CAI The NEW Ahlein Premium Lounge
CAI The NEW Ahlein Premium Lounge
November 2021
Cairo to Paris
Assem eventually escaped the earlier Cairo traffic gridlock and picked us up at 11pm. Less than 30 minutes later we were at the airport, where check-in counters were crowded just under 3 hours from departure.
With that list, no wonder the Sky Priority line was packed.
But it moved and we had plenty of time. Once we got to front of the line, check-in was smooth but, consistent with our arrival, no La Première ground services were offered. Docs checked included our impressive and very official looking Covid test results.
Passport control and security was uncrowded and efficient.
The old CAI Premium Lounge was a dump from which another security check was required. So I was looking forward to visiting the NEW Ahlein Premium Lounge.
OK, major league improvement. This is actually a real lounge.
We did quick tour and discovered a private lounge, available for rent, for just $5. So we settled in and only had to chase away one set of interlopers that tried to enter.
Nice-ish looking food options from what was mostly a point-and-we'll-bring-to-you service.
Still full from dinner, I just went with something from the DEN Sky Club three days earlier.
At around T-50, we headed for our gate, and with no further security check.
Cairo to Paris
Air France 567
777-300ER (77W) with no La Premiere cabin
2:20a-6:00a
November 10, 2021
Business Class
At this point, exhaustion finally won out as I didn't take any more pics until Paris. We had the same plane and same seats as our CDG-CAI flight some 48 hours earlier.
I reclined my seat right after take-off and slept most of the way to Paris. A full breakfast service was served and it actually smelled and looked very good, as much I could tell by looking at a nearby tray.