I took a trip to Lebanon this past weekend and people… it was AMAZING! Lebanon is seriously booming… there was a zillion and one events and it felt depressing that I couldn’t go to all! It’s like taking a kid to a candy store and asking them to choose just ONE kind of candy. Anyways, that’s not the purpose of this post. I want to post about the airport (which I still refuse to call Rafic Harriri International Airport).
I arrived to Beirut on Wednesday night. Along with my plane, there were 2 other planes that arrived around the same time so it wasn’t busy. Passing through passport control was quite quick, so I was pleased. I got to baggage claim and to my surprise there weren’t any trolleys! I searched the entire baggage claim area and could not find trolleys. I asked one of the employees and he told me to check on the sides but that most probably they weren’t any left since there’s lots of incoming planes. I looked around and only saw that only passengers from one of the arrived planes were collecting their baggage.
What traffic?!
How can an airport that’s expecting over 2 million tourists in the next 2 months not have enough trolleys for more than 1 incoming plane?
I ended up paying someone to drag my bags for me which made me feel terrible! I don’t enjoy the fact of having someone dragging my 25+ kg bags around… especially since he was an old man.
While leaving last night, I stopped at Cafematik for a snack and to watch the Spain vs. Paraguay game. Unfortunately, they did not have the channel that airs the game. I then went to buy a wifi card so I can get online. The guy told me wifi connection has not been working at the airport for the past week.
Seriously?
I don’t mean to sound like a spoilt brat but I do not consider trolleys or wifi access at an airport, as busy as the Beirut Airport, to be optional items to add.
ibtasim inta fi loubnan lol
leboland is da best country on earth periodddddd.
You forgot to mention one very important thing… Cafe Matik sucks. I can’t believe we don’t have a decent duty free area and a choice of where to eat at the airport.
Hi Rita. Surely this isn’t a recent photo of the Lebanese skies, is it? Where’s the pollution?
I really enjoyed your post. I went back to Lebanon for a few weeks last year and also thought that it was booming; rediculously so. I loved it, but that said, I agree with the poor ammenities at the airport. International airport, my #@$%.. Maybe Rafic Hariri International Airport is an appropriate name until things get sorted out 😛
Picture is from last summer
Do you realize how insignificant your objection about the airport naming is? Or even anything else? If you don’t like it, then you can build a better one, and name it after you za3eem, or whatever may please you. But even better, you can just leave lebanon 🙂 you won’t be the first or last hater to do so
Fouad: Thanks for the kind words. You should return to Lebanon this summer too… it’s even a lot more active. Its craaaazy 🙂
Fadi:
Regarding the airport:
a) It belongs to Lebanon and not a za3eem. When an airport is built, it’s built from our money and not some za3eem’s money.
b) When you have more than one airport in a country, then go ahead and name them anything you wish. When you have only one airport in a country you name it the BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. You see, the location is a lot more important and bigger than ANY “za3eem” or politician that we have or ever had.
Regarding my opinion:
I am a Lebanese citizen with rights. I have the right to criticize and state my own opinion, which is one of the greatest things in Lebanon. You on the other hand, have the right to choose to hear me out or not.
Ignore Fadi, he doesn’t believes in democracy.
I have to agree, no trolleys? Unacceptable. Really.
Hear Hear Rita!
Crazy Lebanese sheep.
🙂
your post was published at the very right time 😛 seeing that a very serious incident took place a few days later at the airport. This should outline the massive amount of corruption taking place at the airport,
ya sit Rita, as a maater o fact Hariri paid for the airport from his own money…as well asmany other things… nothing was built until he came over… who care who built it , can you just enjoy it and stop PMSing all the time !!!