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Isn’t that awesome a business class ticket to the far east (Bangkok and others) from Europe for just 350 euro all including? Yes, you do have to fly to Cairo first and that can be done for around 150 euro from Europe. Combine these with a day trip in Cairo to the Pyramids and you’ll have an awesome trip! Stay at Le Meridien Cairo Airport to smooth the whole trip in luxury. I’m doing this trip right now and I want to share these tips with you from my business class seat 2D I’m in right now. Do read the conclusion too!
Tips & tricks on booking this trip
Now I must say upfront that tickets as cheap as 350 euro were available for a while when Egyptian Pound got devaluated by half. It was a bit of luck too but all Middle East carriers including Emirates, Oman Air, Etihad, and Qatar Airways have regular sales for tickets originating in Cairo or other cities in Egypt. There are a few other sweet spots too; read the conclusion! Just put a tracking on the price in Google Flights and wait till you can book cheap. Keep in mind that the miles you earn on flying business class make the trip even more worthwhile.
Getting to Cairo from Europe is easy as several airlines fly there. I booked my tickets from Amsterdam through Rome on an Alitalia flight. Alitalia has some difficult financial problems and was selling tickets cheap. It’s best to stay for two nights at Le Meridien Cairo Airport Hotel which is a resort rather than an airport hotel. It can be booked, if timed correctly, below 100 USD or otherwise just 4000 SPG Starpoints. If you do the 2 nights you’ll have 1 full day to go to the pyramids! That’s just awesome visiting the pyramids and saving money at the same time.
BUDGET TIP – Tips & tricks on how to fly cheap business class
Egyptian Visa
Yes, you do need a visa and an Egyptian visa costs 25 USD for a singly entry or 60 USD for a multiple entry. If you travel a lot you can repeat this trick but make sure to get a multiple entry visa from your local embassy in that case. You don’t want to pay repeatedly for a new Egyptian visa. The 25 USD is “nothing” if you count in the miles you’ll get for the business class flight.
What to do in Cairo?
In a day, you can visit the pyramids. This will take a day as traffic is terrible in Cairo and from the airport it takes 2 hours to get there. Another option is to just stay longer in Cairo and see more of Egypt. Check out my 9 days in Cairo itinerary for inspiration. If you travel a lot you could even add each time a day or two and see something new around Cairo each time!
Business class destinations from Cairo
There are hundreds of destinations in reach through one of the hubs of the Middle East airlines. You could even add a stopover in either Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, or Muscat. Check the following articles of mine for some travel inspiration in those cities.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Must do in Abu Dhabi: desert safari with dune bashing and dance
QATAR – Doha and rest of country
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai in 2 days
The best deals are normally to Bangkok which I’m flying right now while writing this article. Other top destinations include Ho Chi Min City, Singapore, Beijing, or Jakarta but just keep an eye on the deals to find the best one! Some travel inspiration for those cities you’ll find in the following articles.
SINGAPORE – The cultural highlights of Singapore in 2 days
CHINA – If you only have a day in Beijing what to do!
INDONESIA – Jakarta food tour by night; 4 hours of eating!
VIETNAM – Ho Chi Min City food tour on a motorbike; delicious street food
Conclusion and moral of this story
I have explained you how to combine pyramids with a 350-euro business class flight to Bangkok but what’s this story really about? THINK OUT OF THE BOX! Don’t check for flights originating in your home town! Look for flights even a 1-4-hour flight away. There are a lot of new markets or cheap markets out there from where airlines want to get traffic. YOU WANT TO PROFIT FROM THIS. I have flown flights in economy to many destinations at 80-200 euro just to catch a business class flight at a bargain. Of course, it costs time but I can work from anywhere and with Wi-Fi available more and more inflight this time isn’t lost.
I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of this trick too. Don’t limit your search to Cairo. Just think out of the box and look at Casablanca, Colombo, and Tunis too. Or even Algiers, Algeria, but that’s a bit more tricky for a visum. Enjoy hunting cheap business class fares.
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Did you visit Egypt too or do you have questions? Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. Love to hear from you!
