Gulf Air

Food and drink6 answers

Halal meals

Airline policyGulf Air says all meals on its flights are halal-certified.

Gulf Air states on its special-meals page that all meals on its flights are halal-certified.

Does the meal turn up

Traveller or press reportFew first-hand reports; one 2023 special meal arrived as three dry samosas.

First-hand reports are few. On a 2013 Manila to Bahrain economy flight the reviewer had two meal services and found the food good; on a November 2023 Bangkok to Singapore flight the reviewer's special meal, a Hindu vegetarian meal, arrived as three very dry samosas.

On partner flights

Airline policyOn partner-operated codeshares the other airline's conditions may apply; nothing is said about meals.

On a codeshare flight operated by another airline, Gulf Air's Conditions of Carriage say that airline's conditions may apply instead; the clause says nothing about meals. Free Falcon Gold lounge access does not apply on flights operated by other carriers, including Gulf Air codeshares.

Alcohol on board

Airline policyAlcohol is served on board and in the Bahrain lounge; no dry routes are published.

Gulf Air's Conditions of Carriage say passengers may drink on board only alcohol the airline serves them. A first-hand Falcon Gold report describes champagne offered before departure, and a review of the Bahrain lounge describes a bar serving beer, wine and spirits, even during Ramadan. Gulf Air publishes no route-by-route alcohol policy, so dry flights to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait are not confirmed.

Ramadan

Traveller or press reportTrade press reported iftar boxes on evening Middle East flights; no current Gulf Air page confirms it.

Aviation Week reported that Gulf Air designed iftar meals for Muslim passengers, served in a box of dates, labban, a sandwich and fruit salad on evening flights between 3 and 7pm across its Middle East network for the whole of Ramadan, so passengers could break the fast at the Maghrib call. We found no current Gulf Air page restating it; the airline's own Ramadan news covers a ghabga it hosted for travel agents in Riyadh. A lounge review reports the Bahrain lounge bar serving alcohol during Ramadan.

Amenity kit

Traveller or press reportA Falcon Gold reviewer's amenity kit held an eye mask and socks only.

A first-hand Falcon Gold report describes an amenity kit of an eye mask and socks. Gulf Air publishes no amenity-kit contents.

Not in Gulf Air's published policies: Who certifies them

Prayer2 answers

Crew and prayer

Traveller or press reportA first-hand report says the Islamic travel prayer is played to the cabin after boarding.

A first-hand report of Gulf Air's first Falcon Gold flight to Shanghai says the traditional Islamic travel prayer was played after boarding, before the safety video, on more than one flight of the trip. Gulf Air's own pages do not mention it, and we found no Gulf Air guidance on passengers praying on board.

Prayer rooms in lounges

Airline policyThe Falcon Gold lounges in Bahrain and Dubai list prayer rooms; London's does not.

Gulf Air lists prayer rooms among the amenities of its Falcon Gold lounges in Bahrain and Dubai, and a lounge review says the Bahrain lounge also has ablution facilities. The London Heathrow lounge description lists no prayer room. Free lounge access does not apply on flights operated by other carriers, including Gulf Air codeshares.

Not in Gulf Air's published policies: Space to pray · Qibla and prayer times · Water for istinja

Crew and service2 answers

Crew training

Traveller or press reportReviewers describe dates and coffee at boarding and crew who are polite, if not always warm.

A first-hand report of a 2024 Falcon Gold flight describes Arabic dates and coffee offered as a welcome and the Islamic travel prayer played after boarding; champagne was also offered. An economy reviewer on a November 2023 Bangkok to Singapore flight found the crew polite but not as outwardly warm as on SriLankan Airlines. Gulf Air publishes nothing about crew religious or cultural training.

Reported incidents

Traveller or press reportAn Indian consumer commission ordered Gulf Air to compensate a man refused over a single-name passport.

The Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered Gulf Air to pay nearly Rs 1.4 lakh with 9% interest to Nizamudeen, a former Tamil Nadu MLA who was denied boarding at Moscow on 9 February 2023 because his passport showed a single name and no surname, as DT Next reported. Separately, Human Rights Watch reported in 2011 that Gulf Air dismissed workers after the Bahrain protests; one employee said a man searched her car, asked whether she liked the king and found a web page about Shia Islam on her office computer. Gulf Air did not answer Human Rights Watch's requests for an interview. We found no case of a passenger refused service on religious grounds.

Not in Gulf Air's published policies: Hijab in crew uniform · Help from women staff · Eid and Ramadan on board

Seating and families2 answers

Sitting together as a family

Airline policySeat selection costs extra on Basic, Light and Redemption fares, with no exemption for families.

Gulf Air charges for economy seat selection on Basic, Light and Redemption fares; Smart includes free standard seats and Flex is free. Fees apply per passenger, per flight. The terms contain no exemption for families with children, and unaccompanied children cannot buy seat selection.

Changing seats

Airline policyNo seat is guaranteed, and the conditions have no provision for reseating on modesty grounds.

Gulf Air's Conditions of Carriage say it will try to honour advance seat requests but cannot guarantee any seat, and may assign or reassign seats at any time, even after boarding, for operational, safety or security reasons. We found no provision for reseating a passenger on grounds of modesty.

Hajj, Umrah and routes2 answers

Zamzam water

Airline policyOne sealed 5-litre Zamzam package flies free from Saudi airports, on top of the normal allowance.

Gulf Air lets each eligible passenger departing Saudi Arabia carry one sealed 5-litre package of Zamzam water free of charge, in addition to the normal baggage allowance, at all Saudi airports. Eligible passengers include Umrah visa holders, GCC residents on a tourist visa intending Umrah, pilgrims arriving on a tourist visa intending Umrah, and transit-visa holders. The water must come from an authorised Zamzam Water Company outlet, be sealed and checked in separately, and may not go in cabin baggage or inside a regular checked bag.

Routes to Muslim-majority countries

Airline policySix Saudi destinations including Jeddah and Medina, plus Najaf, Baghdad, Cairo, Karachi and more.

Gulf Air has flown to Saudi Arabia since 1950 and serves six Saudi destinations with 105 daily and weekly scheduled flights. Its seat-selection zone table lists Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, Gassim, Medina and Al-Ula alongside Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat, Najaf, Baghdad, Nairobi, Cairo and Amman, and also Dhaka, Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Male, Istanbul, Baku and Casablanca.