While the uncertainties in Lebanon have weighed heavily on our hearts, we have also felt a great sense of pride in Middle East Airlines (MEA), which recently earned the unlikely title of the world’s most “badass” airline. In this personal piece, our editor, Lisa Jerejian, pays tribute to an airline that has defied the odds and demonstrated unwavering commitment and dedication to the country, especially during its most turbulent times.
Like many of my fellow Lebanese, I am as fiercely loyal to MEA as I am to Lebanon. It’s a relationship that spans decades; since 1982 — the year I was born — MEA has never let me down.
Admittedly, most of the trips I took as a young child were under circumstances not too different from the ones we are experiencing today. As war devastated our beloved country, MEA continued flying in and out of the conflict zone, ensuring families — like mine — could reunite in their homeland.
Growing up in rainy London, we never skipped a summer in Lebanon, and we often came for Christmas as well. Strangely, I don’t recall ever feeling scared on those flights, even during the darkest days. I remember only the orange seats, the metal ashtrays in the armrests and the rapturous applause that signaled our arrival in Beirut.
I also remember the last meal at Juicy Burger, the awful sinking feeling the night before flying back to the UK and bawling my eyes out on the way to the hot, humid airport. The gigantic world atlas and the zodiac symbols on the wall of the departure terminal at Beirut Airport are forever etched in my memory.
Our holiday ritual only became harder with time; living abroad and seeing family and friends only once or twice a year was never easy. Yet through it all, MEA remained a constant. They always managed to get us in and out of Lebanon safely.
After a recent trip to the States, I returned to London to catch the ME202 to Beirut — a flight I must have taken over a hundred times in my life. Despite the exhaustion I felt after months — some might argue years — of stress in Lebanon, three days gallivanting around New York City, adjusting to different time zones and the long-haul flight I had just endured, I felt peaceful as soon as I caught sight of the beautiful cedar on the tail and wings of the Airbus A321. In the departure lounge, while people were busy trying to make eye contact and spot familiar faces in the crowd, I was content simply admiring the plane.
Boarding took virtually no time at all, as we were only a handful of passengers. Still, I couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome. There was no hesitation; the smiles were genuine, and the hospitality was on point.
During the public announcement, Captain Wael Abdallah — a pilot with 14 years’ experience at MEA, and who, I later learned, operated the first flight out of Beirut after the major explosion in the southern suburbs on 27 September — apologized for the lack of catering and thanked us for our patience and understanding. Like my fellow travelers that day, I didn’t care much about the metal cutlery and “kafta batata” I was missing out on; I was simply relieved to be heading home.
Among the crew were purser Alaa Ayoub, an MEA employee since 2007, and flight attendant Diana Boustany. They told me about the kind messages they had been receiving from passengers and how people had been waving and clapping for them as they drove past in the MEA van to and from the airport.
I was grateful to have a moment with Captain Abdallah after a perfect landing — something MEA is known for. When I asked whether he and the other 200 or so captains felt like heroes, he answered with utmost modesty: “It is our duty toward our country, our people and our company.”
So, while I have visited almost 50 countries in my life and still choose to be firmly rooted in Lebanon, none of it would be possible without Middle East Airlines.
To all the MEA crew and those behind the scenes, thank you for always bringing us home.
Lebanon Traveler is part of Hospitality Services, a company that serves the hospitality and foodservice industries in Lebanon and the region. Since its inception in 1993, the firm has worked hand in hand with Middle East Airlines, partnering in some of Hospitality Services’ events and initiatives, including the renowned HORECA Lebanon.
