Egypt | Winning under the new travel rules

By Terry Steeley

1. Pay for an extra legroom seat. When available, these low cost upgrades beat the queues and provide:
   Your choice of favorite seat
   Priority check-In
   Speedy boarding
   An extra carry on bag

2. Airlines have been flexible with overweight baggage on the Return flights from Egypt. This is a courtesy and they don’t need to be so lenient! However, expect the normal strict rules on weight allowances on the outbound flights. To avoid this headache consider paying for an extra 20kg bag. Bags are low cost each way and remove the headache of excess baggage.

3. Consider taking bubble wrap! I flew with 20 metres of bubble wrap that weighted 300g. For the Return flight, cameras, laptop, iPad, dive computers, strobes, sat phone, hard disks, Suunto transmitter and other electrical devices were wrapped individually, named and placed inside a Pelican case for easy inspection.
4. Ensure that all electrical items have fully charged batteries and can be demonstrated working if requested.
   Spare batteries are prohibited and will be confiscated if found. A few people have placed a spare battery on the battery charger and taped them securely for travel. This is a 50/50 gamble and might result with a battery being confiscated.
   
5. Portable power banks are prohibited anywhere on the plane. If found in your carry-on or checked luggage they will be confiscated.
6. iPhone battery cases that are larger than 16cm length, 9.3cm width or 1.5cm deep are prohibited anywhere on the plane. See rule 6.
7. If items are confiscated, remain calm and polite. The staff do not want to remove your items, they’re just doing their job. Smile.

Page 1: Introduction.
Page 2: Hurghada airport: A Traveller’s Survival strategy by Saeed Rashid.
Page 3: Egypt | Winning under the new travel rules by Terry Steeley.