Air
Budapest can be reached directly from destinations around the world, including the USA, but its most important gateways are in Continental Europe, especially now that what Hungarians call the fapados (wooden bench) airlines – the super discount carriers such as Air Berlin(www.airberlin.com), EasyJet(www.easyjet.com), SkyEurope(www.skyeurope.com) and Wizzair(www.wizzair.com) – have arrived, bringing the cost of flying between Budapest and dozens of European cities to a level that fits most travellers’ budget. Fares vary greatly depending on the destination, availability and the time of the flight.
Note that there are no scheduled flights within Hungary.
Airlines
National carrier, Malév Hungarian Airlines (MA; in Hungary 06-40 212 121, from abroad 36-1 235 3888; www.malev.hu), flies nonstop or to Budapest via Prague, Madrid or Amsterdam from North America, the Middle East and almost 60 cities in continental Europe and the UK. It also flies to/from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China.
The main Malév Customer Service Centre(+36-1-235 3222; www.malev.hu; XIII Váci út 26; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun; M3 Nyugati pályaudvar) is just northwest of Nyugati train station. Malév also has ticket-issuing desks at Ferihegy airport.
Other major carriers serving Budapest:
Aeroflot (SU; +36-1- 318 5955; www.aeroflot.com; hub Moscow)
Air Canada(AC; +36-1- 266 8435; www.aircanada.com; hub Toronto)
Air France (AF; +36-1- 483 8800; www.airfrance.com; hub Paris)
Alitalia (AZ; +36-1- 483 2170; www.alitalia.it; hub Rome)
Austrian Airlines (OS; +36-1- 327 9080; www.aua.com; hub Vienna)
British Airways (BA; +36-1- 411 5555; www.ba.com; hub London)
CSA Czech Airlines (OK; +36-1- 318 3045; www.czech-airlines.com; hub Prague)
El Al (LY; +36-1- 266 2970; www.elal.com; hub Tel Aviv)
EgyptAir(MS; +36-1- 266 4300; www.egyptair.com.eg; hub Cairo)
Finnair(AY; +36-1- 317 4022; www.finnair.com; hub Helsinki)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL; +36-1- 373 7737; www.klm.com; hub Amsterdam)
LOT Polish Airlines (LO; +36-1- 317 2444; www.lot.com; hub Warsaw)
Lufthansa(LH; +36-1- 266 4511; www.lufthansa.com; hub Frankfurt)
SAS (SK; +36-1- 266 2633; www.scandinavian.net; hub Copenhagen)
Tarom Romanian Airlines (RO; +36-1- 235 0809; www.tarom.ro; hub Bucharest)
Turkish Airlines (TK; +36-1- 266 4291; www.turkishairlines.com; hub Istanbul)
Airports
Budapest’s Ferihegy International Airport( +36-1- 296 7000; www.bud.hu), 24km southeast of the city centre, has two modern terminals side by side and an older one about 5km to the west.
Malév flights and, for the most part, those of its 18 or so code-share partners arrive and depart from Terminal 2A. Most other international airlines use Terminal 2B, which is next door and within easy walking distance. Malév has a ticketing desk at Terminal 2A (296 7211; 5am-11pm) and another one at Terminal 2B ( +36-1- 296 5767; 6am-8.30pm); at the latter you’ll also find a left-luggage office (per item per 1/3/6hr 350/1050/1400Ft, per day/week 2200/6500Ft; 24hr). The super-discount European carriers, recent arrivals to Budapest, now use the refurbished Terminal 1.
The Airport Minibus Service( +36-1- 296 8555; mini bus@bud.hu; one way/return 2300/3900Ft) ferries passengers in eight-seater vans from all three of the airport’s terminals directly to their hotel, hostel or residence. Tickets are available at a clearly marked desk in the arrival halls. You need to book your journey to the airport 24 hours in advance but remember that, with up to seven pick-ups en route, this can be a nerve-wracking way to go if you’re running late.
If you want to take a taxi, call one of the taxi companies with a mobile or from a public phone at arrivals (dispatchers understand English) and expect to pay about 5000Ft. If you book in advance, Tele 5 ( +36-1- 355 5555) charges 3490Ft between the airport and Pest and 3990Ft for Buda. Its taxis are just down the road, awaiting your call.
The cheapest – but most time-consuming – way to get into town from Ferihegy is to take the airport bus (look for the stop marked ‘BKV Plusz Reptér Busz’ on the pavement between terminals 2A and 2B), which terminates at the Kőbánya-Kispest metro station. From there take the M3 metro into the centre. The total cost is 320Ft.
www.tarom.ro
