Would you recommend Gulf Air?

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Hi guys,

Just that really. Would you recommend Gulf? Bit of background, Im a UK FO, about 2000 hours on heavy T/Ps, quite bored of the UK and our lovely weather, and seriously thinking about the Gulf.

Id jut like to get your own experiences, good an bad with Gulf, pay, lifestyle, management, day to day conditions for the drivers there etc etc.

Any opinions, good or bad very welcome.

Cheers,

Mr Shanks.

[TwinJock]

Short answer - NO.

The crew are jumping ship at an amazing rate. Rather look slightly East!

[critical winge]

Frankly Frank, NO WAY!!! They are downsizing as all the other Gulf carriers are rapidly expanding. Try Emirates, Etihad, Qatar first if you have the experience, if not and Gulf is your only option then go to them to get the experience and move down the coast to the big players as soon as possible. Not a career but a stepping stone if needed. :ok:

[Tamer]

Could anyone post a typical roster for a A320 FO and typical salary per month ?

Is the bond over 3 years and how much ?

I saw on PPJN that you get 50 days leave per year, is that correct ?

How many staff tickets do you get a year and what is staff travel like ?

How much would it costfor a single FO to live for a month in Bahrain ?

Thanks in advance

[B. Bonga]

Just be care ful with some of these w:mad::mad::mad:ers ! They fall into the same category with those who claim jocks are leaving EK, EY, QR in droves:= Whilst the sand pit ain't heaven, it ain't hell either ! GF has lost a lot of crew to other carriers in the region. That has stabilised now. The resons amongst others, include the much improved package and personally speaking a VERY excellent working enviroment in the deck. Depending on what you're looking, the world is your oyster. GF might be your oyster:ok:Right now GF is going through some turbulent times as the shareholder is trying to map out a way forward. Management wise, well that's a dodgy subject as there have been so many changes and sometimes it's hard to keep up. :{Working enviroment is "nulli secondus". Roster CAN be heavy on 320 due to many intra Gulf sectors but on the whole is acceptable. The other fleets l think it's acceptable. Accomodation is a problem in the whole gulf region as most places the rentals are steadily increasing. The money for accomodation has just been increased so it covers you for an ok place. If you want to live like a rockstar or want something more posh then you have to pay out of your pocket. Bad experiences well, l have noticed that if you want help you must be patient (sometimes very much) and don't approach the locals with a "pumped up chest" as you will get a knobbing:} Career wise, the training is good and from what you say about your stick time, then this might be a good starting point. You will get a jet rating and make some reasonable time before you decide what to do next. A lot have guys came from every corner imaginable and have benefitted from being in GF:bored: and sadly have left with loads of s:mad::mad:t to say about the company.

Whilst my views might not be shared by many:cool: GF is still a survivable place to come to............

There are too many rocket scientists trawling this network:sad: and will give you all sorts of theories and formulae on the whatnots, whatifs of every other airline they are not at. GF is paying my bills and until that stops or l feel my needs are not being met, will leave the way l came..............quitely:) and of course not slam the door on my way out.

[brassplate]

2100-2700bhd/mth
50-70 hrs/mth
7-9 off days/mth
3-5 stby days/mth
bond over 2 years at 16g bhd
50 days leave + 2 days for travel (usually taken in 2x25)
first leave ticket free all the way home of recruitment, next free ticket only to the end of gf network and subload ticket the rest of the way home.
unlimited id 90s (subload) and id 50s (firm)
adequate housing allowance (may need top-up depending on what you're after)
barely adequate schooling for 3 kids til 19 years of age
full medical cover on bahrain or while on duty elsewhere

the above general details may not compare with the other gcc airlines but a key point here is cost of living and therefore money in the bank after all has been paid.
another important point is lifestyle, whether you prefer the small island desert life or the big city desert life.
if anyone can add to this, feel free. these were just off the top of my head.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Thanks fellas for your responses, much appreciated. Please keep them coming, anyone who can add to them.

Im sure as with anywhere, any airline, there is always the bad with the good points, and at my place which is a pretty good employer, there are always issues which we're not happy about.

Im just trying to get a general concensus from those at the coalface, and it's been interesting reading, so thanks.

With some of the bigger players in the Uk merging and consolidating, plus the desire for a lifestyle change (and only 2000 TP hrs), GF does present a tempting move, albeit with eyes wide open, as anyone should who's moving into or around this industry of ours.

So please keep any more snippets of your own experiences coming, thanks.

Cheers.

[Panama Jack]

B. Bonga seems to sum things up quite well. The sandpit (or expat living in general) can be great, but it isn't for everybody. It certainly is not carefree, millionaire-style living, however many who have done it for a while couldn't palate going "home" to live and work.

In my opinion, there are really only two airlines worthwhile spending something called a "career" at based on what I've observed, namely, Gulf Air and Emirates. Yet both of them, as well as their home bases, are so different that once again, what works for one may not work for the other.

Gulf Air is not a perfect place, but it is not a bad one either. Your approach of keeping your eyes wide open is a wise one, and works well for job search and for searching for a marriage parter. After committing, try to keep them half-shut. ;)

[Sal-e]

Frankly Shankly,

there are two types out here. The likes of critical winge and TwinJock who will never be satisfied with anything (and thankfully leave to contaminate our neighbours' airlines with their attitudes) and the likes of Panama Jack, brassplate, and B. Bonger who tend to make the best of whatever's out here and possess a pragmatic positiveness about them.
Bahrain will never compare with our lifestyles back home. So you make your own lifestyle, surround yourself with the right friends, engage yourself in your favourite pastimes, then it's quite good.
Gulf Air is good airline...well structured, experienced (55+ years of it), excellent flight standards, good pilots. If you can make do with a bit of self help and initiative and not expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter, you'll do fine.
At the moment, it is going through important transitions, the biggest of which is going from a multi GCC state owned carrier to full Bahraini ownership. Bahrain became the sole owner at the start of November and with this, some issues are to be expected.
Another important transitional move is an order of quite a few more aircrafts, to be announced on the 11th November at the Dubai Air Show. Rumours abound of several Airbus as well as Boeing aircrafts. With this, new routes are bound to be announced.
I'm expecting some disagreements (and indeed flak) from this post and quite frankly don't really care. I enjoy being here.

[Al Fakhem Snr.]

Absolutely correct and I might add, the welcoming committee from the Al Ansari brothers and the largest whorehouse in the Gulf for core business, yes as an airline we are doing fine! ........Not!

Great airline indeed.

See you at Bj's

[critical winge]

I would only like to say that I do enjoy it out here, but not in BAH as per the defectors decisions to leave GUlf Airand move to the carriers down the coast. OOOOoooohhhh the truth does hurt some people, you can talk up a rumour but you can't hide the truth.:E Enough said. Facts are FACTS :ugh:

[flyboy320]

...scheduled overnights without having a Hotelroom; hours and hours of waiting at stafftravel without accomplishing anything; the thread that you or your family get killed on the road by a drunk Kuwaiti, Saudi, Bahraini or American; the endless traffic-jams; not having proper beaches on a island; the feeling to be treated as a 3rd-World Worker when you want something from the office; flying constantly the exhausting short inter-gulf sectors while your "friends" fly to Athens 10 time a month and that´s it; Counting 20 APU´s U/S in the whole fleet in a single day;the endless number of rooster-changes delivered by ACARS, under the Hotel-door or on AIMS...........

[millerscourt]

flyboy 320

That sounds very much like the Gulf Air I left over 10 years ago so nothing has changed there!!

[MAKAVELI320]

Flyboy320 Come On Have A Life Man Its Not So Bad Beside If U R Not Happy Why Not Make A Move Somewhere:= ,sal-e Well Said Body :d

[Sal-e]

flyboy320,
so, you must be one of 'those' types who are ineligible elsewhere, have an outstanding bond, and obviously using GF as a stepping stone to get experience before harassing some other airline. (the bond issue applies to me as well without a tear in my eye) If you haven't noticed, the state of our A320s have been in the best condition they've been in a year. But of course your personal issues distract you too much to notice.
millerscourt,
things have improved a lot since your departure 10 years ago, hell even a year ago. Your current airline satisfying you and bending over backwards for you? Find me a perfect airline and I'll find you a pig that flies.
critical wing,
I spread no rumours, just truths, at least from my eyes after assessing circumstances at face value. None of what you say 'hurts' as you put it. We are responsible for our decisions and can blame no one or airline for your miserable life.
Al Fakhem Snr,
I bet you were rejected by at least one of the flying staff and the new seniority list goes against your wishes.

[flyboy320]

@MAKAVELI320
Thank´s buddy for your advise!:ok:
I made my decision about Gulf Air some time ago, and just respond to Frankly Mr Shankly´s question: "Would you recommend Gulf Air?"
@Sal-e
Don´t get too dramatic about all this. I am really happy that you enjoy your work at Gulf Air but not everybody needs to agree with you.
And, no I haven't noticed the A320s maintenance status at GF recently!:E