For a bit of background, I had flown into Cairo on Etihad’s redeye flight in business class, which I’ve reviewed before, so I won’t write about it again.
Continue reading: Review: Cairo Airport Ahlan VIP Service
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Yipee.. my favorite review! The flight I'm planning to take this service with leaves from T3, so it's a hit or miss since if it leaves from a gate they'd get me to the gate in a club car rather than a tarmac drive (which is always appreciated 😉 )
Thank you Lucky for the review, helpful as always!
I will always use a service like this in certain non-US airports (Hello, Indonesia!).
Thanks for this tip. Should I ever find myself in Cairo, I would absolutely sign up for this service. I can handle uncertainty and change, no problem. Chaos? Not so much.
Personally I think I would be really stressed out sitting in the lounge if I hadn't had any direct contact with the staff of the airline I was flying, and would be worried that my passport got lost or the agent forgot to go get me checked in. I think I'm even getting a panic attack sitting here at my computer at the idea of sitting in an international airport lounge without my passport in my possession for an extended period of time.
@ lucky -- The "Italian" section is clearly the area made to look like an outdoor cafe, replete with ashtrays. Clearly.
@ Bgriff -- Don't transit between airlines at Cairo then. I've done it, and the immigration officers call a man using their cell phones who takes your passport away, sends you off to the lounge/retail area, and tells you to come back "just before flight" to reclaim your passport and get your boarding pass.
One quick question: Do you know if one can use this service if one has checked luggage for any carrier? Will Ahlan see to it that checked luggage goes to the correct carrier and tagged correctly?
Apropos of nothing, this post inspired me to start looking into a service for an upcoming trip to Jakarta, and I found a company that provides this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35NMKej5uuc&app=desktop While part of me loves the idea of the expediency, as a human being who was born with a shame gene, I just...can't. I don't think.
I suppose if I were to use this service it would be on the condition that we lose the police escort as well as any and all sirens two blocks before we arrive at the hotel. Hm. I think I've solved my problem. If I do it, I'll report back.
Anyway, thank you for letting me make this all about me! 🙂 And seriously, keep up the great work, Ben.
We travelled thru Cairo in Feb & can attest to the messy process to get thru terminal one at Cairo International. We actually lucked out by talking to a janitor
At the terminal, he spoke English and after a $5 tip he pushed his way thru the crowd with my wife & I in tow. I tipped the officer at the entrance & we were in!
My wife was totally terrified with the process, looking back on it the janitor really
Took care of us. Really an amazing experience looking back on it. I would definitely use the VIP service knowing the difficulty to negotiate that God awful
Terminal!
We flew into Amman, Jordan to meet a tour group. Really liked Jordan & the people there. I would really like to see the pyramids at some point do
@ TravelinWilly -- Yep, they'll check your bags for you. And OMG, there's a VIP service that provides police escort?!?! Count me in! 😀
Yes Lucky you can get police escort for CGK, for a fee. It can be a boon in peak traffic if you have tight timelines. It's not uncommon for Indonesian police to perform secondary jobs in uniform and use issued equipment - they are fairly relaxed about such things.
I have to say you've sort of killed any enthusiasm for a Cairo visit, but if I did I'd certainly make use of the VIP service. I wish such options were available at more airports - I'd happily give a hundred or so not to experience delays greater than a few minutes in getting to the lounge or getting onto the aircraft (anything that reduces the stress of travel is an absolute boon!).
On current exchange rates, wouldn't it be better to pay for this service in EGP rather than USD?
I attempted to use this service for a transfer at CAI from an incoming international flight to a domestic flight. I reserved the service on their webpage and received a confirmation. No one was there to meet me at arrival. Never again. At least I didn't pre-pay.
I'm heading to Cairo for the first time this November, so this post was especially on fleek (as was the QR 777-300 business class review). Thanks!
I will be in Egypt with my family soon and they told me it would be 2x $250 for the incoming int'l / outgoing domestic service. . Essentially that is an extra $250 for simply taking us by car to the domestic flight since all of the other benefits are already part of the incoming fee! I told them that it was too much and that I would use their service for some additional amount, but not that much. No dice.
@MSPpete, I know Ahlan didn't show, but how much did they quote you for the transfer?
Terminal 1 remains something of a challenge but is quite manageable if one can deal with a bit a chaos and considerable "colour and movement"
Terminal 3 is very easy for Star alliance arrivals: fewer touts, agents and hangers-on allowed in the arrivals area than in the past; a designated *Gold immigration line ( although the gate keepers of that (very short) queue initially tried to turn me away from it ( arriving on MS from Munich in Y but TG Gold) but relented when Inpointed to the sign and flashed the card.
So visa sticker from bank booth ( $25 US cash, Australian passport), through immigration and over the walkway to Le Meridien in 15 minutes from touchdown.
Departure from Terminal 1, looks worse than it is but could be confronting for those not familiar with older style airports and the rubbery queues. To get into the terminal luggage is X-rayed, then again to get to the Qatar checkin desk ( a tiny space) to the sharp left of the terminal entrance, then hand carry checked again after immigration, then again to get into the departure gate.
I wouldn't use the "VIP" service: the so-called first class lounge (English, Italian, American) is kind of fun ( in a dreadful way).
So long as Qatar is offering cheap J deals ex Cairo I'm happy to put up with the eccentricities/frustrations of the airport. The Egyptians are working on making it better but very much a work in progress.
@ Lucky
I'll be starting travel in Cairo to Chicago via Amman (thank you cheap J fares!); since with priority pass and a business class ticket on RJ I'm confident I'll have enough free lounge access without having to pay for VIP. If all I want is the immigration jazz handled and an escort through security (without a car) would the M&A be enough? I apologize for asking what may be a foolish question but I'm not quite certain from reading their descriptions.
There is a VIP service in Terminal 2 with a separate entrance and lounge access. I don't 100% remember if it is branded as Ahlan though, but I'm pretty sure it is.