31
January 2024: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16
CAI-IAD
March: 10, 17, 24
April: 7, 14, 21, 28
May: 5, 8, 12, 15, 19
June: 2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30
July: 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31
August: 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30
September: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27
October: 16, 18, 23, 25, 27, 30
November: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29
December: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30
January 2024: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15
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Best Ways To Book
Aeroplan: Great For A Non-stop, No Surcharges
If you want to avoid surcharges from Washington Dulles, 70,000 Aeroplan points is your best option. Please note that if you include a connection within the US, you will jump to a higher tier on Aeroplan's award chart and thus need 90,000 Aeroplan points.
You can use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's zone-based chart. You can also include a stopover for 5,000 additional miles.
LifeMiles: Great If You Need A Connection, No Surcharges
If you want to include a connection to IAD on United or Air Canada, LifeMiles has an advantage over Aeroplan at 78,000 miles one-way.
Turkish: Great Rate, But Surcharges
If you have Bilt, Capital One, or Citi points, Turkish is a great option at 60,000 miles if you're okay with $280-350 taxes/fees on a one-way award. I think many will find saving the cash worth the additional points required by Aeroplan or LifeMiles.
ANA: Great Rate, But Surcharges & Round-trip Only
ANA has the best rate at 104,000 miles round-trip but the taxes/fees will be ~$640. It really comes down to whether you want to save cash or points.
United: Beats Aeroplan From The West Coast, Stopover On Round-trip
If you have Bilt or Chase points, United is your best bet from the west coast at 93,500 miles for a one-way if you want to avoid surcharges. Aeroplan's rate will jump to 110,000 points from the west coast - or any itinerary between North American and their Atlantic region that exceeds 8,001 flight miles.
You can also utilize United's Excursionist Perk to include a free one-way ticket within the Middle East on a round-trip award ticket. This is United's version of a stopover.
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How To Book
If you don't know the exact dates you want to fly, keep things simple and use United's calendar search option.
- From United's homepage, select Advanced search
- Choose to show price in miles
- Select Roundtrip or One-way
- Enter the origin & destination
- Select Nonstop only (if you don't need a connection)
- Select the number of passengers
- Select your dates or choose Flexible dates and choose a month
- Select Business
- Run the search
- If booking with another Star Alliance partner, confirm space by searching with that program
- Transfer points (if necessary)
- Log into your account
- Run the search again
- Complete the booking
Once you know the exact dates you want, you can run the search with the program you'll be using to book. As always, I recommend confirming the program you're using sees the award space before you transfer points.
If you're booking with Turkish, I would call (800-874-8875) to put the award on hold before transferring points.
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Bottom Line
I've enjoyed both of my trips to Egypt and would love to go back. While Egyptair isn't going to provide a Qsuites experience, it can really cut down on travel time for those with families and/or tight work schedules!
If you book, I recommend getting a guide for the duration of your visit. My friend Taha is an excellent guide - many STTP members have worked with him.
You can reach out to him directly via Instagram or via WhatsApp message (+20 114 382 5030). Feel free to tell him I sent you. I don't get anything for it but he'll make sure to take great care of you!
Happy booking!
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