Toronto to Cairo - EgyptAir Economy Class Flight Review | Travel Blog

EgyptAir Economy Class MS 996 – YYZ to CAI Nov 28, 2019 Thursday

Toronto Pearson International Airport | Terminal 1

At the EgyptAir counter, there was a lineup, but it was moving fast. After obtaining my boarding pass, I headed to the Plaza Premium Lounge, where I used my own pass to enter, as economy class does not provide lounge access.

Inside the Economy Class Cabin

I had a box of chocolate, a gift for the flight attendant who was in charge of my section. He was really happy getting this unexpected gift and asked me many times throughout the flight if I needed anything.

The aircraft was a Boeing 777-300. I already reserved an emergency exit seat by paying an extra $33.16 and it was totally worth it.

My seat, 42A, had lots of legroom and no one was in front of me. Throughout my flight, I was able to get out of my seat to stretch myself and go to the washroom many times without asking anyone to move.

I found that paying the extra $33.16 was pretty low for such a long 10H, 40M flight. Many other airlines charge double or triple this amount to book an emergency exit seat on shorter flights.

The Amenity Kit

Yes, EgyptAir provided an amenity kit in economy class. It was a basic supply of socks, an eye shade, earplugs, earphones, toothbrush and small toothpaste, pen, wipes, and hand sanitizer in a nice black case.

Food & Drinks

Because it was a long flight, there were several meals and in-between snacks served throughout the flight. Here is what I had:

- Dinner was beef biriyani, cheese cake, and fruit salad, soft drink.

- 2nd meal was a cheese sandwich several hours later.

- Breakfast was eggs, fries, fruit salad, juice

The food quality and quantity were very good and passed my expectations of economy-class food.

The Washroom

The washrooms were clean and even had some amenities. But this was such a long flight and had so many people that later on the washrooms were messy and there were no amenities left.

Entertainment System

There were fairly recent movies and TV shows, but I didn’t watch anything. There were lots of Arabic movies and other programs.  

Final Thoughts

Overall, the flight was much better than what I expected. The crew members were laid back, accommodating, and nice. I found nothing to complain about the crew and my experience in general.

However, the aircraft itself was old and showed its age, although it was clean and well maintained.

Before entering EgyptAir, I was ready to expect a bad flight experience because I read many bad reviews. But my own experience was nowhere near that and I was totally happy with my time on EgyptAir from Toronto to Cairo.

I will not hesitate to fly EgyptAir again.

Plaza Premium Lounge Review | YYZ Terminal 1 International

Plaza Premium Lounge | Toronto Pearson International Airport

My trip to Egypt was in economy class, so to use lounge access I utilized Priority Pass from my Canadian credit card.

Plaza Premium Lounge is located at Gate E77, Level 3, Terminal 1 Airside, International Departures. The Plaza Premium Lounge is accessible to International departure flights only.

This is my second time visiting this lounge and I found nothing noticeably changed from one year ago.

This is a not big, not small, kind of a medium-sized lounge. The inside is very bright due to glass walls, open ceiling, and frosted glass doors.

I found it not too crowded and lots of sofas in the seating area were empty. Travelers seemed to gather in the seating area in the dining section.

The food section was adequate, but nothing extraordinary. There were not too many items available. As a snack or just to have a little bite, it was OK. The drink section was OK, but again, not too many choices. There were alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. I had a little snack and coffee and didn’t find anything else to eat.

The washroom was good enough, but nothing fancy. There was a shower facility inside the washroom. It didn’t look like there was any sort of advance booking required for the shower.

Overall, I found the Plaza Premium Lounge was a lounge to visit and relax if you have free access and extra time to kill. But I wouldn’t regret not visiting if time didn’t permit me.

I was excited to try EgyptAir, although my flight was economy class. I will write about that in the next post.

Taipei to Toronto - Eva Air Business Class Flight Review | Travel Blog

Eva Air Business Class BR 36 – Taipei to Toronto

Singapore to Toronto via Taipei Dec 20, 2018

After visiting the Infinity Lounge TPE airport, I headed to the aircraft. Eva Air business calls their business class Royal Business Class. There is no 1st class on this Boeing 777-300ER.

Inside the Business Class Cabin

Like my other Eva Air business class flights, this one had same configuration as 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout. All lie-flat seats offer direct aisle access. My seat was next to the window.

The Amenity Kit

The Amenity Kit was made by high-quality German manufacturer RIMOWA. It was a nice ,red hard-shell box wrapped in a red fabric jacket. Inside were the usual goodies, such as compression socks, eye mask, lotion, comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, and many other items. This Amenity Kit was one of the best ones I have had.

Also, there was a full sleeping wear set provided by designer brand APUJAN and it was of high quality.

Food & Drinks

Because it was a long flight (13H, 50M), there were several meals and in-between snacks  served throughout the flight. Some of the items I ate were:

- Smoked Salmon with Sesame with Zucchini Slice

- Cajun Spiced Scallop Topped with Shrimp Roes

- Garden Vegetable Salad

- Grilled USDA Prime Beef Fillet with Garlic and Anchovy Sauce

- Ice Cream

- Coke, Coffee and Tea many times

The food was unparalleled and EVA AIR Business Class was one of the best airlines when it comes to food.

The Washroom

The washrooms were extremely clean, well maintained, and flawless. So far, all my EVA Flight experiences were the same.

Entertainment System

There were fairly recent movies and TV shows, but I didn’t watch anything for long. Eva Air does not provide free Wi-Fi in business.

Final Thoughts

This flight had a night mode feature on the ceiling, like my Toronto to Taipei flight, creating stars in the night sky. When it was dark outside, this feature kept the inside alive by creating space-like environment and I enjoyed it all night.

I have had a few other EVA Air business class flights and they were consistent in terms of excellent service and satisfaction. So far, I have not found any flaws or anything to complain about on any of their flights, and I will be looking forward to experiencing EVA AIR again in the future.

EVA Air Business Class Lounge Review

The Infinity Lounge | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

Last time, I tried the EVA Air Star Lounge at TPE, so this time I decided to try the Infinity Lounge. The Infinity and Star Lounges share the same entrance. The Infinity is on the right and the Star is on the left.

I saw a robot butler at the entrance, but I was not sure if it was functional or just for decoration purposes. After entering, I was little bit shocked by the lounge’s general decor. I was not able to get what kind of theme they were trying to show.

I immediately regretted not choosing the Star Lounge, which I had already visited. Although the Infinity Lounge was spacious, it was crowded and I didn’t feel I could relax there.

It has shower rooms with nice names like Metro Forest, Star Drops, etc., but most of them were occupied.

The food section was adequate, but I felt the Star Lounge food section was bigger and better.

I saw some decor on the ceiling that were created by projecting lights. These different shapes, like mostly round or curved, changed colors and blue ones were the ones I liked most. These different-shaped light projections were something unique and made visiting the Infinity Lounge worthwhile.

Overall, I found the Infinity Lounge is a lounge you should visit just to get the experience of visiting. If it’s not too crowded, it would be a nice lounge to visit and enjoy the themed decor and light projections on the ceiling.

Singapore to Taipei - Eva Air Business Class Flight Review | Travel Blog

Eva Air Business Class BR 226 - Singapore to Taipei

Singapore to Toronto via Taipei Dec 20, 2018

After completing airport formalities, I headed towards the business class lounge at Singapore Airport.  Eva Air business calls their business class Royal Business Class. There was no 1st class on this Boeing 777-300ER.

SilverKris Lounge | Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3

I talked about the SilverKris lounge in my previous post. The lounge had an extensive selection of foods and drinks.

The best part was its shower facility. Each shower room was private and lots of amenities were provided.

Inside the Business Class Cabin

Eva Air business class configuration is 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout. All lie-flat seats offer direct aisle access. My seat was next to the window.

The Amenity Kit

There was no amenity kit provided because I guess the flight was short and only 4H 30 M long.

Food & Drinks

Like my other EVA Air business class flights, food and drink selections were great. My main course was Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Shiitake Mushroom Brown Sauce, Mixed Vegetables and Lyonnaise Potatoes. My dessert was fruit Chocolate Mousse with Ginger and Apricot Chiboust Cream.

The Washroom

The washrooms were extremely clean and well maintained. So far, all my EVA Flight experiences were the same.

Entertainment System

There were fairly recent movies and TV shows, but I didn’t watch anything as the flight was short. Eva Air does not provide free Wi-Fi in business class.

Final Thoughts

I have had a few other EVA Air business class flights and they were consistent in terms of excellent service and satisfaction.