Business Class travel, is constantly striving and competing for our custom, thereby making long haul travel more an experience to be enjoyed rather than a just mode of transport to get to your destination. 

     Having flown Gulf Air’s Falcon Gold (Business Class) on Airbus A330s’ before, I was looking forward to experience the service on their new replaced fleet of  Boeing 787 Dreamliners. I was flying from London Heathrow to Bahrain.

     Firstly, a little about the hard product:
There are just 26 seats, in a 2x2x2 configuration, with excellent new Apex Open Suite seating. The window seats (which I chose), offered privacy once the screen was raised up. So well-designed is the seating, that once the screen was up, you could hardly tell there were other passengers in the cabin. And every seat has also direct aisle access. The seat itself is fabulous, wide, comfortable, with all the adjustments including a massage function, all within easy reach, except for the headphone socket which was a difficult to locate, as it is hidden in a darker area by the seat. There were the usual USB sockets, and reading lamp with adjustable light settings. I loved the windows (slightly larger than other similar wide-bodies), which could also be darkened and lightened to suit you. Apart from overhead storage, there is however little storage area by the seat, but if you were not extending you seat out to a full flat bed, the front area underneath the TV monitor allowed for  extra space.

     Noise-canceling headphones were supplied. The Amenity Kit was basic, but they did provide pajamas, even on the daylight flight, and slippers. As for entertainment, the IFE was limited, with a small selection of new movies, news and TV programmes.

     Soon after take off, pre-lunch drinks were served (I settled for a Chivas on the rocks) with a delicious selection of roasted nuts. The chef was back again, taking the lunch order. I wished he hadn’t take the menus away, but I knew what I wanted, as I had had it on previous flights - Gulf Air’s signature dish - Lamb Shank, as my main course. This was an exquisite dish, the meat perfectly cooked, melting off the bone, with a rich sauce, accompanying vegetables, and visually pleasing. I requested to see the wine list again, but was told it was just red or white - two choices. No bottle visible, nor was I able to taste first. No sooner had I finished my courses and everything cleared away, the dessert trolley came through, offering fruit salad, cheese, nuts, biscuits, cheesecakes and other goodies. A delicious, hearty meal, albeit a tad rushed, was rounded off with coffee and cognac.

     Quite satiated, it was time to stretch out and browse the IFE. Finding nothing new of interest, I settled to watch a movie I had seen before. The seat was so comfortable, it didn’t have to be fully stretched out to have an hours nap.

     A couple of hours before landing, A very British Afternoon Cream Tea was served from the trolley. So nice - warm scones, clotted cream, jams and pastries, followed by tea, was delightful surprise to round off an enjoyable six and a half hours. As I watched the sun go down, and the descent begin, the night lights of the Kingdom of Bahrain appeared below, as we gently touched down.

     On my return flight to London, due to the pandemic, the flight was understandably basic. No hot food (disposable plastic cutlery), no pillows, no blankets, no PJ’s etc. So I snuggled up for a long sleep, only to come awake to see the dawn colours light up the cabin. Due to heavy traffic however, we were held in a ‘holding pattern’ and had to circle for another hour before landing.

     Finally: For a small airline, Gulf Air certainly have made premium-class flying an enjoyable and memorable experience, with excellent seating and mouthwatering dining. While the on-board chef can be looked upon as a gimmick (I think Turkish Airlines is the only other carrier that has this), it was still a touch of personalised service, to have him discuss my dining preferences.

     However, I wished the flight attendants were a little engaging, rather than methodically rushing through the service routine. This is little glitch I feel Gulf Air could address to improve their product to near perfection.