Gulf Air has become the first airline in the Middle East to offer its passengers BBC Worldwide’s three newest brands – BBC Brit, BBC Earth and BBC First – as part of its inflight entertainment.
The new service was launched mid-air on December 2 by BBC Worldwide’s global editorial director, content, George Dixon on board GF003 from Bahrain to London, UK.
Commenting on the launch, Gulf Air acting chief commercial officer Ahmed Janahi said the airline was delighted to offer BBC Worldwide’s premium new channels to its passengers, giving them a greater selection of programmes. “I don’t doubt that our enhanced onboard entertainment will please travellers and I look forward to receiving their invaluable feedback,” he said.
The entire fleet of the national carrier of Bahrain is equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment technology offering hundreds of channels of entertainment that include religious programmes, movies, TV shows, a channel dedicated to local Bahraini productions and an informative health channel, in addition to a variety of games for younger passengers.
BBC Brit – the home of Top Gear – blends expertise with entertainment covering a rich variety of subjects including cars, adventure, life-changing moments, quirky British characters, chat shows and comedy.
Nature lovers can, meanwhile, enjoy BBC Earth, a channel dedicated to sharing the wonders of our planet and showcasing the work of the world’s foremost factual film makers; while fans of British drama now have BBC First, the home of original, innovative and compelling dramas.
Zina Neophytou, director – travel and special markets, BBC Worldwide, said: “BBC Brit, Earth and First offer customers the very best of British entertainment, documentary and drama and we are thrilled that Gulf Air passengers will be the first in the region to be able to enjoy all three channels in-flight.”
Speaking to TTN, Dixon said the idea of the new channel brands is to get fresher and core high quality content under these three genre brands across the world very quickly – even within 24 hours of their UK transmission.
“We tailor the content of the channels to where they are marketed, adjusting the choice to what the audiences want, although the programmes would be in coherence with the overriding theme of the genre,” he pointed out.
The programmes for a particular market are selected from an extensive menu of programmes. “We work closely with Gulf Air, with whom we have been working for a number of years, and curate programmes especially for the airline,” said Neophytou. “Gulf Air does its own surveys and we work with Gulf Air to see what resonates with its passengers.”
Gulf Air has been making concerted efforts to ensure the comfort of passengers both on board its fleet as well as on ground. Its Falcon Gold lounges at Bahrain International Airport, Dubai International Airport and Heathrow Terminal Four combine traditional Arabian themes with modern amenities, giving guests a sense of space and comfort.
The lounges feature well laid-out business, dining, lounging facilities and TV areas in addition to “Quiet Lounges” which hold private sleeping rooms. The sleeping rooms are equipped with hi-definition TVs with wireless headphones for those who want to watch their favourite programmes or listen to their choice of music in private.
Additional facilities include cigar lounges and shower rooms with hotel-style towels and luxury brand toiletries and amenities. The modern, self-service buffet area has a spread of choice snacks and meals, and includes an Italian coffee corner offering the world famous LavAzza brand coffee varieties. For families, the lounges offer a spacious family room with SkyNannies in attendance as well as a gaming room equipped with Xbox and PlayStation units.
Gulf Air’s aggressive and proactive re-fleeting and product enhancement strategy saw it, in 2015, successfully roll out its newly retrofitted A330 aircraft, featuring a total of 214 seats in a two-class configuration of 30 Falcon Gold Class and 184 Economy seats.
Gulf Air serves 43 cities in 24 countries. In 2015, the airline launched services to two new Saudi destinations – Gassim and Taif – further boosting its regional network. It also added two new Pakistani destinations of Faisalabad and Multan.
The airline boasts one of the largest networks in the Middle East, operating double daily flights or more to 10 regional cities – Amman, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Kuwait, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, and Cairo – from its Bahrain hub, in addition to select destinations in the Indian Subcontinent and Europe.
By Bina Goveas