Gulf Air has announced the promotion of Jon Barnett to the position of Manager Destination & Leisure Marketing. He was previously Manager Gulf Air Holidays.
Barnett graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management from Manchester - UK, after which he worked within the hotel management industry for five years.
In the last 15 years he has worked in range of related fields, most particularly in inbound and outbound tour operations within the UK and most recently with P&O Travel London, before joining Gulf Air four years ago.
Barnett will be looking at re-engineering the airline’s leisure business to build on the success of the last two years.
“We want to offer all our customers – namely the travel trade and consumers the widest selection and best value holidays in the market,” he said.
“We also want to explore ways of making Gulf Air Holidays an easy tour operator to interact with. Technology will be a key driver in this area, along with training and a certain amount of market positioning to make sure we get our message across in the right way."
About Gulf Air
Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and is the only truly pan Gulf carrier in the region. The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 44 cities in 30 countries. The fleet is one of the most modern in the Middle East and comprises 34 aircraft.
The airline, in the last year of a three-year strategic recovery programme, headed by President and Chief Executive James Hogan, is making rapid strides towards regaining profitability in 2005 and aims to further evolve by taking its renowned cultural strengths, which have been gained over more than half a century, into a global environment.
The dramatic turnaround in Gulf Air’s fortunes has won international recognition. In January 2004, The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) presented the airline with the prestigious Airline Turnaround of the Year Award for 2003. Gulf Air was also the recipient of the 2003 Platinum Award for the Best Airline in the Middle East and North Africa, recognising the airline’s commitment to service excellence.
Winner - Middle East and North African Platinum Best Airline Travel Award 2004
Winner - Skytrax Most Improved Airline Award 2004
Winner - Skytrax Best First Class Onboard Food Category 2004
Winner - Skytrax Best Business Class Check-in Category 2004
Official Airline and Sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2005
