Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Gulf Air - Moving forward.

For all you die-hard GF fans :)

Bahraini flag-carrier Gulf Air aims to revamp its current fleet before the first of 16 Boeing 787 aircraft on order is delivered to the carrier in 2016.

During a signing ceremony today for the 787 aircraft in Washington, DC Chairman Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji told flightglobal.com's sister premium news site ATI: “We hope to get new aircraft in our fleet next year.” The carrier is particularly interested in the Airbus A320, he says.

Al Kooheji says Gulf Air is also interested in upgrading interiors of its existing aircraft and installing state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE).

Flight’s ACAS database shows Gulf Air flies 10 Airbus A320-200s, six A330-200s, nine A340-300s, two Boeing 737-800s and four 767-300ERs.

Gulf Air is also in the process of revamping its network, “consolidating the routes we have,” and possibly adding new destinations, the carrier’s Chairman says.

“Most likely, [we’ll] return to discontinued routes,” Al Kooheji notes, such as Singapore and Dublin. He also says Gulf Air will “add more frequencies to existing routes.”

Other markets recently cut by Gulf Air include Hong Kong, Sydney, Johannesburg and Jakarta.

Last month the airline unveiled plans to inaugurate nonstop service to Shanghai in June.

During the signing, Al Kooheji expressed interest in resurrecting US service. The carrier ceased US flights in 1997; however, Gulf Air has had a codeshare with American Airlines since 1994.

“Gulf Air is now really moving forward. Hopefully we will be flying back to the US very soon,” says Al Kooheji.

For all you die-hard GF fans :)

Bahraini flag-carrier Gulf Air aims to revamp its current fleet before the first of 16 Boeing 787 aircraft on order is delivered to the carrier in 2016.

During a signing ceremony today for the 787 aircraft in Washington, DC Chairman Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji told flightglobal.com's sister premium news site ATI: “We hope to get new aircraft in our fleet next year.” The carrier is particularly interested in the Airbus A320, he says.

Al Kooheji says Gulf Air is also interested in upgrading interiors of its existing aircraft and installing state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE).

Flight’s ACAS database shows Gulf Air flies 10 Airbus A320-200s, six A330-200s, nine A340-300s, two Boeing 737-800s and four 767-300ERs.

Gulf Air is also in the process of revamping its network, “consolidating the routes we have,” and possibly adding new destinations, the carrier’s Chairman says.

“Most likely, [we’ll] return to discontinued routes,” Al Kooheji notes, such as Singapore and Dublin. He also says Gulf Air will “add more frequencies to existing routes.”

Other markets recently cut by Gulf Air include Hong Kong, Sydney, Johannesburg and Jakarta.

Last month the airline unveiled plans to inaugurate nonstop service to Shanghai in June.

During the signing, Al Kooheji expressed interest in resurrecting US service. The carrier ceased US flights in 1997; however, Gulf Air has had a codeshare with American Airlines since 1994.

“Gulf Air is now really moving forward. Hopefully we will be flying back to the US very soon,” says Al Kooheji.

This all sounds very positive, although a bit vague, especially in terms of upgrading the a/c interiors. Still, progress is always good and there appear to be many plans ^ Let's hope they work :)

Ive got over 50K in the Gulf Air ffp and would love to use them. Glad to hear they are on the upswing. Dropping those destinations has made it near impossible for me to use the carrier....I hope it happens soon. Any news about them revamping the loyalty program? Last I heard Louise Robertson had left and the position went unfilled for almost 2 yrs!

Ive got over 50K in the Gulf Air ffp and would love to use them. Glad to hear they are on the upswing. Dropping those destinations has made it near impossible for me to use the carrier....I hope it happens soon. Any news about them revamping the loyalty program? Last I heard Louise Robertson had left and the position went unfilled for almost 2 yrs!
My wife and I have over 45 units each and were hoping to start using them for upgrades when we return to the Al Bustan in Muscat when it reopens later this year. However , now that Gulf has withdrawn its direct flights (and OmanAir are using an old banger/night flight from Gatwick) we will only be able to use upgrades to First on the BAH legs as the BAH/MUC leg is Business and by the look of availability of First seats on their web site we will have to be v.v flexible with our dates.
Methinks that as soon as we have used up our units we will be looking at an alternative carrier that can give a day flight/with connection both ways.

Sorry to slightly take a detour on this thread but does anybody know if Gulf's A340 aircraft have been refurbished and have the new business class seats?

I'm flying on GF007 from BAH-LHR on 24 March and was hoping to get some sleep in these seats. I tried to book on the A330 service but my itinerary didn't allow it.

Thanks

Sorry to slightly take a detour on this thread but does anybody know if Gulf's A340 aircraft have been refurbished and have the new business class seats?

I'm flying on GF007 from BAH-LHR on 24 March and was hoping to get some sleep in these seats. I tried to book on the A330 service but my itinerary didn't allow it.

Thanks

3 of GF's 9 A340's are refurbed. The rest are not. All 7 A330's are refurbed. Now that SYD and HKG have been dropped I think all A340 LHR flights are on refurbed equipment. This is a prime route for GF. That said if an ac goes techincal or is out for servcing you maye get a non refurbed ac. Call your local GF office they will know from seat plan. Good Luck.

CJ:)

mixed feelings about GF now.. i hope they have a strategy that they can keep to. i still think they should go regional service only with one or two prime longhaul routes, and seek OW membership asap.

just flew BEY-BAH, on the 737.. not happy, a real downgrade in service for us as we used to get a refurbed A340.

mixed feelings about GF now.. i hope they have a strategy that they can keep to. i still think they should go regional service only with one or two prime longhaul routes, and seek OW membership asap.

just flew BEY-BAH, on the 737.. not happy, a real downgrade in service for us as we used to get a refurbed A340.

Hey GK Happy Easter!

You must admit the A340 was an overkill on that 2.5 hr flight. It was really only used to feed the many Aussies visiting Lebanon when Syd was feeding the BAH-BEY-BAH route. In fact it was usually the same ac that came in from SYD continuting onto BEY with diff flight number.

CJ:)

happy easter (first one this year) back

well whatever the circumstances may be.. it's still a considerable downgrade in service quality for me.. the 737-800 may be new, but there's nowhere to hang your jacket in J class.. and that just put me in a bad mood from the outset !

Good news! My flight back to LHR was on a refurbished A340. Result!

happy easter (first one this year) back

How many Easter celebrations will you be having? I ask as I have a Greek Orthodox church on one side of our house and a Maronite one a few minutes walk away, on my way to work.

I am thinking of all of those sweets! :p

Good news! My flight back to LHR was on a refurbished A340. Result!

MaxFlyer, would you be able to add a trip report or some kind of report on the Trip Report sticky? It would be good to get a feel for the whole experience in 2008 (on a good aircraft!).

GK, all BEY flyers and everyone who is still served by GF and chooses them, can you describe your most recent Gulf Air flight? ^

Still think GF's ac are the best looking in the skies...standard or 'revved up' versions.

Enjoy

http://www.runway30.com/Runway30/vie...3641&width=694

or

http://www.runway30.com/Runway30/viewImage.aspx?id=23641&width=694

Looking even better from the BAH lounge, eh, CJ?


;)

Or at the gate before you board, as a way to burn your x00k miles :)

(the latter looks great; good to know there is some $ left in the till for this)

Howdy, based on the chairman's comments - has anyone heard any more about the possibility of Gulf Air coming back to Dublin?

It would be hard for them to get a level foothold as Etihad are cleaning up but a direct flight to Bahrain again would be nice, especially as it's supposed to be a decent destination.

Any advice would help!

Thanks,
Brian.

Howdy, based on the chairman's comments - has anyone heard any more about the possibility of Gulf Air coming back to Dublin?

It would be hard for them to get a level foothold as Etihad are cleaning up but a direct flight to Bahrain again would be nice, especially as it's supposed to be a decent destination.

Any advice would help!

Thanks,
Brian.

G'day Brian, welcome to FlyerTalk! ^
Thanks for finding this thead and adding to our knowledge of GF's 2009 plan.

All I could find online was a taste of a story. Is it in your local media?
Gulf Air to expand in Europe (http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.meed.com%2Fnews%2F2008%2F10%2 Fgulf_air_to_expand_in_europe.html&ei=3D7xSJPnEIjMmQeA8fXFBw&usg=AFQjCNEiHVvsG8WsvGC-KskJKIqqhnNjHA&sig2=ahQzwqENCnCqxBgpd8ys8A) [MEED]
10 Oct 2008 ... Gulf Air is poised for a major expansion in the long-haul market, adding up to six European destinations to its network next year..

Surely there would be some news to confirm expansion, if and when it gets to leasing gates, getting approvals etc.

In the meantime, Etihad should be nicely filling the gap.

I will figuratively cross my fingers. ^

Is anyone considering GF ex-UK? This service might suit J or others with mega miles to burn:

Gulf Air boosts Muscat schedule (http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.co.uk/article/851412/gulf-air-boosts-muscat-schedule/) [Luxury Travel]
Gulf Air has launched a new London to Muscat schedule, which begins on 26 October.

The airline will operate a two times daily service from London Heathrow to Muscat with no longer than a 60 minute stopover at its hub in Bahrain. The new schedule will include an overnight service, which arrives in Muscat at 0915hrs in the morning.

MCT would be a nice stopover destination, IMO.

Let's see what eventuates, given the recession in parts of the Euro zone and the possible impact on traffic to the mid-east. I speculate there could be a lot of laid-off finance people seeking jobs in the mid east or far east.

We always appreciate your keen eye for news on happenings in ME airlines. I suppose GF realised that they can't keep channeling Asian>Europe traffic forever, and should have taken care to coordinate schedules better when MCT was a hub. I wonder what happened to all the rights GF had at its ex-hubs...at any rate all GF can do is tighten up its regional feeder network.

The cities that Gulf Air plan on launching in Europe next year are Moscow, Milan, Munich for the time being.

Others short listed are Madrid, Amsterdam and Brussels.

The airline actually served MXP and AMS in the past and were cut for some reason. Maybe that's where the new A330s are going?

The cities that Gulf Air plan on launching in Europe next year are Moscow, Milan, Munich for the time being.

Others short listed are Madrid, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Rome is also on the cards according to yesterday's Gulf News.

Rome is also on the cards according to yesterday's Gulf News.

MXP, FCO are there for opportunistic reasons. ;)

:rolleyes: I live in hope for GF's triumphant return - to DUB. :confused:

Gulf Air's CEO has officially announced its European expansion plans for 2009.

They are as follows:

6 new cities to be launched are Rome, Milan, Moscow, Warsaw, Amsterdam and Munich.

Hi all,

I've got a question ...

I've got the choice between GF and EK on LHR-BLR route on J class.

I've done it with EK previously and it was great.

Keen on trying GF but I've got the feeling that the perks aren't as good as EK.

No Chauffeur Drive for example.

Are all 330 and 343 to the sleeper standard ?

What about IFE, food, lounges ?

Any comparisons will be welcome.

Thanks !

Julmops

Hi all,

I've got a question ...
Are all 330 and 343 to the sleeper standard ?
What about IFE, food, lounges ?
Any comparisons will be welcome.

Thanks !

Julmops

Julmops, I just used the 'search this forum' button in the ME/Africa forum.
Amongst the more popular general diuscusions about GF were:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=818327 &
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539777

The A330 generally has the pick of seats and there are several discussions in the forum. Just refine your search to GF and Seats.

Others have already commented on your question about BAH and its lounge, as well as the food offering on GF.

Comments and the experience (mine in J and others in J / F) is good to great.

Tricky one:

seats: EK from LHR will be a 777ER but it's a bit of a lottery whether you get the old bucket J seat or the newer lie flat - if you get the lie flat seat, EK is the winner (there's a seating thread in EK forum). GF ex-LHR will be A330 or A340..seating in J is the same with GF, angled but comfortable typical business seat.

Entertainment- no comparison, EK wins hands down. EK has AVOD, GF does not- limited selection on GF.

Food - good on both EK and GF. EK seems to run out of choices quicker than GF.

Lounges - EK lounge at LHR is better than GF - bigger, great views of runway, wide selection of food and drink. As for comparing EK lounge in DXB with GF lounge in BAH, I'd say BAH is nicer- much smaller but same sort of food and drink selection.

Transit- BAH is smaller airport, transit is usually quick. Depending on arrival time in EK, it can be a long transfer time and sometimes a lot of walking.

Chauffeur - if you are on a full J class fare, GF will also a limo transfer to and from LHR.

Can't give much advice on BLR as never been there. Hope it helps though.

Tricky one:

seats: EK from LHR will be a 777ER but it's a bit of a lottery whether you get the old bucket J seat or the newer lie flat - if you get the lie flat seat, EK is the winner (there's a seating thread in EK forum). GF ex-LHR will be A330 or A340..seating in J is the same with GF, angled but comfortable typical business seat.

Entertainment- no comparison, EK wins hands down. EK has AVOD, GF does not- limited selection on GF.

Food - good on both EK and GF. EK seems to run out of choices quicker than GF.

Lounges - EK lounge at LHR is better than GF - bigger, great views of runway, wide selection of food and drink. As for comparing EK lounge in DXB with GF lounge in BAH, I'd say BAH is nicer- much smaller but same sort of food and drink selection.

Transit- BAH is smaller airport, transit is usually quick. Depending on arrival time in EK, it can be a long transfer time and sometimes a lot of walking.

Chauffeur - if you are on a full J class fare, GF will also a limo transfer to and from LHR.

Can't give much advice on BLR as never been there. Hope it helps though.


Mark,

Thanks very much for this !! Much appreciated !

If I fly EK, it will be from LGW as there's £900 difference in price between LHR and LGW departures ... Still an absolutely mystery to me ...

GF flights are convenient as we can leave from LHR but I would still prefer EK as well ...

We will see how it goes ...

First important step ... Get VP's approval to travel J class ... And it's not done yet ... :mad:

Strange but true, GF's CEO is slamming EY with a few stats of its own:

80% loads in August
85% punctuality (that's an improvement!) - 'Around 18 months ago we were in the 30s'
'Our 27 aircraft are carrying almost six million passengers ...Compare this to Etihad Airways with 42 aircraft and six million passengers - so who is doing better?'


Etihad gets a nudge from Gulf Air (http://www.arabianbusiness.com/535056-etihad-gets-a-nudge-from-gulf-air?ln=en)[ArabianBusiness]

Thanks BizBB-as usual!
GF is carrying more passengers and isn't doing too badly (EY and GF have the same mix of wides and narrows in their respective fleets). GF's strenght lies in its ability to draw traffic from regional points (mainly the Gulf) and distribute it to its long-hauls and India. Although EY is doing well, some of its routes exists for political reasons and are questionnable.

Etihad as a whole is not needed - the region is over serviced. It's entire basis for existence is politcal.:D

CJ

Etihad as a whole is not needed - the region is over serviced. It's entire basis for existence is politcal.:D

CJ

I'd still rather fly EY over GF any day of the week. Now if they could just bring AUH into the 21st century ...

Had picked up the direct LHR/MCT press release some weeks ago and as I have already booked flights LHR/BAH/MCT for early 2009 thought I would change them over.
However Gulf site is still not showing the direct flights either on booking or on flight schedule screens!!