Gulf Air Developments
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Have it on good authority from the Pink Palace that our esteemed CEO - Mr M - pushed for the registration letter 'M' as a lasting memorial to himself. Does this man's ego know no bounds?
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Heard last night that a dozen or so FlyBe pilots are in Bahrain to assist with training for the new EMB's, just in time for St Paddys Day and not a drop of Guinness on Fantasy Island ....
Scourge of Bad Airline Management!
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A passenger writes...
I've recently starting using GF as a way of getting back to the UK, and down to the Far East, whilst avoiding EK's crazy prices out of DXB. I read some of the comments about GF on here with some trepidation before I used them.
But. I have to say, the J class product is really pretty good. Yes, the IFE needs an upgrade (and I have had picture problems on some channels and some screens) but the seats are extremely comfortable, and the standards of catering are amongst the highest I have ever seen on an aircraft - it knocks EK catering and SQ catering into a cocked hat, and dear old VS may as well give up....
Timekeeping on the twelve or so sectors I have done has been fine, haven't lost my bags, gives me my VS miles and tier points, and all at fares that are crazily low - return DXB-BKK was a shade over 4k AED in J, and I got the former First Class sleeper seats both ways. Can't fault that!
All I would fault, apart from the IFE, is the cabin crew tend to be a bit invisible - all of them, oddly, except the flying chefs, who seem to spend a lot more time patrolling the cabin than the 'rank and file' crew. And none of the cabin crew seem very keen to enforce pax discipline - phone calls being made on the runway, pax standing up during the taxi etc - but that seems to be a feature of travel in the Gulf...
Good luck guys, and please stop knocking the product. It ain't perfect, but it is better than most J classes, and a helluva lot better than some posters on here seem to think.
For the record, I am not employed by GF. I have never been employed by GF, or even applied to GF, and I am not job hunting!
TA
But. I have to say, the J class product is really pretty good. Yes, the IFE needs an upgrade (and I have had picture problems on some channels and some screens) but the seats are extremely comfortable, and the standards of catering are amongst the highest I have ever seen on an aircraft - it knocks EK catering and SQ catering into a cocked hat, and dear old VS may as well give up....
Timekeeping on the twelve or so sectors I have done has been fine, haven't lost my bags, gives me my VS miles and tier points, and all at fares that are crazily low - return DXB-BKK was a shade over 4k AED in J, and I got the former First Class sleeper seats both ways. Can't fault that!
All I would fault, apart from the IFE, is the cabin crew tend to be a bit invisible - all of them, oddly, except the flying chefs, who seem to spend a lot more time patrolling the cabin than the 'rank and file' crew. And none of the cabin crew seem very keen to enforce pax discipline - phone calls being made on the runway, pax standing up during the taxi etc - but that seems to be a feature of travel in the Gulf...
Good luck guys, and please stop knocking the product. It ain't perfect, but it is better than most J classes, and a helluva lot better than some posters on here seem to think.
For the record, I am not employed by GF. I have never been employed by GF, or even applied to GF, and I am not job hunting!
TA
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TwinAisle
Nice to hear a positive comment for a change! 
Rumour is that all the J class seats will all be changed to the now existing F type seats with an upgrade in the IFE etc., so this may well suit yourself and hopefully many others in the not too distant future, assuming the rumour is correct.
Cheers
Rumour is that all the J class seats will all be changed to the now existing F type seats with an upgrade in the IFE etc., so this may well suit yourself and hopefully many others in the not too distant future, assuming the rumour is correct.
Cheers
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Funnily enough, I was told that today by one of the crew on an A340... all the J class seats being replaced with sleeper seats, updated IFE. Great!
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From what I was told, all of GF's Airbuses will become two class - they are merging the old J and F together into a new product, called Falcon Gold. The plan seems to be that if you buy a discounted J class ticket, you get the J class seating, and if you buy a flex J class ticket you get the beds up the front - but the food and service are the same.
No one seems to have told check in though - I went both ways in row 2... and I paid a cracking fare!
TA
No one seems to have told check in though - I went both ways in row 2... and I paid a cracking fare!
TA
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MANAMA: Gulf Air yesterday pledged to offer a "new dimension" in Gulf travel after the addition of two new aircraft to its fleet.
The national carrier took delivery of the two 67-seater Embraer E-170 AR aircraft on Thursday that will be deployed on routes, including Larnaca, Istanbul, Athens, Erbil, Baghdad and Muscat.
The aircraft made its inaugural flight to Larnaca yesterday following a Press conference at the Gulf Air lounge at Bahrain International Airport.
Speaking at the ceremony, the airline's chief executive officer Samer Majali explained that the addition of the aircraft - with a further two expected to arrive in the summer - would provide Gulf Air with the flexibility to introduce a greater choice of destinations for time-conscious business travellers.
"My aim is for Gulf Air to serve every Arabian capital and regional capital with at least two services everyday," he said.
"This objective can become a reality with the size, reliability, comfort and unbeatable economics of regional jets like the ER-170.
"This brand-new 67-seat airplane is fitted with luxurious interiors furnished with all-leather seats and no middle seating, offering exceptional comfort in a two-class configuration.
"The introduction of these jets reinforces the pioneering spirit of an airline which has always been known for bringing new concepts to Middle-Eastern travellers and reinforces our reputation as the airline with the largest network in the region," he said.
The aircraft's highlight is a state-of-the-art entertainment system which offers up to 3,000 video and audio titles at the touch of a finger.
It is part of a long-running plan to rejuvenate Gulf Air's aging fleet, most recently with the addition of seven Airbus A-320s and retiring older planes such as several Airbus 340s.
Mr Majali told the GDN that Gulf Air had always traditionally looked towards utilising capital leasing (or lease-to-own) when acquiring aircraft.
However, with the recent additions of two Embraer E-170s and seven Airbus A-320s they had chosen to utilise the operating leasing option instead.
"Gulf Air has traditionally paid the pre-delivery payments of around 20 per cent and financed the rest, gaining control of the jet at the end of the leasing period," said Mr Majali.
"However, now we are looking towards utilising operating leases instead, which means that at the end of a lease you are not faced with trying to get rid of the plane.
"For example, we are leasing the two Embraer aircraft on a three-year contract and when that concludes we simply return them; it means that you don't build up your liabilities which can be a problem," he added.
Mr Majali revealed that Gulf Air was planning to mix the use of capital and operating leases to ensure that it continues to increase its fleet without leaving itself open to owning a number of costly and aging aircraft.
"We're facing a battle at the moment with our Airbus 340s because there's no market for them," the chief executive officer admitted.
"We're going to have to sell them at rates which we're not happy with because the bottom's fallen out of the 340 market as it's an older airplane which is expensive to operate and maintain.
"If we look at a 50:50 mix between operating and capital leases it gives us the flexibility of bringing in new aircraft quickly without going through the lengthy full-evaluation process needed for a permanent solution.
"It also gives us more time to carry out a full evaluation of the Embraer C series and the Airbus A-318 and decide by the summer a permanent solution of up to 10 aircraft," Mr Majali added. [email protected]
The national carrier took delivery of the two 67-seater Embraer E-170 AR aircraft on Thursday that will be deployed on routes, including Larnaca, Istanbul, Athens, Erbil, Baghdad and Muscat.
The aircraft made its inaugural flight to Larnaca yesterday following a Press conference at the Gulf Air lounge at Bahrain International Airport.
Speaking at the ceremony, the airline's chief executive officer Samer Majali explained that the addition of the aircraft - with a further two expected to arrive in the summer - would provide Gulf Air with the flexibility to introduce a greater choice of destinations for time-conscious business travellers.
"My aim is for Gulf Air to serve every Arabian capital and regional capital with at least two services everyday," he said.
"This objective can become a reality with the size, reliability, comfort and unbeatable economics of regional jets like the ER-170.
"This brand-new 67-seat airplane is fitted with luxurious interiors furnished with all-leather seats and no middle seating, offering exceptional comfort in a two-class configuration.
"The introduction of these jets reinforces the pioneering spirit of an airline which has always been known for bringing new concepts to Middle-Eastern travellers and reinforces our reputation as the airline with the largest network in the region," he said.
The aircraft's highlight is a state-of-the-art entertainment system which offers up to 3,000 video and audio titles at the touch of a finger.
It is part of a long-running plan to rejuvenate Gulf Air's aging fleet, most recently with the addition of seven Airbus A-320s and retiring older planes such as several Airbus 340s.
Mr Majali told the GDN that Gulf Air had always traditionally looked towards utilising capital leasing (or lease-to-own) when acquiring aircraft.
However, with the recent additions of two Embraer E-170s and seven Airbus A-320s they had chosen to utilise the operating leasing option instead.
"Gulf Air has traditionally paid the pre-delivery payments of around 20 per cent and financed the rest, gaining control of the jet at the end of the leasing period," said Mr Majali.
"However, now we are looking towards utilising operating leases instead, which means that at the end of a lease you are not faced with trying to get rid of the plane.
"For example, we are leasing the two Embraer aircraft on a three-year contract and when that concludes we simply return them; it means that you don't build up your liabilities which can be a problem," he added.
Mr Majali revealed that Gulf Air was planning to mix the use of capital and operating leases to ensure that it continues to increase its fleet without leaving itself open to owning a number of costly and aging aircraft.
"We're facing a battle at the moment with our Airbus 340s because there's no market for them," the chief executive officer admitted.
"We're going to have to sell them at rates which we're not happy with because the bottom's fallen out of the 340 market as it's an older airplane which is expensive to operate and maintain.
"If we look at a 50:50 mix between operating and capital leases it gives us the flexibility of bringing in new aircraft quickly without going through the lengthy full-evaluation process needed for a permanent solution.
"It also gives us more time to carry out a full evaluation of the Embraer C series and the Airbus A-318 and decide by the summer a permanent solution of up to 10 aircraft," Mr Majali added. [email protected]
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Only problem I can is - there's NO Such thing as a Embraer C series !!! there's a Bombardier C series.
Also the Embraer's arrived very late on Friday night and not Thursday as reported.
You'd have thought the Journo would have checked all his fact's before reporting it and setting it into print.......
Also the Embraer's arrived very late on Friday night and not Thursday as reported.
You'd have thought the Journo would have checked all his fact's before reporting it and setting it into print.......
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GF for sale
another food for thought...
http://simpliflying.com/2010/gulf-air-and-kuwait-airways-up-for-sale-do-the-brands-stand-a-chance/
http://simpliflying.com/2010/gulf-air-and-kuwait-airways-up-for-sale-do-the-brands-stand-a-chance/
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Privatising after a year? Even before Mumtalakat took the only possible profit making parts from GF I couldn't imagine anyone willing to put 100fils into this cesspit of corruption & thievery. Just look at all the new Director & Head positions being announed & many of them sound seem to be duplicates of each other,just another excuse to give some extra allowanaces(BD1200+ minimum) to a select few. All this while they are getting rid of cabin crew(without regard to company records) & in the process of sacking some of the low paid employees within the company. Looks like Mr M & co are on track for proving to us that it is always possible to be better thieves than the previous CEOs.
At least Mr M's shares are almost at a a year high & are climbing slowly upwards & should get a boost when we place an order in the summer.
At least Mr M's shares are almost at a a year high & are climbing slowly upwards & should get a boost when we place an order in the summer.
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No resignations......??????
Bahrain Tribune dated 09/mar/2010 stated Mr, Majali saying that no resignations by pilots in GF because of E-170 or the restructuring plan, and this is baseless information what the MPs are saying that GF is loosing 52 of its pilots.
i cant believe Majary can just stand there and deny what is true to the public, unless he has no clue of what is really going on....
i cant believe Majary can just stand there and deny what is true to the public, unless he has no clue of what is really going on....
