Gulf Air Developments
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HEAR...HEAR ...
Indeed , GF is NOT exactly a brilliant airline / organization by any means and the company is dwarfed by the likes of Emirates , Ettihad and Qatar in all departments. It has gone down significantly since Bahrain Government took over , not that it was better managed by the Omanis or Abu Dhabi , but at least they had some cash to fill the gap.
Indeed the many of the experienced staff/managers and pilots have left. Nevertheless , there are still some good ones who are around to keep the ship afloat.
For years , this forums have had more than its share of hyper critics of GF. Some good ones but lots of rubbish as well . The most comical are those critiques of management by people who have 0 management experience themselves , but specially when commenting on an event with very little on background information of the real facts....I have seen plenty of that in pprune.
The point is , the majority of the regulars here are well aware of the situation in GF and make their decision like real professionals do (either stay with the so-called sinking ship or move on) . You cannot improve safety standards and your work environment by constantly nagging in a rumors forum on the web.
If the matter is "Take it off your chest..... " or it is a "Pressure Relief System ", then , it is another matter......
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EMBRAER
EMBRAERS, yes...KLM,LUFTY,BA,FLYBE,VIRGIN BLUE,FINNAIR,AITALIA THE LIST GOES ON...ALL MAKING A SUCCESS? SO MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE AIRCRAFT BUT CLOSER TO HOME HMMMMM?
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1830,
If you know something that's called SWOT analysis, I'm sure you would reconsider your statement about the success of ERJ.
Strengths / Weaknesses: these include factors arising internally within the company.
Opportunities / Threats: these two are external factors affecting the company and are uncontrollable.
Now internally, is the idea of ERJ is a plus or minus to the company? For the crew? For maintenance? For the overall operating cost? For thieves?!
Externally, yes we have a problem next to home. Other airline companies around are shifting to bigger shiny jets while we are shifting to smaller ugly ones! They are supported by very wealthy governments that are much more capable of pumping fuel and money than us. The mini-opportunities that our management is seeking in an attempt to be "proactive" would be directed to small/unexplored markets, and this in itself carries the risk of wasting more of the valuable resources. I see the contradiction here. If you want to risk, then take the high-risk because in business terms the "high-risk" operations are the "high-profit" ones too. GF has been going through the nose down stage for long years now. No doubt it would come to end one day, if things continue to be more of the same. Take the high-risk and try to be only a path-follower after QR or EY. Definitely not as big as they are, but putting the momentum into the same direction. If GF is then to vanish from this world, nobody can point his finger in the face blaming them for doing the best they can trying to pace others. Otherwise, it would be like a patient that has been forgotten in bed with his open wounds bleeding slowly for days and nights until he's gone! So many people to blame then! Now thieves really adore this situation because it's their perfect cover .
If you know something that's called SWOT analysis, I'm sure you would reconsider your statement about the success of ERJ.
Strengths / Weaknesses: these include factors arising internally within the company.
Opportunities / Threats: these two are external factors affecting the company and are uncontrollable.
Now internally, is the idea of ERJ is a plus or minus to the company? For the crew? For maintenance? For the overall operating cost? For thieves?!
Externally, yes we have a problem next to home. Other airline companies around are shifting to bigger shiny jets while we are shifting to smaller ugly ones! They are supported by very wealthy governments that are much more capable of pumping fuel and money than us. The mini-opportunities that our management is seeking in an attempt to be "proactive" would be directed to small/unexplored markets, and this in itself carries the risk of wasting more of the valuable resources. I see the contradiction here. If you want to risk, then take the high-risk because in business terms the "high-risk" operations are the "high-profit" ones too. GF has been going through the nose down stage for long years now. No doubt it would come to end one day, if things continue to be more of the same. Take the high-risk and try to be only a path-follower after QR or EY. Definitely not as big as they are, but putting the momentum into the same direction. If GF is then to vanish from this world, nobody can point his finger in the face blaming them for doing the best they can trying to pace others. Otherwise, it would be like a patient that has been forgotten in bed with his open wounds bleeding slowly for days and nights until he's gone! So many people to blame then! Now thieves really adore this situation because it's their perfect cover .
Last edited by WELCO; 24th Aug 2010 at 13:56.
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Hello Chaps...
Good day to you all.Have some thing to say about the E jets here..
The E jets have the capability to make a single sector profitable( which is pretty good thing).. But in GF's case this is not entirely true. Try to think out side the box.... Its the matter of overall load. I remember that the load between in the KHI route used to be pretty high and most of those from KHI either used to continue their journey to JED or LHR. Now lets convert the 320/330 aircraft which flies from KHI to BAH with an E jet.The EMB will have a full load on that route. But the flights to JED and LHR will be greatly affected..And the E jet is not fully capable increasing the "over all load". There is another correct word for it but i cannot recall it at the moment...Long story short, E jets are not right for gulf air.
I can tell you all that working for gulf air gives you experience that not airline can. So please think twice before you decide to leave. And as for Gulf Air closing, this is not entirely possible. As Bahrain Prince Salman will try his best to prevent this from happening.
The E jets have the capability to make a single sector profitable( which is pretty good thing).. But in GF's case this is not entirely true. Try to think out side the box.... Its the matter of overall load. I remember that the load between in the KHI route used to be pretty high and most of those from KHI either used to continue their journey to JED or LHR. Now lets convert the 320/330 aircraft which flies from KHI to BAH with an E jet.The EMB will have a full load on that route. But the flights to JED and LHR will be greatly affected..And the E jet is not fully capable increasing the "over all load". There is another correct word for it but i cannot recall it at the moment...Long story short, E jets are not right for gulf air.
I can tell you all that working for gulf air gives you experience that not airline can. So please think twice before you decide to leave. And as for Gulf Air closing, this is not entirely possible. As Bahrain Prince Salman will try his best to prevent this from happening.
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EMBRAERS, yes...KLM,LUFTY,BA,FLYBE,VIRGIN BLUE,FINNAIR,AITALIA THE LIST GOES ON...ALL MAKING A SUCCESS? SO MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE AIRCRAFT BUT CLOSER TO HOME HMMMMM?
What's the difference? In a word, baggage. Indeed this is reflected in baggage allowances of 30-40 kgs etc. So on a full flight you simply cannot carry all the bags...not briefcases and overnight bags mind you, but big heavy bags. This of course does not even address cargo, which there is a lot of on most of GF's regional routes.
So, good airplane for what it is designed for but hardly for the Gulf Traveller, only time will tell of course but at what cost?
Interesting bit of trivia for you here is that Jet Blue reckon that their operating cost on their Embraer fleet costs one cent per seat mile more than their A-320s...apples to oranges perhaps, but interesting nevertheless.
"Sorry Sir but we could not carry your bags because the aircraft was full, you will have to come back to the airport to collect them this evening or perhaps tomorrow."
The 319 now is a completely different story, let's hope the rumour is true...no left bags, long thin routes, flexibility, commonality etc. etc. Oh, nearly forgot, also operated by BA, Lufty and company.
But what the hell, at the end of the day we are only drivers (some of us here anyway) so you pay, we fly!
Safe Flying All
PS
And as for Gulf Air closing, this is not entirely possible. As Bahrain Prince Salman will try his best to prevent this from happening
Last edited by Che Guevara; 24th Aug 2010 at 20:37.
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But what is the cost of an A319 divided by the number of seats, vs. that of an EMB190/195 divided by a number of seats? Of course, those types of numbers are always depending on the deal and very confidential, but I suspect the difference would buy lots of seat miles. I suspect that is why Jetblue, like Gulf Air are looking seriously at EMB's.
As for the cargo space issue, it will be interesting to see if the same problem exists without the Inflight Entertainment System.
As for the cargo space issue, it will be interesting to see if the same problem exists without the Inflight Entertainment System.
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As for the cargo space issue, it will be interesting to see if the same problem exists without the Inflight Entertainment System.
How much of the cargo holds does it take up? Enough for 20 Gulf traveller bags?
My point about the 319 really is that they can fly routes that the E-jet can only dream of, for example BAH-ZRH etc. or BAH to anywhere in Europe with a good load. Secondly the commonality issue, spare parts and so on.
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a very simple answer to that question.
Oman air and saudi have internal airports which is ideal for an embraer to operate to. On the other hand GF offers 30kg to pax flying in Economy class and rest assured the majority do use that allowance, if not exceed that allowance, hence the restrictions
Oman air and saudi have internal airports which is ideal for an embraer to operate to. On the other hand GF offers 30kg to pax flying in Economy class and rest assured the majority do use that allowance, if not exceed that allowance, hence the restrictions
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fyi Oman Air and Saudia offer 40kg baggage allowance on all Indian subcontinent bound flights. A lot of their passengers are transit ones who fly via their hubs on ATRs and E70s. Also this baggage issue shouldn't be a problem with the E90s!
EY too are seriously studying to purchase a dozen regional jets for GCC, Iran and Iraq flights in particular.
EY too are seriously studying to purchase a dozen regional jets for GCC, Iran and Iraq flights in particular.
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Che Guevara,
Sorry, I misread something previously.
According to the info that I have, the Aft Cargo Compartment usable volume for an EMB170 with IFE is 3.3 cubic meters.
The useable volume for an EMB170 without IFE is 4.6 cubic meters.
I am not certain how many "average" bags fit into the 1.3 cubic meter difference.
Sorry, I misread something previously.
According to the info that I have, the Aft Cargo Compartment usable volume for an EMB170 with IFE is 3.3 cubic meters.
The useable volume for an EMB170 without IFE is 4.6 cubic meters.
I am not certain how many "average" bags fit into the 1.3 cubic meter difference.
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Still no salary in the bank. Being paid late? This will be a first in almost 25 years. Interesting.
wadefac, I fail to see why you couldn't post a reply to my earlier post unless all you were planning on posting was insults?
wadefac, I fail to see why you couldn't post a reply to my earlier post unless all you were planning on posting was insults?
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I would like to strongly disagree with anyone suggesting that the E-Jets are not the right aircraft for GF on many short haul routes particularly within the GCC. As every body knows (since a majority of us here are pilots), flights to DOH/AUH/DXB/KWI/MCT/DMM/Iraq/Iran average approximately 60% loads on the A 320 operated flights which are also US$ 1400 per hour (avg cost of all airlines worldwide) more costlier to operate versus a smaller E70.
The E70 and E90 allows GF in the future to operate these flights at a much lower operational cost + the load factor automatically increases due to the smaller aircraft being used which in turn increases yield revenue. It also allows us to open new routes that are deemed to be too big for an A 319/320 to handle such as the markets in Central Asia and Iraq. Remember, the E-Jets is best used on thin routes where bilateral restrictions are not in place to allow for greater frequencies i.e. GCC/AMM/BEY and not on capacity restricted routes such as KHI.
Yes as you pilots are aware, the E70 does have some issues operating in hot weather i.e. over 46C but that is now going to be fixed and shall not be an issue with the E90 aircraft that are getting delivered next month.
If you all think the E Jets are not good aircraft designed for a regional schedule on routes that currently with an A 320 operate at 50-70% load factor + require double-triple daily frequency then kindly explain why Oman Air and Saudia Airlines chose to purchase these aircraft and why Qatar Airways is also going the 'regional' way by purchasing 30 Bombardier C 100/300 Series?
In the long run though, in my opinion the best regional jet for Gulf Air is the Bombardier C100 along with the C300 due to its superior technology and greater flying range capability with a full payload.
The E70 and E90 allows GF in the future to operate these flights at a much lower operational cost + the load factor automatically increases due to the smaller aircraft being used which in turn increases yield revenue. It also allows us to open new routes that are deemed to be too big for an A 319/320 to handle such as the markets in Central Asia and Iraq. Remember, the E-Jets is best used on thin routes where bilateral restrictions are not in place to allow for greater frequencies i.e. GCC/AMM/BEY and not on capacity restricted routes such as KHI.
Yes as you pilots are aware, the E70 does have some issues operating in hot weather i.e. over 46C but that is now going to be fixed and shall not be an issue with the E90 aircraft that are getting delivered next month.
If you all think the E Jets are not good aircraft designed for a regional schedule on routes that currently with an A 320 operate at 50-70% load factor + require double-triple daily frequency then kindly explain why Oman Air and Saudia Airlines chose to purchase these aircraft and why Qatar Airways is also going the 'regional' way by purchasing 30 Bombardier C 100/300 Series?
In the long run though, in my opinion the best regional jet for Gulf Air is the Bombardier C100 along with the C300 due to its superior technology and greater flying range capability with a full payload.
E jets are a bit too much? I think if they would start shuttle services to Qatar,Kuwait Dubai etc. that would be really good for the airline.
And also, the E-190 has the capacity of 94. While the 318 has the capacity of 106/107..
So why not just order the 318? the 318 has somewhat the same potential as the E-190...
Lastly, i read some thing about a BOD urging GF to lease the 777 for the USA route..
There are alot of rumor circulating in the airline according to an old chap...
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The A 318 is a commercial failure
Nevertheless with regards to the B 777 rumor, none are heading to GF so dont worry. We dont need the capacity nor the flying range of this lovely aircraft for the time being. Its just a rumor with no substance whatsoever.
I think that they are not and we should order few more as the C300 can be used as an excellent A 320 replacement on regional routes that currently witness 70% plus loads as this plane can save us 20% on each flight in terms of operational costs and has modern technology embedded in it. C100s are ideal to be placed to operate all flights to AUH/DMM/MCT/DOH/DAM/IRAQ/MHD/SYZ/IST/LCA/ + some to DXB/KWI/BEY.
SMALL AIRLINE
SMALL MENTALITY
SMALL IMAGINATION
SMALL REWARDS
SMALL BUDGET
SMALL DREAMS
SMALL COURAGE
SMALL MINDS
can never survive with the kind of neighbours you have...big neighbours
can never compete with the kind of neighbours you have...with big pockets
can never be better with the kind of neighbours you have...who think quality
can never be open minded as the neihbours...who think world airline conquest
because you think small.
no more excuses. your strategy means slow and painful death to gf.
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It's amazing how easily a vacuum is filled with useless nonsense.
The management from the CEO thru the board to our fleet management dont care what is happening around them as long as they can hang in their positions for another few months. Thats all they care about. Not one single person above the ground floor cares whether this company survives or not. Yet when you hand your resignation in they will give you the BS about being part of the GF family. What family? They are all waiting to climb on each others back & f*** the s*** out of each other. Family of coyotes is more fitting.
The management from the CEO thru the board to our fleet management dont care what is happening around them as long as they can hang in their positions for another few months. Thats all they care about. Not one single person above the ground floor cares whether this company survives or not. Yet when you hand your resignation in they will give you the BS about being part of the GF family. What family? They are all waiting to climb on each others back & f*** the s*** out of each other. Family of coyotes is more fitting.
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A lot of their passengers are transit ones who fly via their hubs on ATRs
Mutt