After flying EgyptAir on both a quick one-hour flight and a longer seven-hour flight, I can say that the airline is much better than I expected.
Both of my flights left on time and the planes were clean and well-kept. My flight from Cairo to Casablanca was the real test and the airline came out with mostly flying colors.
It's clear that the airline wants to make a good impression on its economy passengers, which I cannot say for US carriers, in my experience.
The main reason I like to fly flag carriers is that the airlines tend to have a motivation to create a good experience beyond just making a profit. In recent years, many flag carriers, like Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airlines, have had huge successes using top-notch flight experiences to draw positive attention (and tourists) to their countries.
It seems that Egypt may be making a similar push. EgyptAir announced a year ago that it was making the biggest deal in its history to add 45 airplanes to its fleet for a whopping $6 billion.
I have no idea if the 737-800 that I flew on was part of that deal, but I can say the plane seemed very new.
As far as my experience, I really enjoyed the complimentary newspapers, the full meal service, the free checked bag, and the hi-def seat back entertainment system.
That said, I wouldn't say that EgyptAir went above and beyond with its service or any extra goodies, as I've experienced on, say, Air Astana.
The two major downsides that I found were the tight seats on the 737-800 and the very warm cabin temperature. But I can't say with any confidence that the temperature is a fleet-wide issue. I would have to fly the airline a few more times to know.
With all of that in mind, I would recommend giving EgyptAir a try on your next international flight, particularly if there's a good deal. It's far better than you'd expect.