Maybe We Should Have Flown Through Cairo After All…
I’ve been discussing flying through Cairo ever since I began planning my SAS Million Mile challenge, but I ultimately chose to fly via Tunis instead after securing an even cheaper premium cabin fare. But in light of what has happened to my friend Ben from One Mile At A Time, perhaps Cairo Airport would have been the more entertaining choice.
Cairo Airport…I Won’t Avoid It, But Ben Was Spot On
Ben has been under attack from Egyptian authorities for what I thought was a very even-handed review of Cairo Airport. Yes, it’s dirty. Yes, people can be rude and hit you up for tips. And yes, it smells like an ashtray. To its credit, it tends to be efficient with check-in, security, and passport control, but that should be a given…
Anyway, Ben’s critique of the airport went viral and has led government officials from Egypt to issue threats against him. No, seriously!
Egypt threatened him for criticizing the airport and even tried to “expose” him for lying.
And all this came days away from a planned visit to Cairo with my son Augustine that even The Wall Street Journal mentioned.
While my visit to Egypt was scuttled before Ben’s drama broke out, I’m rather happy not to give Cairo Airport any support right now…the inability to handle Ben’s constructive criticism is alarming. Rather than simply dismissing it as a unique facet of Egypt’s “face-saving” culture, I will call it out for what it is: foolish, stupid, and counterproductive.
It’s a shame, really. I love Egypt and its warm hospitality and delicious food. Yes, the tipping culture drives me crazy, but I can overlook it. The pyramids are an absolute must-see and cities like Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor have much to offer. But who wants to visit a country that makes such childish threats against a blog post?
No, I’m not going to boycott Egypt over this. But authorities owe Ben an apology and foolishly failed to realize that they made Ben’s story go viral (and it may just be beginning) when they could have simply accepted the constructive criticism…and expended their energy to improve the airport instead.