All Quite At Gf

[sharpcommand]

Whats going on in GF ?
Couldn't help but to notice things seem to be a bit quite over the last couple of months on Fantasy Island
No scandal/No corruption charges/No maintenance issues/Not much coming out of the Pink Palace/....IS ANYONE AT HOME . All must be rosy.
Either things have drastically improved, or those who are left have given in to the old regime ! ...amazing what a few extra dinars in the pay packet will do.
IS ANYBODY THERE ??????

[Panama Jack]

I guess no news is good news. But I beg to differ. We just learned about our 787 order last month, so some of us are still giddy. :} Also, most of the GF threads seem to have been hijacked recently by some angry extremists, turning-off some of us.

Money is good, new airplanes are coming, we have a CEO (at least for a while), go to work, come home, enjoy days off, plan next vacation. Life goes on. Hakuna Matata.

[Sal-e]

All the noise is coming from Abu Dhabi right now with the appalling results from a recent audit. Goes to show that money and new planes doesn't mean an airline without due regard to the human element.

[boiler]

oh pleeeze tell us more. Don't leave us hanging like that!!

[London's Control]

It's not that quiet :confused:

Gulf Air takes part in Asia's biggest airshow
Gulf Air signs up maintenance contract with Singapore Company :\:\
Gulf Air and BITE join forces again
Gulf Air launches state-of-the-art Internet Booking Engine
Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2008 takes off


All that ;)

[Lord Flashhart]

All QUITE what? :ugh:

[dash8pilotCanada]

any idea when they will start hiring non-rated A320 pilots?

Someone posted that they hire only Canadians, whats that all about???

[boiler]

GF announced it is going to Shanghai this Summer. Starting with 4 times a week and going daily in the Winter.

[Spirit]

I hope they have something exiting in the pipeline - downsizing the fleet whilst expanding the route network sounds like alotta fun to me...not.

Do they have a deathwish or what...?

[Sal-e]

Shhhhhhhh.....it's all good. Apart from the occassional psycho, it's all really good.

[Panama Jack]

Someone posted that they hire only Canadians, whats that all about???

That and the other rumor that they only hire Burundians is totally false. :)


GF announced it is going to Shanghai this Summer. Starting with 4 times a week and going daily in the Winter.

When and where was this announced?

[chinny]

:rolleyes::cool::=well only Lord Flashhart and London's Control have it!!!! Me thinks LC only by default.

geees.:ugh:

VTSP
chinny

[sharpcommand]

Just to stir it up a bit....sounds like a bit of buckshish to be made in Shanghai ,they like to pick a pocket or two :)

[boiler]

February 26, 2008

Manama, Bahrain - Gulf Air, the national carrier for Bahrain, will introduce non-stop Shanghai service as part of the airline’s growth strategy.

The four times a week service will commence on 16th June 2008 and operate from Bahrain to take advantage of two-way connectivity to many Gulf and major Middle East markets. The route will be operated by using an Airbus A340-300, offering first, business and economy class service.

The service will be later upgraded to daily flights, effective winter schedule 2008.

“China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and for Gulf Air it is strategically important that we launch into this booming market this year,” says Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Näf.

“We will be offering our sky beds and other award-winning in-flight services, such as the Sky Nanny service, to this new route and we are looking at other international destinations to expand our network as part of our strategy to become the airline of choice.”

Gulf Air’s Vice President Network Hashim Mahmood says the Bahrain-Shanghai route and the planned schedule to the destination will be the, “most attractive in the region.”

“The two-way traffic between the region and China is growing tremendously and our revamped network offers better connection times, which will be an added advantage for Gulf Air customers.”

Gulf Air launched a new revamped network in July 2007, which offers more than more than 400 flights per week in the region.

Source: Gulf Air

[left_to_first_class]

Finally we're off to Shanghai - although its been in the pipeline for a few years.
Where are they getting the spare flying time on the a340?

[London's Control]

Probably downgrade a non needed 340 :} such as Lahore (Just send a 738 like they do with Karachi) - Just because GF is back positive you all want some more scandals eh ? ;)

[ironbutt57]

Yo know how we are..when there's nothing to bitch about we go silent;) hope this thing goes well...got some 321's (actually signed on the dotted line THIS time)that might complement the 738's as well...now if we could just get the IFE's and interiors ripped out and REPLACED..biggest complaint from the maintenance folks is the furnishings are just too out of date to find replacement parts for...sad to leave revenue pax behing because seats are broken and cannot be repaired due non-production of new parts...most MDD's on the 320 fleet very minor these days and cleared up in quick fashion...very positive signs compared to a year ago...

[dash8pilotCanada]

any news on them hiring non rated a320 pilots?

[ironbutt57]

Not casting aspersions on my friends and former colleagues, if I were a bail bondsman, I wouldnt be posting bond on any non-rated folks from that neck of the woods in the near future..

[tbaylx]

:hmm:

on a side note when you coming back down? We're working on a couple dive trips to the east coast in the next few months if you are interested...give me a shout.

[brassplate]

.....speaking of that neckadawoods. and the other neckadasavannah would be sefefreeka me thinks.

[stefan1138]

Is there some substance ( I mean facts) about those ex Air Canada A330 aircraft mentionned in the other thread?

Regards Stefan

[left_to_first_class]

The latest I know of is that Boeing will help GF lease some aircraft until they get new 787. There was talk of 777 however the start-up cost for running a fleet that will be temporary is too high - you have to remember GF is cash strapped.
So efforts are on the way to find A330 which is a natural fit for GF. Also plans are to phase out the A340 later (in a few years), replace them with A330 so prior to the new 787 arriving Gf will have one aircraft type for its widebodied flying. Makes the transition easier.

[stefan1138]

Thanx left_to_first class,

makes sense. I read somewhere - I think it was on speednews - that first A340 will be withdrawn in 2009 and is marketed by Boeing now. Any truth to that?

Regards Stefan

[left_to_first_class]

Not sure on that however the Gf A340's are 300 series so not many takers I think. Bit of a gas guzzler.

[left_to_first_class]

Good info perhaps. Remember GF has to stomp up cash to lease any plans which will take to get of his maj, so 767 staying longer sound possible.
Remember the 767 were to have gone last year.

[Albergineman]

Well, with the new destination to start in June on a four times a week basis with the A340, it makes sence to keep the B767's for awhile and with the two A321's to arrive in May for the summer and to stay for the next two years initially, will help to allow make Shanghai a daily flight on the winter since no more aircrafts were announced to join the fleet.
Keep them, fix them... we need them!

:ok:

[brassplate]

i wonder what the attitude toward the 767 drivers will be now. the few that decided to stay with the 76s were warned that they won't be guaranteed an airbus position. if i were them, i'll make the company beg them to stay. or, given that the 76s will still be retired later, demand a higher package for the now temporary nature of their positions.

[undersiege]

Funny how as soon as M Kent leaves, GF could not win a chook raffle if it tried.:E:E:E:E.
Bring back M Kent.:ok:

[brassplate]

quite a few have guessed maybe a year til they get rid of the 767s.

[brassplate]

no takers for a payrise? man, you guys must enjoy taking it from behind. you think gf cares about your future when you and they are done with the 76s?

[Soft Altitude]

C'mon Brass, a little bit of optimism, shall we ?
Every body will end up on the Bus ! :}
Then we can kiss goodbye whatever salary raise or increase, when you gonna fly 30 to 40 hrs a month !
And why not put everybody straight on the Big Bus, while we are at it, perfect as a first Bus, not :ugh:
Smooth cruizin' at GF these days, better keep it quiet as it is...
Cheers and happy landings.

[Sal-e]

Soft Alt,
Do not be too worried about what brass is saying. He probably isn't enjoying the peace time at GF. As for me, the longer this peace lasts, the better. When we all get ccq'd on the big bus and and start flying 30 hours monthly, maybe then we will kick up a little fuss. But I'm sure sure GF will find work to keep us all busy.

[Che Guevara]

Rumour has it that more pilots will be resigning as soon as the six month resrtiction has expired, which is fairly soon is it not.... so lets wait and see what happens shall we....somehow I don't think you will be flying 30 hours/month.

[ironbutt57]

All the 767 pilots who did not fall into the 57-60+ age bracket are/were either scheduled, or planned for transition to the 'Bus fleets which fleet was dependent on their seniority