We are getting a very good deal with Gulf Air. However,we have never flown with them before and the reviews in general don't seem to be very good on the internet ( obviously there is always a bit of negative bias in such reviews as well, because people generally don't review unless they have to complain). The flight is longish ( about 9ish hours including transit in Bahrain). Has anyone flown with them recently? [the next cheapest flights are from Aeroflot and Ukraine Air which I am not taking; Qatar is the next option and about 50% more expensive; Emirates is more than double the fare]
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what route are you flying?
GF is definitely 2-3 steps below Etihad/QR/EK and the main hassle may be the transit in Bahrain.
If you are flying with kids or someone aged, just forget GF and choose Emirates/Etihad
If you are travelling alone, and cash is a big concern then choose GF
All said, its the cash difference that matters: is it 1k or 4k between the 2?
GF is definitely 2-3 steps below Etihad/QR/EK and the main hassle may be the transit in Bahrain.
If you are flying with kids or someone aged, just forget GF and choose Emirates/Etihad
If you are travelling alone, and cash is a big concern then choose GF
All said, its the cash difference that matters: is it 1k or 4k between the 2?
Check them out on SkyTrax - Airline Reviews | Airport Reviews | Seat Reviews | Airline Ranking - reviewers appear just as likely to come on that site to leave a positive review as a negative one.
Actually i am traveling with our 2 year old son. The saving versus Etihad/qatar is about 4k. The saving compared to Emirates is about 8k. Hence the dilemma!
The Skytrax reviews i guess are fairly balanced (as in I see there are positive as well as negative) but we are not the most finicky travellers ( p,us a part of the problem with a screaming child!). 4k is prolly equal to two nights in a hotel + good restaurants and drinks! Decisions decisions
tropicana - any reason why it is not okay with kids on gulf air?
The Skytrax reviews i guess are fairly balanced (as in I see there are positive as well as negative) but we are not the most finicky travellers ( p,us a part of the problem with a screaming child!). 4k is prolly equal to two nights in a hotel + good restaurants and drinks! Decisions decisions
tropicana - any reason why it is not okay with kids on gulf air?
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No guarantees on any aircraft but I would rather pay a little extra and trust in a more reputed airline. You're in a pressurized metal cabin over 30,000 feet up in the air with no control of the steering wheel.....that's risky enough for me. 
That may be relevant when choosing between lets say Lufthansa and a no name Russian carrier but i dont think it makes a difference between EK and Gulf AirNo guarantees on any aircraft but I would rather pay a little extra and trust in a more reputed airline. You're in a pressurized metal cabin over 30,000 feet up in the air with no control of the steering wheel.....that's risky enough for me.
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I started flying Gulf Air in 1984. I hated the flight from Bahrain to Thailand back in the late 80's because they were flying L1011's in a 3-4-3 config and it was incredibly cramped. Their other planes were fine.No guarantees on any aircraft but I would rather pay a little extra and trust in a more reputed airline. You're in a pressurized metal cabin over 30,000 feet up in the air with no control of the steering wheel.....that's risky enough for me.
Now Emirates flies their 777's in a 3-4-3 config and almost everyone else is 3-3-3. Gulf flies A330's and A340's in a 2-4-2 config (same as Emirates but they have more 777's). Not sure why anyone would pay extra to be more cramped.
As far as reputation sure, I'm going to avoid an airline that flies those Russian "SuperJets" but it's not like Gulf has that bad of a reputation.
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Maybe I've just been brainwashed to think that Emirates is one of the best then, obviously they're great with their PR skills. I have to add though, that in my bid to save 4K dhs once, I flew Etihad to Sydney with my then 11 month old son and it was the worst experience ever! The cabin crew actually yelled at me because I had dropped a bottle.
So like I said, there are no guarantees what airline you fly, so I suppose the savings should make a difference.
I had to read doodlebugger's post twice to finally understand it
So like I said, there are no guarantees what airline you fly, so I suppose the savings should make a difference.
I had to read doodlebugger's post twice to finally understand it
I am not a big fan of Emirates, but fly them in any case for the miles (and when my company pays) The only good thing about Emirates is that you get to fly from Terminal 3 and not Terminal 1 and because the other direct choices to India are plain horrible.
For personal, non Indian flights I think we have just used them twice.
I don't know what the fuss about Etihad is either. Abu Dhabi airport is plain horrible (chaotic arrivals).
Anyways, Gulf Air seems to be better using the same 777s as everyone else, and for the in flight entertainment for my son I have the ipad (and some cough medication for him)
The only good thing about Emirates is that you get to fly from Terminal 3 and not Terminal 1 and because the other direct choices to India are plain horrible. For personal, non Indian flights I think we have just used them twice.
I don't know what the fuss about Etihad is either. Abu Dhabi airport is plain horrible (chaotic arrivals).
Anyways, Gulf Air seems to be better using the same 777s as everyone else, and for the in flight entertainment for my son I have the ipad (and some cough medication for him)
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One of the reasons I put up with United is because of their economy plus that gives me several inches of extra legroom for these long hauls if I get stuck in economy. I real knee saver if you are even close to 6 foot.
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You aren't being brainwashed, any thing new looks better then old. Emirates has brand new Airbus and Boeing airplanes and they look nicer then the same old airplanes being flown by others. Of course, I think your opinion of them will change when they have to really compete with the other major airlines and the have to start incurring the high costs of maintenance of an aircraft. It is easy to buy and fly, but hard to do that while also having to maintain. New aircraft are not going to require the same amount of upkeep costs as older/aging aircraft, so things will be fine now, but in the future it might not be that way. I foresee Emirates doing the same things that the other airlines do when their profit is in decline and they stop getting fuel subsidies from the govt. Watch out for less legroom, crappy in-flight entertainment, and having to pay for everything. Part of the business.... enjoy it while you can...Maybe I've just been brainwashed to think that Emirates is one of the best then, obviously they're great with their PR skills. I have to add though, that in my bid to save 4K dhs once, I flew Etihad to Sydney with my then 11 month old son and it was the worst experience ever! The cabin crew actually yelled at me because I had dropped a bottle.
So like I said, there are no guarantees what airline you fly, so I suppose the savings should make a difference.
I had to read doodlebugger's post twice to finally understand it
Gulf Air ain't bad, I trust them to maintain their airplanes better then any airline coming out of Pakistan, India, or any African country (wouldn't fly any of them).
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