Manamam Bahrain, Gulf Air, in collaboration with Sabre Travel Network Middle East (Sabre), invited over 300 travel agents to an official awards ceremony and dinner at the Dragon Hotel, Amwaj Islands on Wednesday, honoring the airline’s top travel agents in the GCC, Middle East and Asia.

The event was aimed at recognizing and thanking trade partners for their loyalty and continued support to Gulf Air while giving them an opportunity to spend an evening in a relaxing environment with other members of the travel trade.

Gulf Air chief commercial officer, Mr. Karim Makhlouf thanked the travel agents for their continuous support to Gulf Air business, welcoming them to the event and providing them with an overview of the airline’s latest products, services and various commercial initiatives to support their business, including the latest sales promotions. “Travel agents are integral to the growth of our airline, and we are taking this opportunity to thank these key front line personnel from agencies in the GCC, Middle East, India and Pakistan for making the Gulf Air experience a positive one for our passengers from the very first moment of booking.”

Daniel Naoumovitch, Sabre’s chief executive officer in the region commented: “By supporting Gulf Air in their endeavor to support the travel agent community, we are joining hands to recognize those agents who have also been supportive to Sabre. Through our 23 offices in 12 Middle East and North Africa countries, we provide the latest state-of-the-art travel technology products and solutions that help TMCs across the region. Sabre’s sponsorship of this event underscores our commitment to our strong base of regional customers.”

Gulf Air recently developed a series of commercial initiatives including the Falcon Corporate Plus Programme for corporates and SMEs to Europe, the Far East, Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent destinations.

The carrier was recently awarded the Family Friendly Airline Award 2012 based on its ‘Family First’ initiative which includes the introduction of dedicated Sky Nannies for family travellers. Gulf Air has also just seen its Falcon Gold Bahrain Airport Lounge reopen following refurbishment and the introduction of flatbed seats on some of its aircraft. Gulf Air passengers can now browse the web at broadband speeds and access social media services such as Facebook and Twitter while onboard. In addition, business travelers can access their virtual private network (VPN) to send and receive emails while watching live news and stock market updates at 35,000 feet.

Gulf Air’s current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 46 cities in 28 countries, with a fleet of 38 aircraft.