Dear readers and reporters. It has been a long time since I posted my last flight report, my apologies.
Let me report this flight from Beirut to London Heathrow.
It was a conventional early morning for me, usually this is me waking up for early work. But this time was a day to start a real smile on my face. Obviously as you may have all guessed already, I am flying!
My flight today is a Middle East Airlines operated flight, on one of their Airbus A330-200 (OD-MEC).
Middle East Airlines usually is my one and only choice, that I make according to their reputation, service, on time performance, great products served on board, aircraft choice and staff friendliness.
There I arrive at the airport, this is where I could spot a few MEA aircraft and a Cobalt Airbus 320 right before arriving to the Departure concourse.
Check-In is done very smoothly at a Sky Priority and Cedar Class dedicated area, and immigration takes about 5 minutes to complete. What a great morning till now! Apologies for not taking any pictures in the above mentioned areas, as it is restricted photography zone.
After then, I head directly to the newly renovated Cedar Lounge. Absolutely speechless. Very well done MEA! Such a shame Economy-Class passengers / Or Non FFP members (or members with their status below Silver Cedar / Skyteam Elite) cannot purchase a lounge visit. Maybe MEA should reconsider this?
Let's take a moment and enjoy the view of the Cedarjets parked at their designated gates.
Let's have a few sneak peaks of the Lounge before I head to the Duty Free.
(Apologies this is an Instagram story I have saved, I was way too happy eating in the Lounge that I actually forgot to take other pictures) I am a true food lover and I've got to say, I am impressed.
You'd say you are in an FBO VIP lounge! Agree?
Foul and Hommos Balila (Fava Beans and Chick Peas, a traditional Lebanese breakfast). MEA done a great job adding this dish, as they serve another Lebanese breakfast Specialty on board, the Knefeh, that I did not opt for, because I have eaten it the day before the flight, why not for a bit of change, right?
Unfortunately the other pictures were unclear and blurred, there was a choice of a selection of Ham and Turkey, Cheese and Fruits, Sweets and more! Before I leave the lounge, I cannot miss this Strawberry Smoothie, a worth trying drink, that you can greatly accompany plane spotting!
Speaking of spotting, our best greetings to the Lebanese Plane Spotters!
After leaving the lounge, I decided to head to the Duty Free to grab the final requests and gifts to friends abroad (that is totally Lebanese by the way !)
The bird of the day is OD-MEC, delivered to MEA in May 2009, brand new. The aircraft on the date of the flight was only 9.2 years old. She's still young! EC was parked on Gate 1. A small fact, the first A380 that landed in Beirut for the first time parked on this very same gate, on the 29th of March 2018. Just a few weeks ago.
Welcome On Board MEA! To our left, you can spot an Iran Air A300. Such a shame those aircraft are disappearing.
Now is time to push-back. Good Bye Beirut!
5 Minutes later, we're airborne. We are leaving Lebanon with the last sights of the Neimeh Coast. Notice the beautiful winglet? Isn't it really eye catching?
As soon as we reached our cruising altitude, 40,000 feet, the meal was served. Each passenger had a choice of either Knefeh or Eggs. I opted for the eggs. The cabin were very friendly and came twice to offer drink for the passengers. As you may know, it is crucial to stay hydrated on flights! I ate everything, and was very satisfied of the portion for a 4.5 hours flight, even though I ate in the Lounge. Here are a few in-flight pictures, time passed fast and we began our gradual descent to Heathrow.
Final approach to Heathrow:
And we are on ground! Taxiing after a smooth landing and a beautiful Trent 700 sound! Of course you all know what I am talking about ;)
Thank you for reading this flight report! I hope you enjoyed it!
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Verdict
Middle East Airlines
9.5/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering10.0
Cedar Lounge
10.0/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering10.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Services10.0
Beirut - BEY
9.6/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness8.5
London - LHR
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
Check In, Immigration and Boarding in Beirut ran very smoothly. Beirut Airport is a small airport, but clearly needs innovation. The Cedar Lounge is simply breathtaking and the Gourmet up there is fantastic! A chef is always at your service. I simply recommend you all visiting this lounge! The Cabin Crew were very professional and very friendly! I really was impressed of their products and service in the Economy Class. The IFE can be much more updated, 18 movies for a 5 hours flight is fine, but they should be more innovative in this specific area. Boarding music was played, and reflected Lebanon's culture. That was top! MEA is improving their product very rapidly and can clearly deserve to be in the top 10 first Economy Class rank. (Currently the First, and can always hold this position). They clearly have the potential. Well Done MEA.
Immigration and Deboarding ran very smoothly at Heathrow Airport, to be by far, my [b]favourite [/b] airport.
7 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thanks for this FR. MEA does provide a nice service but they're also usually the expensive option ;-) The new lounge is a real improvement, and its nice to see that not only the decor but also the catering was rethinked. Nice breakfast onboard but given the flight duration I think serving a pre landing snack might be good to consider.
Hello KL651, I am glad you liked the report and the product featured on board MEA. It would have been much better if they could serve a snack right before landing, but we never know :) The food offered on board actually made most of the passengers full :) Unfortunately on high seasons MEA flights get fully booked instantly, thus it would be almost impossible to find an economy seat below 800$ to London, but that'd be much higher with the direct competition British Airways, offering 1000$ for a direct flight to London. But surely the MEA products offered on board are exceptional and that'd be rare to find airlines flying to Europe with such services. When the free Wifi will be implemented on the new aircraft on order, that'd beat the competition.
This FR has made me so hungry! offerings at the Lounge look awesome; the catering for this flight looks way better that what you get in some transatlantic flights!
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66 reviews
8 Comments
MEA does provide a nice service but they're also usually the expensive option ;-)
The new lounge is a real improvement, and its nice to see that not only the decor but also the catering was rethinked.
Nice breakfast onboard but given the flight duration I think serving a pre landing snack might be good to consider.
I am glad you liked the report and the product featured on board MEA.
It would have been much better if they could serve a snack right before landing, but we never know :) The food offered on board actually made most of the passengers full :)
Unfortunately on high seasons MEA flights get fully booked instantly, thus it would be almost impossible to find an economy seat below 800$ to London, but that'd be much higher with the direct competition British Airways, offering 1000$ for a direct flight to London. But surely the MEA products offered on board are exceptional and that'd be rare to find airlines flying to Europe with such services. When the free Wifi will be implemented on the new aircraft on order, that'd beat the competition.
Thanks for sharing!
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