~Ordeals of Gulf Bound Indian Passenger in Gulf Air is horrendous and insulting experience. If you have a choice of purchasing your own ticket I suggest you to travel by any other airline.
~I am traveling Gulf Air last 13 years since 1991, because there is no choice for me. My company provides us ticket of Gulf air. I travel once to Muscat every 3 months & have traveled to Mct countless times.
~I also have a Frequent Flyer Card of Gulf Air since last 7 yrs but besides permitting 10 kg more in your baggage it hasn’t provided me any other benefits. Many times even if they have vacant seats in Business class there is no courtesy to upgrade from economy to business class to accommodate more economy class passengers.
~In Mumbai airport behavior of their ground staff is rude & disgusting. They don’t guide passenger properly and never talk in polite manner (except some Parsi ground staff).
~One must admit that approx 90% of the Gulf bound passengers are from labor/employee class, n less educated. Ground staff and cabin crew must understand this point & should explain required formalities.
~Once you pass through the immigration the real ordeal begins. My heart starts beating faster as I approach Gulf Air aircraft. I see it from the glass wall n sometimes miss my heartbeat. This time I fondly think of travelling by good old ST to Malwan with smiling, ever willing conductor, & helpful, caring drivers.
~When you enter the aircraft the hostess greets you as she is merely conducting her duties as a formality, the smile, hospitality is totally absent from her face. This always reminds me of my PT Sir who used to stand at the entrance of the RVT high school. If a student came a minute late he used to give five lashes on students palm so hard, that till recess our palm used to pain & inflame. Many times when I used to be late n seen him at gate, mostly I used to do a ’Peecheyy Mood’ (about turn) & used to pass my entire day in Rotary park, Khar danda, Juhu chowpaty wandering penniless learning from experience outside the school.
~At the entrance they have newspapers, which is appreciable but those all are in Arabic language like Al Watan, Akhbar Khalijee, Sada Shabiba. I proceed to my seat n try to scroll through pages of inflight magazines which contain valuable information about Two days in Istambool, ’Guide to Paris Hotels’ Arabic cookery page ’Laham Ahmar, Mishkak Filfill, Digak Shorba, etc. I often wonder in these Gulf-India flights why they do not provide Indian Magazines or Ind Newspapers. I console myself, forget it, it is just a matter of couple of hours.
~Next comes another hostess with a tray in her hand containing Paper Napkin, & sugar boiled toffees. Hurry, take it as fast as you can because you blink your eyes and she is gone, she?ll never come back with that tray again.
In business class they provide wet steamed napkin for elite people who come from star hotels in A/C cars, check in within seconds in business class check in counters which has 2 meter of Red carpet in front. In Labor class err sorry ’Economy class’ they provide paper napkin drenched in alcoholic perfume, by mistake if you wipe you eyes then your eyes are bound to get irritation. Knowing this, before entering aircraft I often go to Mumbai Airport Toilet which are clean and well maintained. I go to W/C, relieve myself and wash my face. This costs you some in tip but this is better idea than using cramped toilet in aircraft where it’s been used by someone before you who might’ve gone their first time and didn’t understood the signs / instructions written in English.
~Now a days there is welcome move in Gulf Air is that they show Hindi Movies in flights which is our weakness, they know it. Once the passenger is engrossed in Hindi feature film he will not bother any in-flight service staff. They show only half of the movie in Mum-Mct sector. Aagey aapke ghar main jaake dekhiye!!
My most important grievance about Gulf air is rude behaviour of their cabin crew, and I do not hesitate to say that 80% of ’Indian Air hostesses’ are most arrogant, egoistic, rude, and non-courteous and behaves in non-polite with Indian passengers. Surprisingly they behave very polished manner n politely with the European, Arab or Eastern passengers.
~Non-Indian (europian, arabic) Air hostesses are OK and hospitable.
Egyptian (?) Arabic Male Flight Pursers are very rude, egocentric, arrogant and big headed. They will never comply with your petty requests. I think they do not have politeness or hospitality words in their dictionary. They will always hesitate to serve you hard drinks and beer, after repeated requests only they will give the drink that too just once (ekach pyala).
~Next comes a very dreadful, horrendous experience called ’In-flight Meals’!! The food is so awful, tasteless, and unpleasant that even if you remember it, you are bound to loose your appetite for hours. It is served with an attitude, which matches with quality of the food.
~Firstly its Quantity is less, as it is served in miniature tray. Two teaspoon vegetable n non veg and some rice in a tiny tray, secondly it is of low quality. At any given time I will rank our own delicious ’Pav-Bhajee’ available on Mumbai pavements much higher than these inflight meals.
~If one ask an extra piece of bread simply she says ’Not now, wait for some time’ and will never turn up. These services are done with intention that all the pax are on their mercy for the drinks & food.
~Many a times veg food is over even before half of the passengers are covered. One of my friend informed at the time of confirming ticket that he wants only veg meal, GF agreed, but when he boarded Delhi-Muscat flight veg food was never served to him. Above all the hostess asked him, ’Sir veg food is over, can you eat chicken?’ He had to alight at Muscat empty stomach. (If anyone wants his name, flight no, date, FFC no, we will gladly give it).
~On two occasions I did not get my baggage when I got down in Mumbai. (Mct-Mum flight) Once it came after 4 hours in next GF flight. Another time when my baggage didn?t come GF ground staff told about 20 of us passengers to come next day to collect it. I went to Kalyan by Taxi, stayed one day n came back next midnight. Two days of my leave were wasted in claiming baggage & I had to face unfriendly custom officials twice for one trip.
~I asked about general opinion about GF flight to Indian friends in my drilling company they all said that it is Greatly Faltoo, Generally Fateechar and if given a choice they will never travel by Gulf air.
~I sometimes have traveled by Air India, and have very pleasant experience. Flight Pursers are usually helpful, polite n friendly in nature. Most of the AI aiir hostesses are also polite, well mannered, courteous and hospitable.
~I travel by Gulf Air just because our company provides us ticket and most of the time the flights run at the time which suits us. I have to travel to and fro to attend my duties and have to do it by any means. I tolerate atrocities of Gulf Air Crew thinking of the plight of millions of passengers who travel everyday in Ambernath 12 dabba Fast, 5.26 Virar bada fast, Karjat double fast, Borivali fast etc. They also have to suffer. There is just one difference- they suffer it physically and Gulf Indian laborer traveling by Gulf air suffer mentally facing insult, racial discrimination, rudeness and disrespect.