Gulf Air

CMB-BAH-AMM on 19th Oct 2012. Flight from CMB was over 2 hours late due to the late arrival of the aircraft. As a result I missed my flight on the BAH-AMM sector. However ground staff were organised in spite of irate passengers. I was offered a flight later that day as well as hotel accommodation. I declined the hotel as there was only 6 hrs until my flight so was offered breakfast and lunch vouchers. It meant I had to pay extra for airport pickup at AMM.

LHR to DXB. Flight left on time and it was a fairly cheap ticket. However the films need updating as they are very old films. Also the films are on loop not on demand. Only one drinks run for the whole flight to Bahrain which I thought was poor. The connection in Bahrain to Dubai was painless even though we only had 40 minutes.

LHR-BAH-KWI-BAH-LHR. Flight was on time good service considering the price. No issues. Staff helpful with changing my flights (in London) from Kuwait due to issue with the airline changing the flight departure timings from Kuwait. Service on board was good when compared to the price paid for the ticket. Will fly again for the price.

Bahrain-Dubai Dubai-Amman return to Bahrain. Excellent flight and the staff were nice. Food and service very good. Informative announcements and on each flight we departed on time and arrived on time. All in all a good experience.

Amman to Doha via Bahrain. Both flights on time. There were 3 hot meal selections on the Amman to Bahrain sector. I chose an excellent and filling vegetable and rice dish. The crew were smiling and professional. Entertainment system has improved tremendously with a huge selection of movies TV shows games etc. Transit at Bahrain airport was a breeze. Bahrain airport is one of the best airports in the Gulf easy to navigate passenger-friendly good duty free and a good selection of food outlets. Service seems to have improved recently and I would fly them again without hesitation.

KWI-BAH return: took this flight as a connection to the BA flight at BAH: both flights Airbus 320 departed and arrived on time: security at Bahrain easy to negotiate so no hassle with the connection. The aircraft was clean the flight smooth. The only small niggles were that the catering was just a sandwich in a paper bag but OK it is only a 45 minute flight; that the cabin crew seemed to be "going through the motions" with the safety demo; and that although I was once given a seat at the emergency exit none of the cabin crew briefed me about the operation of the exit door unlike other airlines where this was a specific item in the cabin checklist. However as a flight on a regional airline it was a good experience.

KBL-BAH-FRA in Y class. Excellent in-flight service especially for the price. Layover at BAH made very tolerable by the operation of the "Irish Lounge." On board drinks repeatedly offered food very tasty and IFE quite good. I was worried that the A320 that GF deploys on the BAH-FRA leg might be cramped but GF has reconfigured some of its A320s for longer-haul flights so the Y-class seating was sufficiently spacious; indeed it was quite comfortable. Check-in at KBL the usual chaos but that is not GF's fault. I confidently recommend.

From my experience Gulf Air has cheaper than average flights - especially when flying out of LHR. That's where I began my journey changing planes in Bahrain and on to Bangkok. Here's the deal: planes seemed fine - in good condition food and flight attendants were decent. The problem is disorganization odd- functioning website and weird schedules. Many connecting flights have extended layovers in Bahrain. The airport has nothing to do and is small crowded and dirty. Not to mention on my return flight the airline just nonchalantly canceled the their only flight out of Bangkok for two days because of a "schedule change." The risk of not making your destination on this airline is too big spring for a couple extra bucks on British Airways or one of GA's Middle Eastern competitors.

J class BAH-BOM return. Check in a breeze pleasant staff through business security in seconds. Lounge very good vast array of food and beverages fast high speed wifi lounge spotless and very modern. Staff onboard were pleasant 8 seats full in Business menu option not available no menus no wine list not a great selection of avod. Landed ahead of schedule fast track immigration bags off promptly. On the return check in a breeze I had left my Ipod on board on the outbound flight and it was there at the check in desk when I arrived. Immigration priority lane security is a nightmare in Mumbai with constant checking and rechecking of bags re-tagging them rechecking boarding cards. They use the airport lounge clipper dark dingy no alcohol food is very poor. Flight on time crew pleasant if not robotic few smiles. Menus offered good wines and food. AVOD the same as the way out landed early private bus from aircraft for business pax but bags of last. Overall Gulf are trying hard and will use again.

LHR to Kabul return. Outbound excellent check-in and very impressive Gulf Air lounge. Onboard A330 seating was ok but short of offerings by their Gulf based competitors. A good menu available well presented and tasty with a good selection of wines and other beverages. Rather than the installed IFE C class passengers were given standalone equipment which had a fair range of viewing options. Transit in Bahrain was fine lounge had a great view over the apron and friendly staff but furnishings very tired and early morning food offerings not the best. Connecting flight on A320 C class had 2-2 configuration. Meal served was fair alcoholic drinks only available on request. Return was a sharp contrast - flight cancelled and no help at airport. Finally booked to fly 4 days late. Check-in the usual chaos with no dedicated C class line. Once through the plane did not appear for several hours. Information very poor left in the lounge for several hours. Finally the plane landed departure delayed until the next morning. Baggage not returned and people left to fend for themselves. Eventually we flew with no proper meal. Red eye flight to London on A340 offered the best seat/cabin served light evening snacks which were tasty and an average breakfast. On arrival in LHR 4 days late I had to wait over an hour for my bag. Overall I accept I was unlucky but would probably not take this route again if I could avoid it.