Last week I shared how I thought Cairo International Airport (CAI) is the worst major airport in the world. There was no ill-intent behind the post, but it was just intended to be a topic of conversation, like the tens of thousands of other blog posts I’ve published over time.
I didn’t even think my observations were that controversial, and more readers agreed with me than not. Thinking Cairo Airport isn’t good is about as controversial as stating that the DMV doesn’t have the world’s best service.
But fast forward to the past several days, where this has somehow become a national story in Egypt. The Egyptian government is angry at me, has threatened me, and has even released video footage of me “enjoying” the airport to prove that I’m lying (by posting footage of seven minutes of the roughly four hours I spent at the airport — and yes, those seven minutes do look pretty pleasant!).
The government has gone so far as to suggest that I was on someone else’s payroll to slander the airport. It’s completely nuts.
In this post:
I’ll be steering clear of Egypt until further notice
Following this incident, several readers asked if I’d still travel to Egypt, and/or urged me not to. I wanted to talk about that in a bit more detail in this post. First of all, thanks to everyone for their feedback, and to those who expressed concern at the situation… I appreciate it!
I want to say in no uncertain terms that I’ll be avoiding Cairo and all of Egypt for the foreseeable future, and won’t be visiting the country or even transiting an airport there. I’m basically viewing myself as a persona non grata in the country. I don’t want to go so far as to say that I’ll “never” return to Egypt, but unless there’s some useful dialogue that comes of this (unlikely) or unless there’s a regime change at some point, I’m just not going to risk it.
I don’t ultimately know what would happen to me if I traveled to Egypt again, but the government clearly stated that it will “take all necessary legal action against those who attempt to harm the credibility and reputation of the civil aviation sector through unfounded allegations.” Since the government insists that my claims are unfounded, and even states that I’m on some foreign entity’s payroll to slander the airport, it’s just not a risk that I want to put myself (or my family) through.
Now, I’ve seen some people suggest that I should be scared way beyond that, saying I should be worried to travel anywhere in the Middle East, and one person even pointing out that the United States and Egypt have an extradition treaty, etc. While I appreciate the general warnings, that’s not something that’s causing me any concern as of now:
- I don’t think this is what extradition treaties are made for
- In the scheme of the enemies of Egypt, I have to imagine that I still rank pretty low
- I’m deliberate and careful with the Middle Eastern countries that I travel to, so unless there’s some information I’m not privy to, I don’t have concerns that this will cause me issues with other countries
I still can’t believe the Egyptian government’s response
I’ve been blogging for nearly 17 years, and I’ve shared my fair share of travel opinions and takes on the blog. While I’ve had all kinds of parties take issue with what I write (as you’d expect), I’ve never in my life had as unwarranted (in my mind) of a response as the Egyptian government’s attack on me. To start:
- Clearly the Egyptian government isn’t familiar with the Streisand effect, and how they just brought a lot more attention to the issues at Cairo Airport than I ever could have
- I’m just some random blogger, so to have a government come after me in this way is just such a disproportionate response; you’d think I was acting on behalf of some foreign government that is an enemy of Egypt
- I shared my sincerely held beliefs about Cairo Airport, and I didn’t say a single thing that was dishonest or that I didn’t believe; I think it’s really important to be honest when sharing experiences, because I operate under the assumption that if I lie, someone will hold me accountable, and I deserve that
- As longtime OMAAT readers can attest to, I’m not someone who is seeking out drama, unlike some other bloggers and vloggers, who seem to constantly have problematic run-ins; since the Aegon Mykonos incident over three years ago, I’ve had basically no drama, and that’s quite some time for someone who travels as much as I do
It honestly didn’t faze me much initially, but the more I think about it, the wilder I think this whole thing is. How crazy is it that a government spent a countless number of hours finding CCTV footage of me all over the airport, and then selectively published parts of it to make it look like the airport is perfect?
What an absolutely shocking invasion of privacy. Like, it’s one thing to publish footage if someone committed an actual crime at an airport, but to publish footage of me and broadcast it on the national news in Egypt when I quite literally didn’t commit any crimes is just next level.
I also love the number of government trolls (or something) who are coming here and commenting about how I’ve been “exposed” for lying, like this one:
You are a liar supported by dirty Ethiopia and you will be punished by law and banned from entering Egypt forever
Let me once again emphasize that seven minutes of my roughly four hours at Cairo Airport were published. Of course the airport looks super pleasant based on that footage, because the government cherry picked the seven minutes that make it look the best.
But what a truly bizarre invasion of privacy. Online complaints about Cairo Airport are absolutely endless, so to think that any foreigner with no agenda can be publicly shamed and attacked for their perception of an airport is kind of wild.
I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything else that can be done to hold the government responsible here. I mean, Egypt is a country that has flights and travelers from all over the world, including multiple nonstop flights from the United States.
For example, Thailand has extreme defamation laws, but at least they’re clearly published, so travelers should make themselves familiar with them. In the case of Egypt, there are (to my knowledge) no laws against sharing your opinion and experiences traveling through an airport. I mean, heck, government-owned EgyptAir sends out post-flight surveys soliciting feedback on the experience.
Even within the context of different governments taking different approaches, Egypt’s response seems extreme, in terms of threatening me, making up false accusations against me, and publishing video footage of me.
Will this incident change my content going forward?
I’m trying to reflect on whether I learned anything from this incident, or if anything about this will change the way I approach content in the future. Maybe my opinion will evolve over time, but initially I’m just viewing this incident as a very strange outlier.
I’ve been blogging for a very long time, and for the most part, haven’t had too much drama. I mean, I receive some consistent threats that I won’t get in to, but it’s the internet, so what can you really expect? As I reflect on what I could take away from this incident, here are a few thoughts:
- I’m not suddenly going to stop being objective, or stop sharing negative thoughts on something, if it reflects how I feel; while most of my posts highlight the “best” rather than the “worst” of things, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either approach
- I’ll continue to be careful about the timing of publishing negative things, so that I don’t publish them when I’m in a country where it could pose a risk (as I generally do)
- This certainly makes me hyper aware of how some of the more “controversial” governments out there may take serious issue with what ultimately amounts to a random person’s opinion
I’m certainly open to other lessons as well, and like I said, my feelings may evolve over time.
Bottom line
It has certainly been an interesting few days here on the blog. A post sharing my general dislike of Cairo Airport somehow made national headlines in Egypt, and caused the government to accuse me of all kinds of things, including taking a trip “aimed at undermining Cairo Airport.” The government has even threatened to take legal action against me.
I’ve dealt with quite a bit of negative feedback and even many threats on the blog over the years, though this one definitely takes the cake.
What’s your take on this situation, and what my takeaway should be?
Now, please go to Moscow and give us your honest opinion of SVO!
Before you all jump on me, that was sarcasm. I'm a big fan of Ben's and want him safe and sound.
Now, please go to Moscow and give us your honest opinion of SVO!
Before you all jump on me, that was sarcasm. I'm a big fan of Ben's and want him safe and sound.
Ben, as a longtime reader, 1) I'm sorry for the headache that I'm sure this has been, keep your spirits up; 2) With that said, this has been pure gold, right up there with some of your crazy travel adventures from the early days!
To all those commenting here with newfound moral outrage saying "I've cancelled my Egypt trip" or "I'll never visit Egypt now" - please stop with the virtue signaling. You knew...
Ben, as a longtime reader, 1) I'm sorry for the headache that I'm sure this has been, keep your spirits up; 2) With that said, this has been pure gold, right up there with some of your crazy travel adventures from the early days!
To all those commenting here with newfound moral outrage saying "I've cancelled my Egypt trip" or "I'll never visit Egypt now" - please stop with the virtue signaling. You knew Egypt is an authoritarian regime before this happened, and this is exactly the type of thing authoritarian regimes do each and every day. So please wake up and stop pretending you thought Egypt was some sort of utopia and this was the singular event that opened your eyes.
This is a prudent approach. After all you are dealing with the government responsible for this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Giulio_Regeni
https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2011-05-02/lara-logan-breaks-her-silence-on-60-minutes-they-raped-me-with-their-hands
The US Government just approved $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt in September. You did nothing wrong. I would contact your Congressional Representative/Senator and raise the issue. I've been to Egypt twice and had a great time, but the way you were treated is unacceptable. The airport definitely has some special customer service anomalies......
His Senator is the president-elect’s nominee to be US Secretary of State. Get Rubio to do something useful again for constituents.
Been following your stuff for just over a decade now, and I've always thought that you're one of the best out there. Absolutely wild what this has turned into, and no matter what happens we'll continue to support you!
My only comment, after watching a bit of the airport CCTV, is that you should consider stopping obsessively looking at your phone while walking. Sooner or later you or others will end up injured.
Take care!
You are great at what you do. The entire incident is frightening I’m sure. I would avoid Cairo airport for a long time. lol! It’s not the most welcoming airport & the government response was way over the top. Sorry to hear!
The Egyptian authorities have no more pressing or bigger issues to pursue?
Ben, you must have hit a nerve if the government went to such lengths to respond.
The country’s rulers are overly dependent upon foreign government sponsors.
And nothing speaks of being a problem state more than accepting loads of foreign aid/assistance.
Nothing speaks more about hitting the big leagues than when a foreign government — with a questionable record on way too much — decides to make a public stink about you providing an honest take on how you feel about something. Wear it as a badge of honor …. and avoid Egypt for now as there are way too many little Napoleons wanting to be more loyal than the king.
Hope you aren't on another Middle East airline flight that gets diverted to Egypt.
No, It has nothing to do with a Jewish person slamming an Arab Country. you should see some of the Bloggers (majority Jewish) that openly criticize and slander Middle East countries other than Israel.they have no reason for that other than being Loyal to Israel at all cost.
You have been very Balanced overall compared to quite a Few Bloggers.
This was not a smart move on part of the Egyptian Bureaucrats. But please reconsider it when they improve.
The US won’t extradite an American to Egypt for something like this. So you won’t have that problem.
Will other countries in the Arab majority area or elsewhere extradite you to Egypt if Egypt files an interpol notice against you? No guarantee, but unlikely in most places.
I suggest you get your US Senators involved in the matter. The best defense is to get allies lined up early and share the feeling of being...
The US won’t extradite an American to Egypt for something like this. So you won’t have that problem.
Will other countries in the Arab majority area or elsewhere extradite you to Egypt if Egypt files an interpol notice against you? No guarantee, but unlikely in most places.
I suggest you get your US Senators involved in the matter. The best defense is to get allies lined up early and share the feeling of being threatened by a dictatorship for bad reasons.
Egypt’s ruling establishment lives on American and Saudi money.
Unless an incoming president wants to build a resort or hotel there, he would be willing to offer Ben up.
Ben, love your stuff and for better or for worse, I am loving this whole story. We are on your side.
Dictatorships will forcefully suppress. Get ready here for the same with the incoming 'administration'.
For what it's worth: I've followed Ben's writing for a long time. He's not a boycotter and his approach is consistent. I'll follow his anti-boycott advice and visit Egypt someday, perhaps, if I'm interested. I'm less interested now that I used to be, so who knows, maybe never. But Ben's written about this and he was right. At the moment, boy am I mad at Egypt, though.
Ben's standards and his tone are consistent. It's...
For what it's worth: I've followed Ben's writing for a long time. He's not a boycotter and his approach is consistent. I'll follow his anti-boycott advice and visit Egypt someday, perhaps, if I'm interested. I'm less interested now that I used to be, so who knows, maybe never. But Ben's written about this and he was right. At the moment, boy am I mad at Egypt, though.
Ben's standards and his tone are consistent. It's not difficult at all to get a bead on who the guy is. So anyone other than the "world's worst" PR team would decide, the same day they got the brief, that publicly trashing Ben, legal threats, releasing edited video was the worst possible play. I expect, right now, that someone higher in the Egyptian government is consulting with grownups about managing this thing without looking like petulant princesses. they might even reach out privately to Ben.
This isn't checkers, it's chess.
Ben wins, long-term, of course, because The Internet Never Forgets. Everyone can see everything we just read. Innocent Google searches about Egypt will put Ben's imbroglio in front of eyeballs. Is that what any government wants?
Ben I hope you ignore the impatient readers who say you're writing stuff they don't like reading; most of us disagree with that. You're right to avoid Egypt, and to write about it today. Stay confident! It's what fuels your success in a competitive field and it's what gives your content value. You did NOT slip up, or title the piece wrong, or step too close to a line. You were consistent, as always. The incident is an incident. Everything you've posted to date has been quality.
Perhaps a takeaway is that Freedom of Speech is a great attribute that we enjoy but reiterates how not all others have it....
You kept mentioning an “invasion of privacy”. I don’t think those words mean what you think they mean. The videos provided by the government were all from a public place, you should have had no expectation of privacy in the airport.
That being said, I agree this is a massive over reaction by the authorities. But at the same time you’re certainly milking this for all it’s worth (and I don’t blame you, gotta get them clicks).
> you should have had no expectation of privacy in the airport
This is treated as law in the US but it isn't in the rest of the world.
But we aren't talking about the law, we are talking about reasonable expectations and I think it's pretty reasonable that a government entity publishing 7 minutes worth of tracking footage definitely *feels* invasive.
Iggy- the fact that Ben had no expectation of privacy in a public place, the government's action do amount to a real breach of any privacy guidelines I am aware of.
The fact that I am in a public park, means that I do not have any real expectation of privacy and that if someone take a picture of me picking my nose, as much as I hate it, it is on me. If,...
Iggy- the fact that Ben had no expectation of privacy in a public place, the government's action do amount to a real breach of any privacy guidelines I am aware of.
The fact that I am in a public park, means that I do not have any real expectation of privacy and that if someone take a picture of me picking my nose, as much as I hate it, it is on me. If, however, someone is following me all the way from the park to my home, videotaping the whole thing, and then publishing it for no other reason than to smear my name, it becomes an intentional privacy breach. Can you sue over it? probably not (definitely not in Egypt). is it in any way acceptable or reasonable? hell no.
The fact that they also published Ben's arriving and departing flight details, how long he spent in any lounge and what he has or has not been doing in the toilet is just next level.
It's pretty silly and clearly a decision of a minister putting ego and pride ahead of common sense. I definitely don't see myself transiting through Egypt anytime soon.
Cairo Airport is not in the United States of America. There is no legal privacy issue here.
The Egyptian government stalked a fair-minded critic of its primary airport. It can come across feeling like an invasion of privacy for the target of government stalking, but what it really shows is that Egypt is a police state and fancies being a mass surveillance state as much as it can manage to be.
Yes, the Egyptian authorities overreacted. That was annoying of them. But enough now with all the 'Ben the Holy Martyr of Cairo Airport, Patron Saint of The Lounge'..... It's getting a bit cringey of you.
What’s cringey is your micropenis. What’s that? You never mentioned a micropenis? What a coincidence. Ben never mentioned being a martyr or a patron saint of anything.
I think anybody here, whether they agree with you or not all the time, supports you on this. If anything, you're doing something right if Egypt is taking this so seriously/ridiculously.
Does Egypt think that doing this will make people more willing to visit?
Exactly. It’s this kind of thing that motivates to minimize time (and money spent) in such a place. Without the protection of diplomatic immunity, a lot can go wrong in a country like Egypt if you dare to be a public critic and end up recognized as such.
Good lord, get over yourself
Get on a plane and write a review for Christsake.
+1
Welcome to the "banned from an African country" club.
It's exclusive, but growing!
@ Sean;
Well, two years ago I banned myself from setting foot on any country on that whole Continent. Basically, they are just all equal. I was always paid for but since a while, no money will get me there.
Which country has banned you? What prompted the country to ban you?
I'm so sorry you're going through this, Ben. We readers know your moral compass and clarity, but that doesn't make this any easier, especially regarding your family. You'd be completely justified in pulling back from your content schedule if your mental health demands it. Also, please consider consulting a lawyer who specializes in diplomatic issues US citizens face, just so they can run you through the best to worst case scenarios, inform your actions going...
I'm so sorry you're going through this, Ben. We readers know your moral compass and clarity, but that doesn't make this any easier, especially regarding your family. You'd be completely justified in pulling back from your content schedule if your mental health demands it. Also, please consider consulting a lawyer who specializes in diplomatic issues US citizens face, just so they can run you through the best to worst case scenarios, inform your actions going forward, and even liaise with the right officials if need be.
Judging by their reaction, and your influence, you’re clearly not just a “random person”.
The hilarity is that because of the government’s ridiculous response, the OMAAT army just went from “okay I’ll fly through there but it sounds rough” to “I will never go to Egypt”.
Just wanted to pile on the support and appreciation from a reader who has been here from the beginning of those nearly 17 years.
P.S. How has it been that long already? Where does the time go?
@ Kneemuh -- Hah, thank you, and I remember our fun times back in the day! Time really flies, it's quite terrifying, especially since that was half a lifetime ago (for me).
The moron alarmist who told you to watch out for extradition possibilities is an absolute naive a-hole
Moron? alarmist? a-hole?
Feel free to disagree with someone, but what's with the need for aggressive vulgar language??
What a weird hill for the Egyptian government to die on.
Fortunately Egypt's flag carrier isn't anything to write home about either, so not much will be missed.
EgyptAir won’t be missed, but CAI is a great place for originating cheap intercontinental trips in conjunction with positioning flights into CAI. And for such trips, LeMeridien at the airport has been my main hotel in the country.
They need to calm down. Don’t worry Ben, just shake em off. Everything has changed, but it’s going to be all too well in the end.
Full support of you.
I shudder to think what a fate befalls locals who point out opportunities for improvement…
You are a stand-up guy and I am sorry this happened to you.
Ben, I agree that in your situation its probably best to avoid Egypt for while. However, please also reflect a bit on the title of your original post. I think the criticism in the article was well documented, but the title was probably a bit over the top.
@ Andy -- I'll absolutely reflect on it. But I'm curious, what do you think was wrong with it?
I titled it "Cairo Airport: Is There A Worse Major Airport?" The title was a question, and it reflected how I feel about the airport. I do think it's the worst major airport in the world, though perhaps one thing I would have done differently is quantify what constitutes "major."
Some interpreted my post to...
@ Andy -- I'll absolutely reflect on it. But I'm curious, what do you think was wrong with it?
I titled it "Cairo Airport: Is There A Worse Major Airport?" The title was a question, and it reflected how I feel about the airport. I do think it's the worst major airport in the world, though perhaps one thing I would have done differently is quantify what constitutes "major."
Some interpreted my post to mean it was the worst airport in the world period, and that's not something that I think is the case, and not what I intended (so I could have done better there). However, I do think it's the worst airport with 20+ million passengers per year.
Ben, those of us in the travel business (and especially those of us who do business in Egypt) should share what happened to you with our contacts in Egypt.
Getting the ministry to try and mitigate the damage they have caused to the country's reputation by attacking you is just the start. Making Cairo Airport a reliable and efficient operation should be the longer-term goal for a country so dependent on tourism.
Such a shame Ben... I've only been to Egypt once, but found majority of the people lovely and the sites just so cool. Aswan was definitely my favorite. My airport experience at Cairo was pretty bad though. Everyone wanted to take our baggage for a tip. We also couldn't get our ticket initially. We went back and forth between their initial security screening and each counter said the other counter should be giving us our...
Such a shame Ben... I've only been to Egypt once, but found majority of the people lovely and the sites just so cool. Aswan was definitely my favorite. My airport experience at Cairo was pretty bad though. Everyone wanted to take our baggage for a tip. We also couldn't get our ticket initially. We went back and forth between their initial security screening and each counter said the other counter should be giving us our tickets. Eventually, I had to tell them I'm not going through security again and they need to print my ticket and they begrudgingly did. Completely understand not going back for a while, but I hope others don't avoid Egypt because of this story. Also... completely forgot about your crazy Mykonos situation.
Speaking of unintended consequences, I’ve just canceled a planned 2025 trip to Egypt with my family. I was initially planning to go prior to the 10/7 attacks (but right after them), postponed it until next year and have now canceled it.
Egypt has a unique ability to play the role of “normal nation” for long enough to lull the world into thinking that it’s a quasi-democracy.
Their reaction to your post shows insecurity,...
Speaking of unintended consequences, I’ve just canceled a planned 2025 trip to Egypt with my family. I was initially planning to go prior to the 10/7 attacks (but right after them), postponed it until next year and have now canceled it.
Egypt has a unique ability to play the role of “normal nation” for long enough to lull the world into thinking that it’s a quasi-democracy.
Their reaction to your post shows insecurity, ineptitude, likely a small you-know-what and evidence of an authoritarian regime that can’t rule by popular appeal, but rather through intimidation and threats.
I visited Egypt many years ago and wanted to share it with my family. Maybe someday I will do so. I have also transited CAI numerous times in the last decade. But am I no more interested in spending money to support his kind of behavior than I am in North Korea or Russia.
The only acceptable result is the resignation or termination of the Minister of Transportation and a statement from the government repudiating his absurd tough-guy routine.
And by the way, the airport empirically sucks.,
That seems a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face
I'm with you...but a key difference (maybe) is that I own a travel agency and I have lots of clients interested in Egypt but after this I won't recommend it. Really a shame as I've been there several times and I agree with others who commented that GENERALLY the people are very nice, friendly, accommodating and understand the importance of tourism to their economy. I usually don't agree with boycotts as they mostly hurt local...
I'm with you...but a key difference (maybe) is that I own a travel agency and I have lots of clients interested in Egypt but after this I won't recommend it. Really a shame as I've been there several times and I agree with others who commented that GENERALLY the people are very nice, friendly, accommodating and understand the importance of tourism to their economy. I usually don't agree with boycotts as they mostly hurt local small businesses but unfortunately the Government has to see the cause/effect relationship sometimes. Hopefully THEY will learn something from this. Btw BEN all of your comments were totally on point. I've transited just like you did several times over the past year and the airport is not tourist-friendly at all.
JFK was worse for me to transit last week than CAI has been for me all year. PANYNJ can’t get its act together when the AirTrain is down.
Hope you are doing Okay Ben. I imagine this is more stressful than you are letting on. We appreciate all that you do (even when I disagree with you regarding the Ritz Chile and its value prop lol). Looking forward to your next adventure.
@ Andrew -- I appreciate the kind thoughts, and the ability to disagree about aspects of travel without it being personal. ;-)
Honestly, I'm more surprised by the response than anything else. It's not actually causing me all that much stress, though it does feel a bit weird to have a country where I'm specifically not invited, heh.
Hi Ben. You seem to be a nice, honest person with integrity. I guess Egypt has no other issues at the present time. Hang in there.
Jeez... after your Cairo experience, now in the second paragraph you risk incurring the wrath of the DMV!!!
As someone who has never been to Egypt or transited through there, based on this, I will NEVER go there or transit through there. This is absolutely ridiculous behavior from an actual government.
Your regulars here support you Ben and appreciate you. Thanks for the blog.
@ UncleRonnie -- I appreciate you, and thank you for reading! :-)
Second that if anything the footage confirmed that you are an open book and nothing to hide, the very fact that I provided you the full cctv link after you had posted your first version and that the pictures you were clearly seen taking at the gate were exactly what was captured and you posted proved your credibility beyond doubt in my mind.
@ Creditcrunch -- And I appreciate you sharing that footage, and you noticing how I immediately updated it. When the government said it would release the footage of me at the airport, I wasn't scared about it, because I knew I had nothing to hide. So I even updated the post with the full link before I even had the chance to see the whole thing.
In before the Egyptian troll army arrives.