Emirates flight to Budapest is all business travel should be
Published at: 13/07/2016 07:48 pm
The flight to Europe’s sixth-largest city was business travel as it ought to be – on time, comfortable and efficient, with plenty of room to work and relax- according to Peter Cooper, who travelled from Dubai to Budapest.
Emirates has a very reliable chauffeur service in Dubai to get you to the airport without any fuss. It takes you straight to the dedicated first- and business-class terminal in Terminal 3. Here you will find a spacious check-in area to start your trip, without any queues. On board, it was pleasant to note the upgrade of the aircraft from an Airbus A330 to a Boeing 777-300, operational since last year. Budapest was then a new route and has now benefited from the cascading of older aircraft in the fleet as the A380s take over their destinations. A standard Boeing 777 business-class seat offered a large screen to complement the huge stock of movies available in Emirates’s Ice entertainment system, and a power point for my laptop.
How was the experience after landing?
Arriving in Budapest is a real breeze, with an airport so small that you don’t have far to walk. My priority baggage was out within minutes of rushing through the passport control, which I reached ahead of the crowd as I got to disembark first. I quickly located my chauffeur and 30 minutes later I was checking into my accommodation. The flight was five hours and 18 minutes, and door to door from Dubai it took about eight hours.
So why go there?
Budapest is increasingly a gateway city for central Europe. The grand architecture from a golden age at the end of the 19th century is being rapidly restored, and the city’s rich cultural life comes at affordable prices. Hotels and restaurants are something of a bargain. The unique atmosphere makes Budapest and the country a nice place for those, who want to use the benefits of the Hungarian Residency Bond Program.
Really, is there any business?
The newly opened Ritz-Carlton is owned by the Dubai hotelier Khalaf Al Habtoor, as well as the InterContinental with the best views over the Danube. Rooms in the Ritz start from Dh985. Budapest is popular with European tech start-ups these days and property opportunities abound in the central district.