Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Flight Report SYD-CAI F Class

Well what can I say..other than IFE which needs attention, 10/10 service, seats and food. Chauffer service efficient(same company which Malaysian and Emirates use from Sydney-Hughes Limosines) On time, curteous and did all bag lifting for me I got a caprice..BMW's, as per pics and ads, were "all out on jobs" as were Mercs. was fine I live 5 K from airport so no drama. Driver there 15 mins early.

Check in easy as pie, Air new Zealand lounge was great no real food to chose from but nice extremely spacious , modern and excellent tarmac views! Flights were great, food was awsome and the new F and J seats are well worth the effort. I slept all the way. Was only woken by snorers in J class who obviously feel asleep in the new J seats fully flat with a very slight angle no where near the angle on QF's or other angled J seats where u slip down...not an issue on new J seats with GF..they have first class room between seats in J..Full 3 window spaces...F has 4 window spaces. Lounge in BAH brilliant as usual and arrival in CAI a zoo(got new A340 on BAH-CAI-BAH also..bonus!)..but thats not GF's fault the whole country is one big mess from moment u deboard to moment to re board ur flight out ! :)

F seats are very similar to A330 F seats but J are better and flat on A340 compared to A330. F seats are great I slept well and cabin crew make up the bed with a fitted sheet pillow and duvet...sleep suit handed out along with socks, eye mask and ear plugs. No amenity kits per se but shick razors with shaving creme, rembrant toothpaste and nice soft toothbrushes plentiful in F toilets. Also face spray, moisturiser and soap all high end Temple Spa range.

Am now in DXB enjoying the 42 degree heat. Have many more flights to go keep u posted, but these flights r intra Gulf and 20 mins to 1.20 in length mainly using A320, B763 and A330.

Any questions just ask;)

CJ :cool:

Well what can I say

I am sure that the omission was unintentional, but could you say that the airline was GF. I assume that based on your comment that something wasn't GF's fault, but want to be certain.

Thanks. :D

Hi CJ, did you get to the Asian Cup qualifier Australia v Kuwait? I just checked news - we were humbled 0-2 despite beating Kuwait recently. Apparently it was in 40 degree heat! That's pretty shocking, so where are you headed next? :D
^
BB

Hi TWTGW
Nor sure what u mean, however I was talking about the chaos at CAI...it's a domestic issue not airline related. Hi BiziBB, am headed to Riyadh next via BAH (A320/763)then onto MCT direct (763).

Gulf Air has a million mile promo currently. 4 pax will win a million FF miles for flying from Sep till Nov..I can't think of anyone more deserving than me? :p

Chat soon.
CJ

Hi TWTGW
Nor sure what u mean, however I was talking about the chaos at CAI...it's a domestic issue not airline related. Hi BiziBB, am headed to Riyadh next via BAH (A320/763)then onto MCT direct (763).

Gulf Air has a million mile promo currently. 4 pax will win a million FF miles for flying from Sep till Nov..I can't think of anyone more deserving than me? :p

Chat soon.
CJ

CJ, you're in it to win it - and GF would get LOTS of airtime here if you did win it :D ^

Keep the reports coming! Best wishes for continued safe and fun travel.

Thanks CJ for the interesting trip report. I am really looking forward to my upcoming flights on GF next month on FRA-BAH-SIN in F r/t. So far my top experience in F has been on EK's A345. So let's see how GF's F does compare...

I have two additional questions:

1. Where do I put my GF miles ?? Don't how many flights I will do on GF in the future. VS isn't an option ex Germany so miles there doesn't make sense. CX looks pretty good with good variants for redemption. Or shall I put my partner's miles into my account on GF FFP through the Family option ?

2. On my return flight from SIN in the early morning hours I will transfer there the evening/night before, arriving from DPS on VF (Valuair) so I have to collect my bags past immigration again (no check-thru) and have to recheck them with GF. Is it possible at 22:30 hrs. for the 05:25 flight departure to make use of the transit hotel/or lounge (which one ?) afterwards ? GF website states a checkin 24 hours ahead of departure (I mailed them on that already but haven't received a reply yet) :eek: .

Thanks!

BTW: Just received my 1:100 plane model of a GF A340-300 today which I auctioned on ebay. Pure anticipation ! :)

Hi ngfan and CJ,
It doesn't take many J flights (maybe 4-6?) to get to Silver, and perhaps only 2-4 in F, so it may be worth enrolling IN FLIGHT to get the new member bonus, some other bonuses and see how many points you end up with.

It is a very quick process to accrue status miles, then you have free entry to the BAH lounge - I guess keep it open until you know if you've won the 1M miles (if CJ doesn;t first!)

Cheers, and report your experiences :D
BB

Hi ngfan and CJ,
It doesn't take many J flights (maybe 4-6?) to get to Silver, and perhaps only 2-4 in F, so it may be worth enrolling IN FLIGHT to get the new member bonus, some other bonuses and see how many points you end up with.

It is a very quick process to accrue status miles, then you have free entry to the BAH lounge - I guess keep it open until you know if you've won the 1M miles (if CJ doesn;t first!)

Cheers, and report your experiences :D
BB

Hi BB,

how much miles do I get for enrolling in flight ? Is this bonus still valid ? Do I have to credit my miles for this "inflight enrolment" flight afterwards or will the crew take care that I will get the miles credited automatically ?

Cheers,

ngfan

Hi ngfan,
Here are some of the 'loyalty points' and first flight bonuses - you need 1000 points for Silver.

On Board Bonus 4,000 Miles. First Flight Bonus 7,800 Miles. (No points for these).

Loyalty Points (examples of points earnings in J):
DUB-BAH (@ 7182 Miles - J class): 250 Loyalty Points
SYD-SIN (@ 7800 Miles - J class): 250 Loyalty Points
SYD-BAH (@ 15548 Miles - J class): 350 Loyalty Points

Check the www.gulfairco.com site for mileage on your route, and if there are any current promos. I think the on-board bonus for our flights was over before our redemption, but it was credited anyway, so may not be time-limited! If you get it it's a small bonus.

Just try to make the most of the 1M mile promo (and let me know how all your miles/points get credited. You may have enough for your next flight - or use them on GF's next 'half price redemption sale' :)

Remember the higher earning bonuses in F (may mean each sector is 350 points not 250), and the frequent promos. We had Double Miles for some flights. CJ has described triple miles bonuses elsewhere in this forum!

Hope this helps - plus we all received 600 miles this week from GF!

^
[Edit: Re onboard signup/automatic crediting:
We left our GF FFP signup forms with the cabin crew and the GF FFP pack was sent to our home after a few weeks - with the flights and the bonuses described above - soit was automatic. You'll need to include BPs as the miles are credited directly from these - my Mrs was ticketed in J but at one point was given a Y BP for one segment which was incorrect, and despite our ticketing that segment was credited according to the BP at Y mileage.]

Please PM me - you should sign up on-board as a referral! :D

...
2. On my return flight from SIN in the early morning hours I will transfer there the evening/night before, arriving from DPS on VF (Valuair) so I have to collect my bags past immigration again (no check-thru) and have to recheck them with GF. Is it possible at 22:30 hrs. for the 05:25 flight departure to make use of the transit hotel/or lounge (which one ?) afterwards ? GF website states a checkin 24 hours ahead of departure (I mailed them on that already but haven't received a reply yet) :eek: ...


Can answer my question now after receiving a friendly response from GF's airport manager:

There is a specific SATS Premier Check-in Lounge in the departure hall near check-in rows 3 and 4 which allows for an early baggage check-in. ^

They will also provide me with the invitation for the SATS Premier (pax) Lounge inside the transit area. Maybe I will make use of the transit hotel though. Great way to transfer from no-frills travel to full-frills pampering :D