Sitzplan Airbus A321 Gulf Air

you cannot recline this seat because it is located near an emergency exit. Besides, it lacks a window. Same for 11B

Flew this plane between Bahrain and Chennai return as part of longer trip from London. Overall seat comfort was very good, with plenty of legroom, good seat padding, decent recline and in every respect better than the A330 we had from London (I'd say about 1 inch extra legroom on A321 in comparison). Seat back entertainment was only average - the screens themselves were good quality but selections of movies, tv shows and music was way behind other middle eastern carriers (probably about 15 western films available, which was again slightly better than the A330). We were fortunate in that both legs between Bahrain and Chennai were far from full so once boarding was complete we managed to grab a whole row of 3 seats each to ourselves, meaning we had plenty of space to lie down in flight, though it's worth noting that none of the armrests on the A321 raise fully so you have to push them up half way and contort your body to fit.

I've been dying with Gulf air for the past few years, but this was my first time on the 321, so I was very excited. I was eager to compare it to the Qatar Airways 321, which I found to be in excellent shape. Check in and security was quick, and I ate at McDonalds. They called the passengers for boarding around 30 minutes before departure. Boarding was smooth and professional, but it got held up as people were taking a while to find their seats. We took off on time, and you could feel that the pilot was ex-military, due to the sharp takeoff. Food was served pretty quickly, but vegetarian was limited. I recommend making sure to inform the airline that you want a vegetarian meal. After that, the flight was smooth, and the landing was excellent. I don't know how, but gulf air pilots perform impeccable landings every single time. The bottom line: while gulf air have a good product, they still have a long way to go before they can compete with other Middle eastern airlines. From what I saw yesterday, they certainly havery the potential to do so.

Unfortunately 2 1/2 hours late so I missed the connection in Bahrein. Actually I was in time at the gate for the conneting flight to Frankfurt but because my luggage could not make it in time they refused to let me fly. I was booked on Emirates via Dubai to FRA which caused a 6 hours delay. At least the staff at the Gulf lounge in BAH were very attentative and helpful. The lounge itself was nice while the CIP lounge in LHE was rather simple. The seat was the best in the A321 with plenty of space but costs extra charge of about € 25. The food was OK and all seats had a screen. Movies in different languages.