This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Window-seat pairs are offset to allow a 13-inch gap so window-seat passengers could access their seats directly from the aisle. Choices included roast beef with sweet-potato mash, steamed vegetables and gravy; chicken tikka masala; seafood saffron risotto; and a quiche with gorgonzola and caramelized onions — the dish that Katie chose. This time we were in Row 3, but I’d choose Row 2 next time. Trouver les vols, voyez nos offres spéciales et gagnez des miles Falconflyer sur vos voyages. It truly does appear like this is an all new business class seat, and not at all an evolution of the existing Qsuite. A mix of eclairs, roast beef and horseradish open and finger sandwiches weren’t stale of soggy, and topped us up to ensure we weren’t still hungry before landing (although the impressive spread in the Bahrain lounge would have quietened any rubbling tummy.). Gulf Air’s New 787 Business Class Is Amazing Brendan Dorsey. The seat detailing however, is absolutely superb, and one of the best we’ve seen in recent years. While we were expecting a cabin that was going to impress, what we weren’t prepared for was the incredible impact this was going to have on the soft product and positioning of the carrier. The business-class cabin is arranged with four rows of 2-2-2 seating. The fast-track security line had just eight passengers ahead of us but still took seven minutes to clear. Champagne was then poured at seat. While we could have spent a few hours sipping on champagne and enjoying the apron view, we headed to the aircraft approximately 40 minutes before take off, just a short walk from the lounge. These may suit larger passengers, as the access to the window seats can be a little tight. The amenity kit was acceptable, with a Guy Laroche branded bag, Aigner hand cream, eye mask, socks, earbuds and dental kit all on offer. ( Log Out /  Gulf Air New B787-9 has 26 Business Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats. Gulf Air used to be one of the leading carriers in the Gulf region, however, bold upstarts like Emirates quickly stole the crown, with heavy investment in new aircraft and a fairly courageous growth plan, leaving Gulf Air with a lacklustre, dated product that could no longer compete in the region. Aircraft Type: 787-9 Legroom-wise, the Economy pitch of There is great reason why this configuration is deemed one of the most successful, and adept in the 787 cabin. 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I didn’t realize that this was an option, but one member of the cabin crew noticed me reclining my seat (as I was going to measure it) and offered to set up my seat for sleep. Trip Report: TAP Portugal A330neo Business Class December 2020. While not the Denon headset found in Turkish, they were perfectly acceptable, especially considering the low noise level found in the 787 cabin. Despite the large opening from the aisle to the aisle seats, rows were offset — and seat shells were strategically placed — so that you had to strain to see passengers across the aisle. On Gulf Air’s 787-9 Dreamliner inaugural flight on June 15, it utilized its first Dreamliner (A9C-FA) before switching to its second aircraft (A9C-FB) within days of delivery. The economy line was packed and chaotic, but the Falcon Gold check-in line was empty. The Points Guy will not sell your email. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. As a Falcon Gold customer, you are entitled to priority check-in, a … For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. One-to-two prong adapters were available on request; one of these adapters was at my seat at boarding. The 787-9 is currently deployed on All London service (twice daily), as well as Casablanca and Bangkok soon. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. We couldn’t, however, quite figure out a time to fit it into our busy travel schedule. This was complemented by great food, nice amenities, a good entertainment selection and comfortable seats. The 787-9 is currently deployed on All London service (twice daily), as well as Casablanca and Bangkok soon. Date: October 2018. But tall passengers rejoice: The window seat has space for days. Gulf Air. There were just three wines to choose from: 2014 Sichel Bordeaux merlot and cabernet, 2013 Torti pinot nero Oltrepo Pavese, and Vina Chocalan Reserva cabernet sauvignon. Throughout the flight the cabin crew remained attentive and ensured any glasses were never left empty. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Then there are the window seats, which are the most private, benefitting from a small egress to the aisle at the foot end of the seat, while these are private, they also suit passengers travelling with a partner, as again the partition can be lowered. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The lounge, designed by JPA Design is well appointed, and even with the new brand by Tangerine and Saffron Consultants it stands the test of time, with a modern, clean aesthetic. Cooked medium-well and very tender, the beef was deliciously complemented by a rich gravy and sweet potatoes. Although the ground experience in London and Bahrain were lacking, the service on board was top-notch. Before pushing back late because of air traffic, the chef came through and took lunch and drink orders and collected menus. Route: LHR-BAH Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will service a number of regional routes over the coming weeks including Jeddah and Dubai before it takes on the Bahrain - London, Heathrow route on June 15. Instead, they’d use the seat opening to bring any service items to her. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. My measuring tape couldn’t measure it all, so I had to add two measurements together. Manage Booking. It was minor touches like this that showed that Gulf Air clearly had a service-oriented focus for its flight attendants. ( Log Out /  Oman Air 787-9 Business Class: Summary: Aside from a chaotic boarding, which didn’t match the rest of the ground experience, and a poorly executed dine on demand concept, Oman Air’s Apex Suite Business Class is without doubt one of the nicest we’ve tried. Even then, flight attendants had eight magazines available (National Geographic and Wired were two that caught my eye). The entry was somewhat a bit of a surprise, usually being greeted by two galley units, however, on stepping inside, you were instantly transported in to this open Business Class cabin. Economy has 255 seats; Business class has 30 seats; this is pretty standard for these aircraft. This version has the exact same Apex Suite product in business class — one of my top picks, even though some flyers find it to be a bit narrow.. I haven’t flown Gulf Air since the mid-70’s, when it was the national flag carrier for the States of Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Seat Map and Seating Chart Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Oman Air. We opted for flatbreads, which were toasted, both moist and crispy and the perfect accompaniment to the dish. While we’ve experienced many seats over our many years of travels, there are few which we’ve found particularly robust, but these seats look like they will stand the test of time, something that is important for a boutique carrier such as Gulf air, to ensure that such an investment lasts for many years. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Luckily, the designers have added a leather finish to these small ledges, which helps increase grip for anything placed on it. The trolley was reset and brought back through the cabin with tea, coffee and cognac. Wi-Fi service wasn’t available on this flight. Climbing under the soft comforter, I feel asleep perhaps faster than I ever have on an aircraft. Then, to save hundreds of dollars of taxes and fees, we tacked on a short hop from Dublin (DUB) to London Heathrow on the front end of the award trip. While this was my first time on A40-SF, I’d actually flown Oman Air’s 787-9 before, back in 2017 on a two-cabin configuration (with business and economy class). Despite the 2-2-2 configuration, each passenger has direct aisle access — this is the same biz-class setup you’ll find on other carriers such as Korean Air’s 747-8 and some of Japan Airlines’ long-haul 777 and 787 fleet. The leather, magnetic-latch Cerruti amenity kit included a pair of soft but thin cotton socks, an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, body lotion (Aigner fragrance), lip balm (Aigner Fragrance) and refresher mist (also Aigner fragrance). Manage Booking. These B787-9's are equipped with a new First Class Suite. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. While the 787-8 has three rows of business class and then a cabin behind the second set of doors with two more rows, the 787-9 has a single business class cabin with five rows, in a 2-2-2 configuration. While it doesn’t fulfil the latest trend of bringing the residential and hotelier elements to the aviation industry, the lounge still sits as a tight, well conceived product, in some ways outshining its flagship counterpart in Bahrain. When I did, I assumed I’d made an error. Business-class passengers could choose from another tray of magazines once on board. Gulf Air welcomed its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner back in April 2018. It seemed like that was the plan for many business-class travelers, so we were surprised to see a long line of passengers at the business-class boarding queue. Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. It’s nice to know this airline is getting its mojo back! The space offers a fully tendered bar and barista service from the centre of the lounge, there is also a buffet dining station and small private areas that can be used for private meetings, or an alcove should you be travelling with kids, but there are also business facilities and plenty of lounge seating which include small cabinets to hang jackets and act as charging points too. Two desks were available for this line: one for business class and the other marked “Flight Supervisor.”. We had opted for the Arabic Meze, a great benchmark against its competitors. ( Log Out /  The lounge offered an impressive selection of food from both a hot buffet (ful medames, baked beans, grilled mushrooms, scrambled eggs, porridge, cheese toast, potato rosti, beef sausage) and a cold buffet. When it was time for bed, you were supposed to flag down a flight attendant for a mattress pad and fitted sheet. That can’t be understated. Overall, the food and beverage were excellently done. Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will offer 282 seats in a two-class configuration, with 26 Falcon Gold Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats – a 32% increase in capacity on the airline’s previous wide body offering. Window-seat pairs are offset to allow a 13-inch gap so window-seat passengers could access their seats directly from the aisle. We were not only pleasantly surprised to see such a fantastic hard product, but also, impressed to see the carrier seemingly have turned a corner, with a larger emphasis on customer service. Throughout the flight, the service was warm but always professional. The champagne, Jacquart Brut, was super chilled and a refreshing tipple as the rest of the guests boarded. Shortly later, FAs passed through with a basket of dates and baklava, followed immediately by Arabic coffee. As we started to leave the lounge 15 minutes before boarding to claim our place in line, the lounge check-in agent noted that boarding hadn’t started and said we could wait in the lounge if we wanted. In fact, the seats and cabin are so well-designed for privacy that you can hardly tell there were 18 passengers in the cabin in this elevated shot taken midflight: Both the window-seat pairs and middle seats are great for couples. LATAM’s 787-9 business class seats are standard forward facing fully flat seats. The nonstop flight from London Heathrow to Bahrain would’ve cost 42,500 AAdvantage miles, but with the AAdvantage award chart charging the same number of miles from Europe to anywhere in what it considers the region of the Indian subcontinent, we figured we would add an onward flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner offers 26 Falcon Gold Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats with greater pitch, larger IFE screens, enhanced onboard comforts and greater entertainment choices. After the boarding-pass scan, all passengers were given the chance to grab a magazine or newspaper from the complimentary newsstand. Cons: disappointing ground experiences, limited alcohol selection and no Wi-Fi. She made an announcement, and the line in front of the business class sign quickly dissipated, leaving not a single passenger. All passengers get a forward facing private suite, which bar having a door, isn’t overlooked by the neighbour. As an airline from a semi-dry country, Gulf Air had a limited alcohol selection, but it still managed to provide quality options. Gulf Air refers to this aircraft as an Airbus A320ER. Still, Gulf Air could improve by adding Wi-Fi. We took the new aircraft for a spin, and want to start our report by stating in comparison to a flight just a few years ago, the cabins have had an unplanned benefit to the passenger experience: happier, proud cabin crew who even compared to our connecting A330 flight crews on the same trip, couldn’t be polar opposite. If it’s privacy you’re looking for, a middle divider could be raised by either passenger. Gulf Air have two flights a day from Heathrow, with the day flight leaving just after the morning rush from Terminal 4, meaning that passengers benefit from a quieter airport experience. When extended all the way flat, my aisle seat measured 76 inches from the shell of the seat to the deepest part of the footwell. Gulf Air New B787-9 Dreamliner has 26 Business Class (falcon gold open suites) seats and 256 Economy Class seats. The agent at the flight-supervisor desk called us forward, and we had to climb over other passengers’ bags to reach the counter. See, unveiled a spectacular new business class it calls “Falcon Gold” in April 2018, Gulf Air 787-9 business-class cabin since it was revealed, save hundreds of dollars of taxes and fees, British Airways Club World business class, Marriott reinstates elite benefit guarantees effective immediately, Check your American Airlines accounts: 2021 rollover elite miles, dollars and segments now posting, Travel industry reconsiders political donations following Capitol siege, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. Similar to the BA Club World seat (except imagine them all facing forward, being much wider, and generally light years ahead) each seat offers a First Class passenger experience without the First Class price tag. A few minutes later, we were in Gulf Air’s Falcon Gold Lounge. Gulf Air took delivery of its new Boeing 787-9 … Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. This airline, like Oman Air, now offer a (sometimes cheaper) and better customer experience than it’s ME3 competitors. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. The centre pairs are pairs, side by side, perfect for travelling together, as well as solo travellers, due to the partition that can be raised from the start of the flight. Katie and I both prefer to sleep on our sides. In mid-June, Gulf Air launched this product on its flagship route from Bahrain (BAH) to London Heathrow (LHR). A high ceiling, seemingly unblemished cabin and clean, elegant lines, and rich textures awaited us. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Row 1 is squeezed a bit by the curvature of the plane, Row 3 is missing a window (two instead of three) and Row 4 is right next to the boarding door, with passengers passing behind the Row 4 seats to access the far side of the plane. 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