BAHRAIN’S national carrier Gulf Air has introduced fully-flat-bed seats on its new A321 aircraft business class as part of plan to boost its product offerings. Each A321 aircraft will have eight such seats in the business class.

Designed specifically for the airline and integrating features based on customer feedback, the seats are a modern expression of horizontal super pod seat.

At the press of a button, the new Falcon Gold seats convert into a fully-flat bed measuring 1.90 m in length guaranteeing a comfortable night’s sleep.

Speaking to a team of reporters on board the New Delhi-bound A321, a Gulf Air spokesman said: “For the first time ever Gulf Air has integrated the comments of its customers during the development stage of its seats’ design to ensure the product meets their requirements. Through customer interface workshops the views of Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) members were incorporated.

“The aircraft are fitted with state-of-the-art inflight entertainment that offers hi-speed broad band Internet and mobile phone connectivity and live TV; not to mention the unique and award winning Sky Nanny and Sky Chef Services on board,” he said.

For Gulf Air’s Falcon Gold passengers, a fully-flat bed was a critical factor. This request was the focus for all the airline’s other considerations. For its economy class passengers, a key aspect was the size of the TV monitors. In addition, Gulf Air has enhanced several other details based on its product research which together create maximum comfort.

The Falcon Gold seats offer more personal space between seats than the airline’s previous business class product, allowing passengers to sit back and relax in a 22-inch wide armchair that converts easily into the passenger’s desired position.

Armrests can be fully adjusted to different heights making sleeping, dining or working more comfortable. There is significant storage space such as a shoe packing pocket and a side compartment specifically designed for laptops. Massage at 30,000 ft is now a reality with an in-seat massage facility- the perfect way to relax on a long flight.

For those seeking onboard entertainment, the Falcon Gold seats come with complete Audio-Video on Demand (AVOD) feature, an individual 15-inch touch screen in every seat and high quality noise cancelling headphones. A suite of movies, video and audio titles in several languages are available, in addition to games. A USB port is available in every seat to allow passengers to easily charge electronic devices.

The fully electric seat model that has four pre-sets – TTOL (taxi, take-off and landing), lounge, dining and sleeper that can be changed with a single control.

Bed width is 24.5 inches inclusive of the deployed armrest. Shoulder width in the bed mode is 24.87 inches. Bed length is 190 cm and arm-to-console width 22 inches.

The Economy Class seats on A321 offer passengers the very latest in comfort and technology. Featuring a four-inch recline, an 18-inch seat-width and an adjustable head and foot rest allowing greater passenger comfort, the seats are fitted with 9-inch seat back TV monitors that are ideal for enjoying the extensive in-flight entertainment options.

By K S Sreekumar