Mileage Run - Jan 2026 - Chapter 08
I’m back on the road early again, taking the 7:00am shuttle from the Hilton to DXB airport. In addition to the regular stop at Terminal 3, the driver also makes extra stops at the Emirates Engineering Building and Terminal 2. As a result, I don’t arrive at Terminal 1 until 7:50am. Aside from that, things move very quickly this morning, and less than 20 minutes after arriving, I’m already entering the Senator Lounge at the D gates.
Since the lounge closes again at 9:00am, I grab a quick breakfast and then browse a few gift shops to bring something back home for +1 and +0.5 as a souvenir of the trip.
The first flight of the day is DXB–CAI, MS 902 (SU-GEL). I already know this aircraft—it’s the same plane I arrived on in DXB yesterday. Today’s experience, however, couldn’t be more different. Business Class is only half full, I have an empty seat next to me, there are no screaming children, and the crew is noticeably more relaxed. As a result, the flight to Cairo is far more enjoyable.
While lunch is being served, we’re flying along the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
I decide to give the Plaza Lounge another try, and to my surprise it’s only about half full today. The food selection is definitely very good for a Priority Pass lounge.
With plenty of time until MS 701 departs for AMM at 5:10pm, I wander through the various gate areas. Only now do I really notice that almost every area has either a Priority Pass or a Star Alliance lounge. I hadn’t picked up on that yesterday, and my last visit to CAI was quite some time ago.
So I decide to check out the Almeisan Lounge. And what can I say? In terms of both food and beverage selection and overall atmosphere, it’s miles ahead of the Alioth Star Alliance Lounge I visited yesterday. I end up spending the rest of my time here until departure.
MS 701 (SU-GDE) departs today from the H gates, operated by a 16-year-old 737-800. That means heading one level down and going through security again. I think this is very poorly handled in Cairo. Neither yesterday nor today were there enough trays available to place your belongings for X-ray screening. As a result, I have to put my phone, AirPods, and other small items directly onto the belt. Naturally, the cable from my headphone case gets caught somewhere and doesn’t come out again. Explaining the issue to security takes some effort, but after a few minutes the headphones finally reappear.
As with boarding, there’s signage indicating a Gold Track—but it’s closed both yesterday and today. When I ask about it, I get some puzzled looks, but in the end I’m allowed through the barrier, at least for boarding.
We’re then taken by bus to a remote stand, from where we depart for Amman more or less on time and eventually land with a slight delay.
I walk past the completely empty transfer security area and head straight to immigration. That, however, is much busier, and it takes around 20 minutes before I’m back in the country. I had already purchased an eVisa for two entries in advance.
A taxi takes me back to the Hilton for the familiar 22.50 JOD, where my suitcase is waiting for me. While I was traveling in Dubai with just a backpack, my Rimowa had been sitting comfortably in the Hilton’s storage room.
Earlier, I spoke with the General Manager and brought up the Executive Lounge topic once again. He was very straightforward and explained that they used to have a regular lounge, but it has now been permanently closed because it simply wasn’t worthwhile due to the low number of Diamond guests in the hotel. There are also no club rooms. As a result, the atrium now permanently serves as the lounge where Happy Hour also takes place.