Review of Malev flight Budapest Frankfurt in Business

Airline Malev
Flight MA 522
Class Business
Seat 2E
Aircraft Boeing 737-700
Flight time 02:45
Take-off 05 May 06, 17:20
Arrival at 05 May 06, 20:05
MA 8 reviews
jetsetpanda
By 2883
Published on 7th February 2015
Hi and welcome to the continuation of another nostalgic report on a carrier that is no longer with us. This time it is MALEV and I had the opportunity to fly with them back on 06 MAY 2006.

I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures and details of this report. This was some time ago and I am just relying on memory when writing about this experience. As a matter of fact I was debating whether to post this or not, but given that there are no reports of this carrier in English, I decided to share a couple of pictures of my experience.

This trip was part of an itinerary that covered a trip to FCO and BUD and back then I decided to visit some friends that were living in BUD. It was my first time there and I found it cheaper than most Western European countries. I was able to fly MALEV from FCO-BUD and BUD-FRA.

At the airport I was checked in by an efficient agent and headed upstairs to security. Once I was airside I checked the lounge and was not very impressed with the offerings. MA had two lounges and both were unimpressive by today's standards. There was self serve liquor and soft beverages and as far as catering I recall packaged snacks, the famous Prince Polo chocolate wafers and some ice cream.

When I boarded the plane I had a friendly attendant who directed me to my seat. The cabin was 2-3 in J and one thing that caught my attention was that MA used pictures to decorate the cabin just like BA in J. Pre-dept. drinks were offered and after take off the FA distributed a disappointing meal. I expected a full dinner but what I got seemed more like a snack. This was quite a contrast from the lunch received from FCO-BUD.


Cabin.

photo IMG_1602_0078 (1024x768)photo IMG_1603_0079 (1024x695)



My meal with some sort of cold cuts on top of a rice salad that tasted undercooked.

photo IMG_1604_0080 (1024x737)


For comparison purposes here is the lunch that I received from FCO-BUD on MA J. The appetizer had fruits on it and there were some grilled chicken with slices of cheese. The main dish consisted of some kind of croquettes with turkey slices and a gravy sauce on top. Perhaps it was not the most sophisticated meal, but it was adequate in quantity.

photo MA 401 FCO-BUD (1280x767) (1024x614)


Flight was uneventful and I remember the FA going out of her way to get me something with the logo. She searched everywhere and finally gave me an inflatable plane.


Some shots of BUD.

I had a great room at the Intercontinental with quite a view.





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Verdict

Malev

6.6/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering3.5

Malev Millennium Lounge

6.0/10
Comfort6.0
Meal/catering6.0
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Services6.0

Budapest - BUD

8.2/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness9.0

Frankfurt - FRA

9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

Looking back on this trip, I was glad that I had the chance to experience another carrier that doesn't exist anymore.

MALEV was a carrier that served Hungary well and provided a product that was adequate. I found the crew to be professional on my two experiences but catering was a bit unusual. The layout of their J cabin with a 2-3 configuration was also unique, even though the seats were the same as those in Y.

Information on the route Budapest (BUD) Frankfurt (FRA)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 8 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Budapest (BUD) → Frankfurt (FRA).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Malev avec 7.4/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 45 minutes.

  More information

4 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 128788 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thanks for another vintage report, I feel like I'm in a museum reading these!

    Are those pimento stuffed olives on your cold cuts? Also, what are the brown ovals on your meal FCO-BUD, is that congealed gravy for your turkey dinner (to accompany a grilled chicken starter, none the less)? Definitely some bizarre catering choices.

    Alas, Budapest in its timeless beauty.
  • Comment 128795 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Digging through the airchives I see! Thanks for another retro report! A 2-3 config in J on a 737...how odd. So I'm guessing this is not like a typical Euro J with Y seats and a blocked middle. These seats are different from Y and wider with more pitch, but just not as large as a North American Domestic First type cabin? South African Airways has a 2-3 config in J for short-haul...would it be something like that?

    The meal from FCO to BUD looks much better than for this leg. I wonder if it is because of the timing of this flight leaving at 5PM...way too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 310076 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      If I remember correctly the seats were leather and just a bit bigger than Y but not quite like North American F. I can't say about SA's configuration since I have never flown with them.

      Maybe this flight was designated as snack and not dinner. I think Hungarians tend to eat late so the dept. time would be classified out of the dinner time frame.

      Thanks Kevin.

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