Middle East Airlines

ME 266 Beirut-Istanbul. The staff (Ground and Air) were polite and nice with the passengers. The departure was on time (28 October 2013 ). The Inflight services were good: good screens in front of all the passengers with good games good music and ambience. The food was tasty and fresh: takeoff and landing were smooth. Very good airline.

LHR-BEY and return by A330. No line check-in at T3 handled by Air Canada. Lounge No 1 is OK but champagne is £8. Boarded on time and took my seat which is one of those dreaded "angled lie-flat" contraptions that can't really be reclined to it's full stretch for fear of sliding off onto the floor. Luckily MEA's flights to Europe and the Gulf are only 3h to 4h. Also the controls only offer certain positions (sleep meal partial recline takeoff etc) as opposed to individual controls for the backrest the footrest etc - you can't customise the position. Food was OK very old fashioned - chicken with rice beef with vegetables etc - nothing distinctly Lebanese. Service came with a scowl - I really tried to get a smile out of any of the crew but they really didn't want to be there. After the meal was complete they spent the rest of the flight in the galley not even an arrivals drink service just a hot towel on descent. Entertainment on demand was pretty good about a dozen western movies and half a dozen Arabic movies. Bags arrived quickly at Beirut and formalities were a breeze. The return flight was identical (including the absence of good humour) although it should be added that considering it's MEA's hometown airport Beirut's check-in area is very dingy and the business class lines are hard to find. Their lounge is very large but lacks character or hospitality. MEA is a reliable airline with a basically decent product but would a smile hurt?

ME202 flight London Heathrow to Beirut Airbus A330. Seats were quite comfortable however most of the crew were very disrespectful. I asked for a cup of water but was ignored. The food was inedible so didn't eat anything for the whole flight. On my return flight MEA had joined Skyteam and things had changed. The crew were slightly nicer and I didn't have inedible food but MEA could still improve their service.

LHR-BEY-LHR. Both flights on A330 aircraft. Smooth flights. Nice cabin and entertainment. Really friendly crew both on ground and inflight. Food was good. However seat belt checks are not done when the plane was taking off one crew member was up giving a baby a bottle of milk and went running to her seat while the plane was on the middle of the runway. Enjoyed the flights will travel again.

Recently flew with MEA to CDG after my short visit to Lebanon. Check in lines at the airport were long but managed to shorten after a short while. Boarding was done with one gate at the airport. We flew the A330. Entertainment present but limited and semi-outdated. SEATS do not recline seriously is this a national flag carrier or a low cost carrier. Food was barely edible the penne pasta was still hard and the chicken dish I chose was very dry. Cabin Crew seemed disinterested although there were some that would occasionally smile. Flight crew kept passengers informed with announcements. No blankets and no amenity kit given. MEA really needs to pick up it's socks.

I recently flew return to Beirut on ME201/2. The A330's used on this route are so much more comfortable than the smaller BA airbus not to mention the greater legroom. Service from the cabin crew were efficient rather than over friendly and the meals to a good standard. The wines offered were also of a good quality. Having the option to reserve seats two abreast at the side is a great advantage for couples travelling together better than taking the Turkish airline or Egypt Air option on a 777. The big bonus was not having reclining seats plunging into your lap! their seats do not recline but are adequately comfortable for the 4-5 hour flight. The direct flight was speedy efficient and on nice new clean aircraft. I would recommend MEA to anyone travelling to Beirut.

BEY-JED-BEY. First leg was flown by MEA old A321 at evening time. Served food was plentiful. The IFE was showing the latest movies. The second leg was flown by MEA newest A320 again food served was superb.

Larnaca to Dubai via Beirut. Planes newish and food good but that was about the only good thing about MEA. Entertainment old and very limited most flight attendants suffered from attitude problems very cramped seats and worse of all the passengers ignored safety instructions throughout the flight especially regarding seat belts. The price was not cheap and I will not repeat this experience.

BEY-IST-BEY on A321. Both flight were nice no delays smooth and professional take-off and landing on both flights crew were as always smiling and helpful. Check-in was easy and fast.

LHR-BEY a 4.5 hrs flight - one of the most pleasant flights I have been on. Shortly after take off the Pilot made a destination announcement in Arabic English and French. The A330-200 was new and modern with personal entertainment. The team was friendly and generous with alcoholic beverages. The meal was hot and very nice.