| Welcome onboard! Happy New Year and thank you for flying Gulf Air. We appreciate the opportunity you gave us to fly you in 2008 and I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for choosing Gulf Air. We look forward to your continued support in 2009 as well.
As we step into the New Year, our team at Gulf Air is gearing up on several fronts to serve you even better. To begin with, we are now offering you seamless connections to more than 40 US cities through our codeshare arrangement with American Airlines. Be it business or leisure, you now have a choice of at least 400 daily flights to travel to prominent cities like Orlando, San Francisco, New Orleans, Seattle and Las Vegas via our three European hubs – London, Paris and Frankfurt.
You will be pleased to know that during this year we will have at least four new Airbus 330 and another four new Airbus 320 aircraft joining our fleet. These aircraft will be used to replace some of the existing fleet and the rest will be used for our expansion plans. At the same time we are actively working on a significant rebranding and refurbishment exercise of our fleet and our ground locations.
We are also working on innovative new concepts to keep our customers entertained and well-served. You will be able to see new onboard products unveiled on our new A320s in 2009. Our ultimate aim is to give our customers the very best travel experience, whether it is cabin standards and comfort or service excellence in the air and on the ground.
Being the first issue of the year, we have tried to present you with a mélange of interesting features that we see and enjoy in our dayto-day life; from art to film to culinary delights – in alphabetical order. Whether it is about Elham – a cultural phenomenon that promotes Bahrain’s local art, literature and creative talents – the vibrant, colourful festivals of India celebrated throughout the year, or the Bonaparte In Egypt exhibition at Paris’s Institut du Monde Arabe, each feature, I am sure, will take you through a kaleidoscopic journey of our life.
On behalf of the Gulf Air team, thanks again for starting your year with us. We remain committed to providing you with outstanding service and value, symbolized by our trademark Arabian hospitality.
Wishing you and your family every success and happiness in 2009.
Björn Näf
Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Air |
