Lounge directory · CAI · Last reviewed 7 June 2026
Cairo International Lounges (CAI): Every Lounge and How to Get In
Cairo International spreads roughly a dozen lounges across three separate terminals. Most run 24 hours, most take Priority Pass or sell entry, and stay caps keep every visit short. Here is the full map.
- Lounge verdict
- Plenty of doors, modest rooms. Nearly everything runs around the clock, which suits Cairo's habit of departing long haul flights between midnight and 05:00, but expect basic buffets, crowds at peak waves and strictly enforced time limits.
- Best access play
- Priority Pass opens six doors across all three terminals. In Terminal 2 head for the Ahlein Emerald Lounge, the best room a pass can buy here. In Terminal 3 the Ahlein Premium near the G gates is calmer than the packed CAC Lounge in Zone E.
- The one thing to know
- Lounges only serve their own terminal, and the three terminals sit apart with separate security. Confirm whether you leave from Terminal 1, 2 or 3 before deciding which membership or pass to count on.
Orientation
How the Cairo lounge map works
Which terminal you fly from decides everything at Cairo. The three terminals sit apart, each behind its own security and passport control, and no lounge admits anyone who is not airside in that building. Terminal 3 is EgyptAir's home and holds the deepest bench, with four airline lounges plus independent rooms. Terminal 2 handles most foreign long haul carriers, Emirates among them, and has the strongest paid lounges at the airport. Terminal 1, the oldest building, gets by with a single room.
The whole scene changed hands in early 2025. Cairo Airport Company handed management of its own lounges to a joint venture between Plaza Premium Group and Egypt Aviation Services, so the rooms long known as the First Class Lounges now carry the clunky name CAC Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS. The same deal promised a new lounge by the F gates of Terminal 3; as of this review it had not opened. Hours below were checked on 7 June 2026. The good news is round the clock opening almost everywhere. The bad news is short stay caps, thin food and real crowding at the overnight departure waves. Set expectations accordingly and the lounges here do their job.
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 lounges
| Lounge | Location | Hours | Access | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAC Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS | Airside, first and second floors after security and passport control | 24 hours | Priority Pass, LoungeKey, single visit passes from about 38 US dollars | The only lounge in the terminal and the cheapest entry at the airport |
One terminal, one door. The CAC Lounge spreads over two floors past passport control and runs around the clock, which matters because Terminal 1 sees plenty of departures at unfriendly hours. Priority Pass and LoungeKey both open it, and passes through third party platforms start at about 38 US dollars, the lowest lounge price at CAI. Reviews of this room since the Plaza Premium takeover are scarce, so treat it as functional: seats, soft drinks, wifi and a calmer place to wait than the gate. On a long overnight wait in Terminal 1, that is enough to be worth having.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 lounges
| Lounge | Location | Hours | Access | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahlein Emerald Lounge | Airside, first floor above immigration | 24 hours | Priority Pass, Amex Platinum, passes around 47 US dollars; 3 hour cap | The best room a pass can open at CAI |
| Ahlein Premium Lounge | To the right of the duty free shops, past the security checks | 24 hours | Priority Pass, Amex Platinum, Diners Club, passes around 44 US dollars; 4 hour cap in transit, 3 hours from Cairo | Solid free basics; showers and spa cost extra |
| CAC Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS | Airside, first floor after immigration | 24 hours | Priority Pass, passes around 42 US dollars; international departures only | The plain fallback when the Ahlein rooms are full |
| Emirates Lounge | Second level, above the second security check and duty free | Opens around Emirates departure banks; exact times to be confirmed | Emirates first and business class, Skywards Platinum and Gold | The best lounge at the airport if your ticket qualifies |
Terminal 2 is where Cairo's lounge quality peaks. The Ahlein Emerald Lounge, one floor above immigration, is the room to aim for: massage chairs, a quiet area, a children's play area, free luggage storage and a separate smoking room, all behind a Priority Pass swipe or a pass costing about 47 US dollars. The stay cap is three hours and staff do watch it. The Ahlein Premium Lounge runs the same 24 hour schedule with a longer leash for connecting passengers, four hours against three for those starting in Cairo. Its free side covers food, wifi and a prayer room; showers, spa treatments, massage chairs and private rooms all cost extra.
The CAC Lounge on the first floor after immigration is the plainest of the three and the natural overflow room. The Emirates Lounge above the second security check is a different league, and a different door: Emirates first and business class plus Skywards Platinum and Gold only. It opens around the three daily Dubai departures rather than all day, with timings that shift between summer and winter schedules, so it only exists for you if you are flying Emirates anyway.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 lounges
| Lounge | Location | Hours | Access | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAC Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS | Third floor of the departure hall; after passport control turn left to the end of Zone E | 24 hours | Priority Pass, Amex Platinum, passes around 42 US dollars; 2 hour cap | 147 seats and still crowded at the overnight waves |
| Ahlein Premium Lounge | Near the G gates; turn right from the duty free area after passport control | 24 hours | Priority Pass, passes around 38 US dollars; 3 hour cap | The calmer Priority Pass pick in this terminal |
| EgyptAir Alioth Lounge | Departure level, to the left after immigration towards the F gates | 24 hours | EgyptAir and Star Alliance business class, Star Alliance Gold | The flagship EgyptAir room, refurbished in 2019 |
| EgyptAir Gienah Lounge | Third floor, Concourse G, near gate 10 | 24 hours | EgyptAir and Star Alliance business class, Star Alliance Gold | Convenient for G gate departures |
| EgyptAir El Teir Lounge | Fourth floor, next to domestic departures, towards the F gates | 24 hours | EgyptAir business and first class, Star Alliance Gold; domestic side | The domestic room, useful before Luxor or Aswan hops |
| EgyptAir Almeisan Lounge | Concourse F, behind gate F10 | Sources conflict; 06:00 to 17:30 per recent reviews, to be confirmed | EgyptAir and Star Alliance business class, Star Alliance Gold | Quiet corner room when its hours cooperate |
| CAC Seasonal Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS | Ground floor of the departure hall, past the second security check in the seasonal flights area | 24 hours | Paid passes around 42 US dollars; lounge program access to be confirmed | A 30 seat room serving seasonal departures only |
Terminal 3 has the most doors and the most caveats. The CAC Lounge at the end of Zone E is the default for Priority Pass holders and the room most likely to disappoint. It seats 147 and still fills; reviews from the past two years describe packed seating at peak times, harsh lighting and a buffet that fades between waves. The two hour stay cap, the shortest at the airport, at least keeps bodies moving. Come for the seat and the wifi, not the food. The Ahlein Premium Lounge near the G gates is the smarter swipe when your gate allows it: three hours, a smoking room, and recent visitors rate the seating and bathrooms while flagging patchy drinks, including a May 2026 report of a broken drinks fridge.
The four EgyptAir rooms are status territory. Business class on EgyptAir or another Star Alliance carrier opens them, as does Star Alliance Gold, and Priority Pass does not according to most current sources, whatever some aggregator sites claim. Alioth, refurbished in 2019, is the flagship towards the F gates; Gienah sits in Concourse G near gate 10; El Teir covers the domestic side on the fourth floor; Almeisan hides behind gate F10 with published hours that conflict between sources, so confirm before building a plan around it. Reviews consistently praise the staff and cleanliness and grumble about the food, with hot dishes reported missing across the EgyptAir rooms in late 2025. The small CAC Seasonal Lounge, around 30 seats on the ground floor, serves the seasonal flights area and nothing else.
Access decoder
What actually opens these doors
Priority Pass opens six doors: the CAC Lounge in each of Terminals 1, 2 and 3, the Ahlein Premium lounges in Terminals 2 and 3, and the Ahlein Emerald Lounge in Terminal 2. Entry windows open three hours before departure, and stay caps run from two hours at the Terminal 3 CAC Lounge to three at the Ahlein rooms, stretching to four for transit passengers at the Terminal 2 Ahlein Premium. Everything is subject to space, and the Terminal 3 CAC room genuinely hits capacity around the overnight banks.
LoungeKey and Mastercard lounge programs list the same CAC and Ahlein rooms through the Mastercard lounge finder. DragonPass has historically listed the CAC rooms in Terminals 1 and 3; its current Cairo coverage is to be confirmed in the app before you fly.
Cards. American Express Platinum opens the Ahlein Premium and Ahlein Emerald lounges in Terminal 2 and the CAC Lounge in Terminal 3 through the card's lounge program, and Diners Club lists the Terminal 2 Ahlein Premium. There is no Centurion Lounge at CAI.
Paying at the door. Single visit passes for the CAC and Ahlein rooms sell through third party booking platforms from roughly 38 to 47 US dollars, with the Terminal 1 CAC Lounge and the Terminal 3 Ahlein Premium at the cheap end and the Ahlein Emerald at the top. Plaza Premium also takes direct bookings for its CAC rooms on its own site. Prices charged at the lounge desks themselves are to be confirmed, so book ahead if the number matters to you.
Class of travel and status. The EgyptAir lounges follow Star Alliance rules: business or first class on a Star Alliance carrier, or Star Alliance Gold in any cabin on a Star Alliance flight. The Emirates Lounge admits Emirates first and business class plus Skywards Platinum and Gold. Other foreign carriers generally contract one of the CAC or Ahlein rooms for their premium passengers; confirm with your airline rather than assuming.
Cairo's lounge map has been in motion since the 2025 management handover, so treat the tables above as the map and confirm the door you need on the day you fly. For the membership strategy in detail, including whether a pass pays for itself at this airport, see the CAI Priority Pass guide.
Get lounge offers for CAI
Six Cairo lounges take Priority Pass and most of the independent rooms sell single visit passes. Compare current access options, prices and hours before you fly.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
FAQ
Cairo Airport lounge questions
Which Cairo Airport lounges take Priority Pass?
Six doors across all three terminals: the CAC Lounge by Plaza Premium Lounge & EAS in Terminals 1, 2 and 3, plus the Ahlein Premium lounges in Terminals 2 and 3 and the Ahlein Emerald Lounge in Terminal 2. The EgyptAir lounges are not on the network according to most current sources.
Can I pay to enter a Cairo Airport lounge without flying business class?
Yes. Single visit passes for the CAC and Ahlein lounges sell through third party platforms from around 38 to 47 US dollars depending on the terminal and the room. Walk up prices at the lounge desks are to be confirmed, so book before you fly if the price matters.
What is the best lounge at Cairo Airport?
The Emirates Lounge in Terminal 2 if your boarding pass or Skywards status opens it. For everyone else the Ahlein Emerald Lounge in Terminal 2 is the strongest paid or Priority Pass option, with massage chairs, a quiet area and a children's play area.
Are Cairo Airport lounges open all night?
Most are. The CAC and Ahlein lounges in all three terminals are listed as 24 hours, which matches Cairo's habit of departing long haul flights in the small hours. The Emirates Lounge opens around its departure banks and EgyptAir lounge hours vary by room.
Do Cairo Airport lounges serve alcohol?
Do not count on it. EgyptAir is a dry airline and recent visitor reviews of the Ahlein Premium Lounge in Terminal 3 report no alcoholic drinks served. Policies in the other rooms are to be confirmed, so plan around coffee, juice and soft drinks.
Can I use a lounge in a different terminal at Cairo Airport?
No. Every lounge at CAI sits airside inside its own terminal, behind that terminal's security and passport control. You can only use lounges in the terminal your flight departs from, so check your terminal before deciding which membership or pass to rely on.
More CAI guides
The rest of the Cairo cluster
Nearby