Malév Madness (II): Airline Seek More Flexible Passengers

In a story that we really hope is not related to the planned, this-time-we-really-mean-it sale of Malév, the Budapest Sun reports that the Financial Times reports that the perennially unprofitable state airline is selling its landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport for "about £7m." Perhaps not coincidentally, the same issue of the Sun features an interesting story about how Malév has recently been competitive on price with the so-called "discount" airlines that have come to dominate the Hungary-to-UK route.

So why don't we think this is coincidental? Simple: Malév finally figured out that if they charge prices that normal people will pay, they lose lots of money! (Not to mention that they need to sell the Golden Goose in order to save their own ganders until they find a buyer for the whole ugly thing.)

A more genuine coincidence - but one that still makes you wonder what on Earth is going on at the Big M - involves a curious story we happened on via Syrian newswire sana, which informs us that Damascus yesterday agreed to Malév's request to increase its volume of flights to Syria, to help people flee neighboring Lebanon "due to the Israeli brutal aggressions." No word on whether Malév is offering special fares for evacuation from Beirut, or whether they will be applied to the shrinking number of routes the airline still has.