Improvements at the airport that were completed in May 2005 include a new and substantially better departure terminal. There are now ample check-in desks with modern information screens, although the information on the screen does not necessarily relate to the desk beneath it. If a tour rep or other guide tells you that Gatwick checks in beneath the screen that says 'Manchester', and that Manchester books in beneath 'Birmingham', believe the guide, not the board.

There seems to be little flexibility on weight and what flexibility there is appears to be a bit arbitrary. Depending on the airline, and especially if your hold luggage is close to your allowance, hand luggage will probably be weighed and the weight added to your hold luggage to see if you are overweight overall. You may well be asked to pay for excess baggage.

Departure cards are now issued with the boarding card by the check-in clerk. The departure card, similar to the landing card that you handed in on arrival, has to be completed before you go through passport control.

If you are hungry, consider having a snack at the bakery near the check-in desks before you go through to the departure lounge. The prices are marginally lower here than they are after passport control and the seats are more comfortable.

After check-in and completing your departure card, go to the passport control kiosks, where the visa in your passport will be stamped and your departure card will be retained. There is no 'exit tax'.

Once through passport control you go upstairs to a new (opened May 2005) departure lounge. You can get there by stairs, lifts or escalators. If the escalators appear not to be moving it does not necessarily mean they are out of order. They have sensors to detect someone approaching and only then do they move.

The departure lounge has a few duty-free shops where you can buy tobacco, liquor, perfumes, cottons, leather, books, gifts and refreshments. Except for the refreshments, which are priced in Egyptian Pounds, other shop prices are marked in US dollars, but they do accept Egyptian currency as well as British pounds, American dollars, Euros and Swiss francs.

Refreshments available include the usual soft and hot drinks, pizza and fish & chips, ices and sweets. The prices of refreshments at the airport are closer to the prices in London airports than Luxor town.

Prices in the book and gift shop are also very high, typically 40% higher than in Luxor town, but the prices of traditional duty free goods, such as tobacco and spirits, are on a par with duty free shops at other airports. For example, 200 local cigarettes (such as 'Cleopatra') were $3.50 in March 2008 (which is close to the Luxor street price of LE25), 200 Marlborough were $19, Silk Cut, Rothmans and B&H were $18 and Dunhill $20. A litre of White Horse whisky was $19, Teachers $17 and Gordon's gin $18; Cinzano $10, Campari $16 and Martini $14. If you want to take back something more exotic, Drambruie is $27 - all prices are for 1Litre.

The duty free area is kept very clean although there are very few seats, other than in the eating area, until you get to the departure gate. The toilets are well cleaned and are better than at many British airports. However, they are also embarrassingly well supervised and the attendants expect very generous tips, despite large notices to the contrary. Even the cleaners, who constantly tour the lounge pushing a broom, seek offerings.

The duty free lounge has an ATM and a postbox.

Overall, since May 2005, the airport has become very sophisticated, apart from that enthusiasm not to deny the traveller a last opportunity to donate.