Gulf Air

[DefaultName]

Hi,

I'm looking for flights London-Bangkok return and Gulf keep coming up as cheapest. I've never used them, but the reports that I'm seeing mention old planes with a short seat pitch, although some more recent ones say they have new planes.

Can anyone give me a recent report please? I'm tall and large but can't afford business class, so a reasonable sized seat in economy is pretty essential.

I don't really care about in-flight food or entertainment, I tend to sleep anyway.

Thanks in advance.

[geriatrickid]

I think the transit hub will be Bahrain on that flight. If so you might want to think twice because some of the flight reviews aint pretty.

[bkkjames]

They have ordered new planes but are still using the old A340's to Bahrain. The A320 I took from Bahrain to Cyprus was older than me, and that's pretty old.

Unless they are much much much cheaper than anyone else, I would give em a miss next time.

[ClaytonSeymour]

Flew with them last year & given the reviews - not as bad as I feared. I would certainly use them again if they were coming up as the cheapest. They do use old A340's on the BAH>BKK sector - the A330's on the LHR>BAH sector are much better.

If you do decide to fly with them, make sure you join their join their frequent flyer programme beforehand - you automatically receive an extra 10 kg baggage allowance over the amount on the ticket.

[nidge]

I've flown with Gulf Air many times and have had no problems with them other than delayed flights from Bangkok to Bahrain.

[IMA_FARANG]

Hi,

I'm looking for flights London-Bangkok return and Gulf keep coming up as cheapest. I've never used them, but the reports that I'm seeing mention old planes with a short seat pitch, although some more recent ones say they have new planes.

Can anyone give me a recent report please? I'm tall and large but can't afford business class, so a reasonable sized seat in economy is pretty essential.

I don't really care about in-flight food or entertainment, I tend to sleep anyway.

Thanks in advance.

I've flown with them before...I guess you would say they are usual standard for long-haul flights. Seats depend on what aircraft you happen to get. Older aircraft tend to have worse seating, but it is "luck of the draw". If you can afford it, business class is definately better for seating.

Look carefully at the flight schedule and especially at the stopover times at the halfway airports (Bahrain, Dubai, etc). I've flown Bangkok to Athens and other way on Gulf Air. Definately cheapest then, what I saved on airfare nearly paid for my whole week hotel stay in BKK. Big problem is the 12 hour layover in the gulf. Some flights arrive 9 pm at night, and leave 8 am next morning. Twice I've spent the night sleeping in the terminal waiting for early morning flight. At one location (can't remember if it was Bahrain or Dubai) even business class lounge closed from midnight until 7 am. Yes, you can get a hotel. but often due to timing they will charge you for two days due to late arrival and early departure. Some flights go thru two changes in the gulf, and total waiting time can be up to 24 hours. You might be going BKK to Oman, from there to Bahrain or Dubai, then wait for flight to Europe. Total wait time in airports in gulf can be 18 to 24 hours. And you will often find the terminal hotels already full.

Still Gulf Air is the cheapest. My first flight Athens to BKK round trip business class I saved almost 200 Euro on price. That will buy a lot of beer in BKK, if you are willing to put up with the stopover delays in the gulf.

[Kerryd]

I've flown Gulf a couple of times, and will be again in a couple of weeks (Dubai - Bahrain - Bangkok). I picked my flights to ensure short layovers, and will be flying business class. The only complaint I had was more to do with the airport, which was (is ?) undergoing a lot of renovations.

The airline, the flight, the service were all pretty good from what I can remember. Obviously nothing bad enough to put me off flying with them again.

If you are flying cattle economy class, try to get an Exit Aisle seat, or one in the first row. A little more leg room (and quicker getting off the plane).

[DefaultName]

Thanks for the help. It seems to boil down to whether there are old or new planes on the route and there's no way to tell that - that I can see at any rate.

[Who, me ?]

My daughter is now flying back home with them. She flew them a couple of times, and has absolutely no complain about them. She had once a long stand by in Bahrein, and they provided accomodation and meals without request

[bkkjames]

Thanks for the help. It seems to boil down to whether there are old or new planes on the route and there's no way to tell that - that I can see at any rate.

On the BKK - Bahrain portion, you can bet on an old A340 cause that's all they have on the route.

[Kerryd]

Thanks for the help. It seems to boil down to whether there are old or new planes on the route and there's no way to tell that - that I can see at any rate.

On the BKK - Bahrain portion, you can bet on an old A340 cause that's all they have on the route.

Yep. My tickets show me on a A340 (or "A343", which is another way of designating a A340-300). I only have a 7 hour trip though. I think I can hack it. I'll try not to snicker at all the poor folk in the back of the plane.

(Who am I kidding ? Of course I'm going to snicker !)

[Farma]

I’ve made around 30 flights on gulf air in the past couple of years. I’d class them as an average airline.

I’ve been upgraded 5 times, was waitlisted out of Bahrain despite having confirmed pre-assigned seats (Thursday night flights) on 3 of the last 4 trips, was on a flight earlier this year that made medical emergency landing in Dhaka after a passenger fell sick from Bangkok.

Business class is good and a major improvement over cattle class. The business class lounge at Bahrain is clean and comfortable. If travelling economy and in need of refreshment take the lift up to the bar/restaurant area on the 3rd floor. The lift is located behind the stall selling Bahrain souvenirs.

Suggestions

Try to avoid flights that travel through or depart Bahrain on a Thursday night. (it’s the start of their weekend)

Sign up for frequent flyer program for the 10 kg extra baggage allowance.

Check flight prices as they vary wildly depending on the time of the year.

[brizzle]

I flew back with Gulf in Biz 4 weeks ago on the Bkk-Bah sector.It was on an A340 300 which had recently been refurbished.The biz seats on this plane were better than the biz seats on the A330 Bah-Lhr sector which are also very good.You may like me find yourself on (at least looks wise thanks to the refurb) a brand new plane on the Bkk-Bah portion of your trip.Good luck.

[Who, me ?]

Thanks for the help. It seems to boil down to whether there are old or new planes on the route and there's no way to tell that - that I can see at any rate.

On the BKK - Bahrain portion, you can bet on an old A340 cause that's all they have on the route.

I am not convinced that old aircraft means bad aircrafts...Some western big companies still operate old B747 200 / 300

If the aircraft receives a proper mantainance, there is no problem. I would not put my bottom in an old plane with a Chinese, African or Russian company for example......

[DefaultName]

Thanks all. Booked Gulf now, times and prices work for me, so just booked it.

[Governor]

Hope you enjoy your flight, mine was ok but a little mixed.

I flew Bangkok to Bahrain in one of their new, or refurbished aircraft, first class was empty and I was the only one in business class, nice sleeper seat and good food and service. Due to the late departure from Bangkok and due to the short coneection, I knew I would be cutting it fine in Bahrain. Off the aircraft and onto the bus and the door was closed behind me, it seems that business and economy cannot mix, not sure why, through scecurity which was thankfully empty, and straight onto my plane. This was one of the older configurations with the reclining seats and not the sleepers, still managed to sleep a bit though - but I would have liked a proper sleeper as I had a full day ahead of me in London.

On my return a few days later I think it was the same older aircraft, tried to catch a few movies as it was a day flight, with the intention of sleeping into Bangkok. Arrived late in Bahrain, with only 30 mins for the scheduled departure, big queue at security and no quick way through, once through security the screens informed me of a five hour delay, not too happy. Thankfully I was able to access the lounge, where the staff called my girlfriend and informed her of the delay, but even the lounge, as nice as it was, is not geared for a five hour wait - you can only eat and drink so much, and BBC World gets a bit repetitive after a while - just glad I was not forced to wait in the terminal, it was very very busy.

The five hour delay turned into nearly six, and we eventually boarded the aircraft which was an old bone shaker, the flight was full and my seat at the back of business did not fully recline, so sleep was not too easy.

All that said it was a good price, at 63,000 Baht far cheaper than anything else on offer, it got me there in one piece and, if the price was right I would use them again.

[Briggsy]

Flew with them once. League 1 airline. With a push, they could make it to the Championship but they would be instantly relegated from the Premier League.

[citizen33]

Flew with them once. League 1 airline. With a push, they could make it to the Championship but they would be instantly relegated from the Premier League.

I think the more favorable reviews above are about right. Have just flown LHR-BKK economy, leaving on Tuesday and arriving on Wednesday. The flights were on time with a very good connection. The A330 from London was fine with an acceptable standard of seating etc. Meals were okay but the second pasta choice was not popular with the result that passengers near the back of the aircraft only had that option. I had the older A340 from Bahrain to BKK, which was less good. In my part of the aircraft I did not see the visible tears or broken armrests reported in some reviews, but the seats were a bit worn and my own seat would not lock in the upright position. Some seats had better legroom than others. Also on this flight the aircon was inadequate while on the ground in 39 degrees in Bahrain. However service was good (profuse apologies and special treatment after my seat problem) and food was okay. This aircraft does not have individual entertainment systems. All in all though I would say the flights were good for the price - and no worse than say some of the KLM flights with old planes.

[Kerryd]

Well I just finished (a few days ago) the first leg of my most recent trip, which included Gulf Air flights (business class) from Dubai-Bahrain-Bangkok.

The one hour Dubai-Bahrain flight was quite nice. Airbus A340, great seats, great service, but for some reason when we arrived in Bahrain, the plane had to sit on the taxiway for almost 20 minutes before carrying on to the gate. I was starting to get a bit nervous as my next flight was schedule to depart an hour after Dubai flight landed (small terminal, no checked bags to worry about so an hour is usually plenty of time).

Then the (7 hour) Bahrain-Bangkok flight started off with a 3 hour delay. The Bahrain airport still has a long way to go to catch up with the other major players, and having to sit there for an additional 3 hours sucked.

They used a different A340 for the longer flight, and it was a bit of a bone-shaker. Obviously an older model (complete with ashtrays still installed). Older-style seats as well. That was disappointing. Too bad they didn't use this plane for the shorter Dubai-Bahrain route, and the newer plane (with the better seats) for the longer haul. It's kind of wasted on a 1 hour flight.

The service and the food were pretty good though. Nothing to complain about in that regards. Once the flight finally took off everything proceeded normally and arrived on time (though 3 hours later than originally planned).

Next month I take the return trip. I'd like to hope that they'll have a better plane for the Bangkok-Bahrain leg by then, but I won't hold my breath !

[Kerryd]

Another trip on Gulf Air completed, and quite satisfied.

I booked Business Class (Dubai-Bahrain-Bangkok). They switched from using a new A340 on the Dubai-Bahrain leg to an older 737 (it's barely an hour flight). They did use a new A340 for the longer route and it was excellent.

Full recline sleeper seats, great service, good meals. That was one of the best sleeps I've had on a plane.

Not too mention that Business Class on Gulf was a bit cheaper than Economy on Emirates (and way cheaper than Economy on Thai), and had a better schedule. Even with the (unusual) 1 hour delay in Bahrain, they still got us in on time. When I finished my normal power-march to Immigration, it was nice to see only about 10 people in total ahead of me (1 or two per line max). There were a lot of empty and closed booths, so I imagine the cattle class passengers behind me had to wait somewhat longer.