I had five years at GF. Not a bad airline in 2002, but suffered from too many hubs and far too much bureaucracy ... oh, and too many Bahrainis for whom a day's work was about 50% of what most expats did.
Then there was the disaster that was Gulf Traveller. Set up to appease Abu Dhabi. A lot of good that did!
The best thing in that period was the new branding which gave the airline an excellent image. Just a pity that too many of the interiors were not updated or held together with Duck Tape.
After JH's departure things rapidly went downhill. One hub, which we thought would be the best thing to have happened for a long time, turned into a lost opportunity because the Board interfered at every turn ... and was made up of a bunch of guys who liked to think they knew something about aviation, but didn't.
Their igorance of the business was well illustrated by appointing that know-nothing Bjorn Naff as CEO.
Now the whole operation appears to be sinking like the Titanic.
Pity, because I still believe the Gulf Air brand is an excellent one and could be rescued.
But it would need the Board and Parliament to stop interfering. The appointment of a CEO who had a clear mandate to get on with the job. Maybe Majali is the right guy, maybe not.
The Embraer thing does not make much sense. Much better surely to stick to the A320 family of jets. Reduced maintenance costs, reduced training costs, familiarity with the manufacturer.
Watch this space I guess. Where will GF be at the dawn of 2011?