(plane engine roars)
- It's time to travel again.
today, I'm flying on one of the oldest airlines
in the Middle East.
(upbeat music begins)
(upbeat music continues)
(upbeat music ends)
It's my first time flying the Cedar Jet,
I just love that tree on the tail.
- Morning. - Good day.
- Welcome aboard.
(music continues)
- Apple, orange or tomato juice?
- I'll have orange juice, please.
Thank you..
- Welcome
- Welcome to MEA, Cedar Jet 427,
Dubai-Beirut route. My name is Maxim,
I will be flying you today, on airbus 321neo.
The flight time today will be around 3 hours.
We'll be flying first over Dubai,
then Bahrain, then we will enter Kuwait Airspace.
After that, Iraq, Syria, and finally, to Lebanon.
Hassan will be helping me today.
- So, Sam, did you have a window for sight view?
- [Sam] I always have a window seat when I fly.
- Great, Sam. Then you'll enjoy the spectacular view of
the coastline. We'll land on 16:00.
I hope you enjoy.
- [Sam] Landing in Beirut.
- Landing in Beirut. I hope you enjoy, Sam.
- [Sam] Looking forward to it.
- Doors closed, can't wait to get out of Dubai.
It's 42 degrees. Hopefully it'll cool down
on the way to Lebanon.
This is their latest aeroplane, 321neo.
Only 161 seats. 28 in business class,
but they're not flat beds,
they're actually recliners.
Given the location where Beirut is,
3 hour, 4 hour flight,
they probably say, I don't need a flat bed,
let's see if this is good enough.
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music continues)
- [Woman On Intercom] Runway 12, right.
(man speaking over radio)
(indistinct)
- Ready? Take off.
(man responds over radio)
- Ready for take off
- Stabilise.
(indistinct)
(muffled voices on radio)
- Stabilise
(sound of plane engine roaring)
(sound of the plane roaring engine continues)
(energetic rock music begins)
(energetic rock music continues)
(music sounds ends)
- So we're busy in economy class,
we're going to serve our lunch.
Today we have beef kofta, in style of Lebanese cuisine.
with some tiramisu and quinoa salad.
And the other choice is, fish with vegetables.
- Look at that kofta! This is plenty of food.
- So, before COVID we had the bigger tray,
now we cut it in half, because of the COVID-19,
we're not getting any food from outer stations,
we're just bring our food from Lebanon.
So because of the space in the aircraft,
we had to do this.
And we're known for our Lebanese hospitality,
we cannot just cut the food in quantity,
we just got the trays smaller.
- [Sam] Oh, so it's a smaller tray but the same food?
- Yeah, it's just a smaller tray,
but it's the same quantity.
- My name is Imad.
- [Sam] Ahmad?
- Imad. I M A D.
- [Sam] How's MEA for you?
- Uh, it's like home.
- [Sam] You're from Lebanon?
- Yes, I am from Lebanon. - [Sam] Yeah.
I watch a lot of travel videos.
I kind of have a habit to like to travel.
So that's why I prefer MEA,
it feels like home for me.
- Trying out this economy new seat on the 321.
The recline is good, the leg room is okay.
It's a little tight for me.
- So what brings you to Lebanon?
- [Sam] I'm going for a holiday.
- Oh, you're going to enjoy it.
- [Sam] I love Lebanon. It's the jewel of the Orient,
the Paris of the East.
- I know that, and welcome.
Thank you!
Oh thank you.
- [Sam] Do you not serve, do you not have alcohol
onboard?
- We don't have that.
- [Sam] No alcohol in the MEA?
- Yes. Only in economy class. (indistinct)
(upbeat music)
- What do you want to have? We have shrimps or,
chicken pineapple.
- [Sam] Shrimps or..?
- Chicken pineapple.
- Okay, I'll have shrimps today.
- Okay.
- [Sam] Oh, no bread, thanks.
- Would you like to try our Lebanese white wine?
- Uh, yeah! I would like to try the
Lebanese wine, yeah.
- Today we have a Ksara, chardonnay.
- [Sam] Oh, okay. Chardonnay, yeah.
Maybe I'll try the red wine.
- The red one? Oh, okay.
- It's a beautiful starter.
A three hour flight, does kind of put a lot
of European and American carrier to shame.
Now, let me try out the Lebanese wine.
I forgot what wine that was, but,
this is pretty strong.
What on earth is this big bottle of lemon here?
- It's limoncello, it's (indistinct) bottega,
from Italy.
- [Sam] Really? I'll have a little try. Yeah, yeah.
- Oh okay, of course.
- Okay, thank you.
Cheers. This is the digestive.
The meal, I think, is the highlight on MEA.
Really, really, thoughtful meals for three hours,
excellence.
- Our chef today is Lour, she's helping me here.
A aah the bogetti here is bigger on C21s and on C20.
So we easily work as we like it more,
we have also two laboratories
on AC20 we have only one labotory.
- We just started theLebanese airspace.
This is the point to see the mountain.
This is our road to(indistinct)101,160
(upbeat music)
From now we are starting final soon.
Watch out for the nice coastal of Beirut.
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music continues)
- Minimum
two hundred
one hundred
fifty
forty,
thirty,
twenty
reach out
(upbeat music)
- How was the landing.did you like it?
- (Sam)your landing was terrific,
I was captivated by the views on my left.
I notice the taxi way and the runaway road very bumpy.
It was a good landing but because lot of
bumps been set there,right,they have repaired a
runway and taxi lane may times.
- They're bit old.
- (sam) Yeah.
- Anyway,l hope you enjoy your stay here.
And (indistinct)
- (sam)Thank you so much.
- See you in Lebanone,byee
see you again soon.
- What a great landing, just arrived at Beirut Airport.
What l think about MAE flight?
I think they're boutique carrier,
good food, good hospitality.
I just wish they had a better sitting on
the new plane 321 MAE.
I know they're also the large customer on the 321XLR,
so looking forward to that aeroplane when it comes.
And now my holiday just started.
I'm getting free days, aviation holiday in Lebanon.
- (sam)Just come off the airport straight into
my friend Beirut spotter karim's car.
- Hello
- And we are, guess what we are doing?
Of course are going plane spotting.
And also with my friend here, Charles Kennedy.
- (sam) So there is no power right now,
you use your own generator
- (karim) Yes.
Most people got generator certain hours reduce
spendings on fuel.
- (sam)Ooh so dark.
- So Sam behind me are runaway 1,6 and 1,7 use primary for
landing and on my left is runway 2 use primary for takeoff.
- (sam) What's your favourite plane you spotter here?
- Mainly my favourite all time favourite plane to spot
is Cedar jet MIC-330.
I love it for its silvery.
And my most iconic spotting event was when
Patreon de France came to fly in Lebanon,
back in September 2020.
(sound of plane engine roaring)
(sound of plane engine roaring continues)
- I was here in this pond, years ago in 2006 April,
clear spotting between the intersection of runway.
But when l went home 3 months later,
the whole runway was bombed.
So what do you think about the Rachel Rivale?
- I love the Rachel Rivale,
l was so happy when Ann miller painted it.
I come here for the firs time in 1993,
to fly on 707,I didn't even know where it was.
I thought it was in a desert.
I join with all was expecting it was some camels.
And it blew my mind with Hong Kong skyline and the
snowy mountains,and yeah
and all that 707 that beautiful red stripe and
the signature on the tail.
So seeing it again makes me really happy.
- (sam) its $2000.
- Its $2000 coz I went to the ABC and as you see here
two bottles of water was actually $75
- There is a huge problem in this country right now.
The economic problem,no kidding.
This is a 150 000 Pound,it was a $100 dollar,
guess how much is it now Roucher?
- Its like a $5 and $00.20 to $00.25 cents.
- Imagine it was worth more than $100.
now its worth $5,at today's rate.
- Today's rate.
- Your money is gone
twenty times less.
Imagine your savings,everything,they don't allow you
to take all your monies out of the bank,right?
- You cannot.
- Its very sad this is legal robbery.
I heard this (indistict)
This is what's happening in this country.
Twenty time less your money is worth right now.
I'm standing in this back of coffee shop,
the back is unofficial black market exchange,
changing $50,instantly makes me a millionaire in Lebanese.
- 1,350 000
- (sam) what's the exchange rate like?
- 27 Thousand
27 000 to $1.00
so just to order a Tawouk which is chicken cubes
with exchange rate it is official $52.
But with the money l got from the exchange
blackmarket rate its only $3.00,little less.
Which is twenty times diffirence.
The trick is bring cash and never use your credit card.
Coz credit card will change your official rate.
(jazz music)
- We are on the rooftop late at night,
looking at over Beirut.
There is a lot of light at the buildings.
There is no reliable electricity supplier here.
And the lights that we can see are powered by generators.
The buildings that are black out have no generators or
no one is there.
- (sam) And there is no traffic light as well.
There is no power.
- There is no power for traffic lights.
- This is a million years ago from Lebanon.
(upbeat music)
This is my tour guide Rubah.
- Hello.
- Doesn't she look like a high school student?
It looks like there is a power shortage,
the cable car got stuck.
- We are going from junior,this is the coastal city.
- Loving it,l feel like I'm in the mount Cairo of
the middle east.
My worse fear came true, we got stuck
(upbeat music)
- (Charles) the airlines change themselves so
is the country.
Right now its in the middle of financial crisis.
(upbeat music)
- So I'm on this older A330
- Sir,l have this mushroom made for you,enjoy.
- It is msde for me?
- Yes.
- I was little confused bit confused when l get on board,
I thought l was flying Russian Airline.
Then l saw this lady.
You need a bigger shirt man,
show out your muscle.Copy this.
- We dance together.
- (sam) oh you are dancing partners too.
- Yeah that's my partner.
- (sam)Partners in crime.