Business & First Class Flights to Cairo

EgyptAir, a Star Alliance member, flies Cairo nonstop from New York JFK and Washington Dulles, with a lie-flat 1-2-1 business cabin on its 787-9s and a 2-3-2 layout on the older 777-300ERs that still cover some frequencies — we confirm the aircraft. EgyptAir is a dry airline (no alcohol on board). The one-stops carry most premium traffic and have the better cabins: Turkish Airlines via Istanbul (two hours on) from fourteen US cities, Emirates via Dubai with First Class on the Cairo sector, Qatar Airways in Qsuite via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Saudia via Jeddah, and Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Air France, KLM and British Airways via their European hubs, four to five hours from Cairo. From the West Coast and the middle of the country, Istanbul and the Gulf are usually the shortest total time.

Cairo International's Terminal 3 is 40 minutes from Giza and the new Grand Egyptian Museum, and 30 from Zamalek and downtown. EgyptAir's domestic network is the way to Upper Egypt: Luxor and Aswan are an hour, Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada an hour, and we book them on the same ticket where the fare allows. Nile cruises run between Luxor and Aswan, typically three to seven nights, and most itineraries fly Cairo–Luxor, cruise to Aswan, and fly Aswan–Cairo; Abu Simbel is a day trip from Aswan.

The season is October through April — warm days, cool nights, and the Nile cruise calendar — with Christmas–New Year and Easter the peak weeks for fares and cruise cabins. October–November and March–April are ideal. May through September is very hot in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan (often above 105°F), though the Red Sea resorts are pleasant, and premium fares drop to their lowest, well below our $3,000 starting fare from New York. Ramadan shifts earlier each year; sites stay open, hours change, and fares dip.