The breakfast tray on EgyptAir's Cairo (CAI) to Dubai (DXB) Dreamliner service seemed complete on paper: It arrived with an omelet, sausages, spinach, potato wedges, strawberry jam, honey, a small salad, and a croissant. But Josh Cahill's verdict: the food was "super dry and didn't taste that good"(6:43). It was the sharpest complaint in an otherwise cautiously optimistic review of an airline Cahill has watched closely for years.
“...super dry and didn't taste that good”
The EgyptAir Cairo Lounge: Still Waiting for a Refresh
Before boarding, Cahill stopped at the EgyptAir lounge at Cairo International Airport. His assessment was blunt: the space is outdated, uncomfortable, frequently overcrowded, and the buffet offers below-average food (2:21). He noted the lounge had not changed since his last visit [in mid-2023 - E.V.] and said it needs refurbishment. For a carrier positioning itself as a service-oriented airline, the lounge remains a visible gap between aspiration and reality.
Cahill has flown EgyptAir in and out of Cairo before. In earlier coverage where he examined the carrier's then-new business class product, his reaction was sharply negative on crew attitude, captured in the line "What's wrong with you EgyptAir? That's not the Egypt I remember". That 2021 review praised the seating hardware but found the service lacking. The lounge criticism has been consistent across both visits.
Boarding the 787: A Cabin That Surprised Him
The flight operated on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in business class (2:53). When Cahill stepped into the cabin and saw the reversed herringbone seats, his reaction was immediate:
“Wow, that's not the Egypt Air that I remember. And I love it.”
The reversed herringbone configuration gives every seat direct aisle access, a layout now common on competitive long-haul products but still a meaningful upgrade for EgyptAir. Cahill's surprise was genuine: the hardware represented a clear step up from what he had seen from the carrier before.
The crew matched the cabin's improved impression. Before departure, they distributed hot towels and pre-departure beverages, a service sequence Cahill read as evidence of deliberate training rather than routine habit (5:30). He said the gestures indicated EgyptAir "underwent a lot of training and are shifting to a service-oriented carrier". That framing matters: Cahill was not simply noting that towels were handed out, but drawing a conclusion about the airline's direction based on the consistency of the crew's actions.
Catering Undercuts an Otherwise Improved Product
The breakfast service arrived with a broad selection, but quantity did not translate to quality. Cahill worked through the omelet, sausages, and accompaniments and found the food dry across the board. The croissant and jam were present, the salad was there, but nothing on the tray distinguished itself.
Catering has been a recurring weakness in Cahill's EgyptAir coverage. His earlier economy class review, which examined the carrier's long-haul product in a less forgiving cabin, also complained about food quality as a problem. Moving to business class and a newer aircraft has not resolved it.
The flight arrived at Dubai International Airport, a hub Cahill has passed through on numerous occasions across different carriers and cabin classes. The destination was unremarkable. But the route itself, CAI to DXB, is Cahill's first documented review on this specific pairing.
Cahill titled the reviews as "Egypt Air's SHOCKING Transition!". The overall picture from it is of an airline making real progress in some areas and standing still in others. The Dreamliner cabin is competitive, and the crew's pre-departure service was a concrete sign of improved training. But the lounge at Cairo has not kept pace, and the breakfast quality on a business class ticket fell short of what the seat and the crew suggested was possible. Whether EgyptAir closes that gap on the ground and in the galley will determine whether the transition Cahill observed in the air amounts to something lasting.
