New lounge features additional state-of-art facilities including luxury sleeping rooms and cigar lounge

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain 8 May 2012:

Bahrain's national carrier, Gulf Air today officially inaugurated its Falcon Gold Lounge at Bahrain International Airport under the patronage of Her Excellency Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, Minister of Culture.

The fully renovated lounge seamlessly integrates contemporary design and architecture with Arabian influences, creating an environment that combines peace and tranquillity with extensive modern-day business and catering facilities. For the first time, premium passengers have the added facilities of seven private sleeping rooms, a cigar lounge and shower rooms with hotel-style towels and luxury brand toiletries and amenities.

Passengers can stay connected with free Wi-Fi throughout the lounge, discreet power sockets at every seat and a business centre that includes PCs, fax machines and printers. For families the lounge offers a spacious family room with highly trained professional SkyNannies in attendance as well as a gaming room equipped with Xbox and PlayStation units.

The lounge upgrade is in-line with the airline's service and product enhancement strategy both in the air and on the ground including the company's aircraft which are either new or have been refurbished. The current fleet age is 5.2 years, one of the youngest in the region.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali said the that the upgraded-lounge was a further example of the airline's commitment to investing in its hub, "Bahrain is our most important market so developing and improving our home-product is key. The new lounge is the latest in a series of service enhancements across our entire passenger value chain including the re-launch of our Sky Nanny Service, Sky Chef, online check in and a robust network connectivity in the Middle East. 

"We believe in investing in our customers and, as we keep improving ourselves in our customer service on the ground, we will continue to add more features and facilities in the air as well, so that our premium customers enjoy a consistently enhanced experience throughout their journey" Mr. Majali concluded. 

Gulf Air Chief Services Officer Mr. Marcus Bernhardt commented, "The revamp of the Bahrain Falcon Gold Lounge is part of an extensive lounge-renovation program across our network, which saw the inauguration last year of our new premium lounge in Terminal 4 at Heathrow International Airport in London, and will be preceded next year by the upgrading of our premium lounge in Dubai International Airport."

The architectural design of the new 1720 sq.ft lounge gives a sense of space and freedom featuring well laid-out business, dining, lounging facilities and TV areas in addition to offering panoramic views of the runway through a high glass wall.

There are also separate prayer rooms and secure lockers for those who want to use these facilities. The private sleeping rooms boast comfortable beds with dimming light and the 'do not disturb' option to rest in complete privacy.  The rooms are also equipped with hi definition TVs with wireless headphones. 

The modern, self-service buffet area offers a wide variety of snacks and meals, including an Italian coffee corner offering the world famous Lavazza brand coffee varieties.

The lounge can accommodate up to 200 people and all Platinum, Gold and Silver card holding FFP members of Gulf Air, and premium class ticket holders of Gulf Air's code-share partner airlines.

-Ends-

About Gulf Air
Founded in 1950, Gulf Air is the proud national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a pioneering airline in the Middle East region with over sixty years of experience and expertise in flying people across continents, Gulf Air is today one of the most powerful brands and a name to reckon with in the global aviation industry.

One of the prime objectives of Gulf Air is to connect Bahrain to the Middle East countries and the rest of the world. As such the airline currently operates the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights while providing seamless onward connections to other international destinations. The airline's current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 50 cities in 31 countries, with a fleet of 37 aircraft. 

In tune with the Kingdom's economic blue print, 'Vision 2030', Gulf Air's strategy is to build an efficient, commercially sustainable and dynamic airline that effectively serves the people and the economy of Bahrain and represents the Kingdom on the world stage. Reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers, the strategy focuses on three core areas: a targeted, more focused international network; a superior, more consistent product; and a modern, more efficient fleet that will optimize value. Gulf Air's goal reflects a commitment to the latest aviation technology complemented by the hallmark Arabian hospitality for which the airline is well known.   

Gulf Air is the official sponsor of the 2012 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

For more information please visit www.gulfair.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Katherine Kaczynska
Senior Manager Corporate Communications
Gulf Air Tel: +973 17338416 - +973 36500292
Email: katherine.kaczynska@gulfair.com

© Press Release 2012