When I was invited to Germany, I had the opportunity to experience Oman Air business class flight and decided to stopover in Muscat and Salalah. Coordinating with my old friend Eihab Attia, who heads the marketing for the UAE and Oman by Orascom Hotels, I included his hotels into my schedule. So, this time I flew four sectors – Mumbai to Frankfurt, Munich to Muscat, Muscat to Salalah, and Salalah to Mumbai.
The Apex seats and amenities
The flight from Mumbai to Muscat was good, with quick boarding, warm hospitality, and nice food. However, it was the Muscat to Frankfurt leg that was par excellence. Oman Air (WY) operates a fleet of around 50 aircraft, with long-haul flights operated by a mix of Airbus A330-200, A330-300, Boeing 787-8, and 787-9 aircraft. Most of these feature the same Business Class seats—the APEX Suite, a denser 2-2-2 cabin configuration but cleverly designed by staggering the seats along the sides of the cabin and providing a passageway from the window seats, ensuring all seats have direct aisle access.
While all Oman Air Business Class seats are good, the window seats are preferred as they almost feel like enclosed suites, thanks to adjustable privacy dividers. They also benefit from extra legroom due to the positioning of the seats. Personally, I miss their old business class 1-2-1 configuration, where all seats had direct aisle access and baggage space attached to your seat. With a pitch of 80 inches and a bed length of 76 inches, the seat turns into a fully lie-flat bed. There’s a nice ottoman to place your feet with storage underneath for a handbag. We were provided with quilted duvets, fluffy pillows, cotton sleeper suits, and slippers for this 7-hour plus flight. Each seat has a 17-inch personal monitor and two USB ports. While there are many movie choices, including Indian movies, I opted to watch the map for most of the flight.
Guests also enjoy a set of unisex Amouage kits (the Omani luxury fragrance brand), which contain body lotion, facial moisturizer, and lip balm, along with a dental kit, mouthwash, shaving kit, silk eyeshades, hairbrush, socks, and earplugs.
The inflight dining
The ‘dine on demand service’ means you can eat at your preferred time, which is an advantage for those who had sufficient food in the lounge. We were offered pre-departure Omani coffee (‘Kahwa’) with Omani dates. Pre-departure beverages also include champagne, water, or juice. After take-off, they have an À la carte menu with varied dining options accompanied by fine wines. Vegetarians can book their choice of meal in advance. During the meal, we were offered specialty coffees—Espresso, Cappuccino, Mocha, or even hot chocolate, which I prefer. By the way, Oman Air serves one of the best hot chocolates that I have tasted.
The lounge experiences
For frequent travelers, Business Class lounge facilities are an ideal antidote, especially for those who don’t want to wait in a crowded airport terminal. At Muscat International Airport, Oman Air First and Business Class lounges are located on the 5th floor of the terminal. On entering the lounge, the soft brown and gold hues are soothing to one’s eyes, and the marble floors are pleasant to walk on. The lounge has two self-serve buffets (hot and cold food) and a bar in between. For those opting for a quick nap, there are curtained nap pods, and for longer rest, there are four sleeping rooms, private showers, etc. A spa provides an assortment of treatments (those were the good old days when it used to be complimentary, though Wi-Fi still remains complimentary).
On the Salalah-Muscat flight, the Oman Air Salalah Lounge is located past security and has comfortable couches and leather chairs. In a relaxed environment, I had some snacks and a juice as I waited for my flight to depart.
At Frankfurt and Munich airports, Oman Air partners with other airlines and third-party lounge providers.
Wi-Fi
While Wi-Fi is available, it’s a bit on the higher end. Quite a few airlines offer free Wi-Fi for social media messaging apps (even in economy) and a limited amount of data for free in business class. I believe Oman Air can also do the same and bring a smile to the faces of their passengers. It would also be great if frequent fliers could redeem miles for free Wi-Fi.
On the Salalah-Muscat flight, the Oman Air Salalah Lounge is located past security and has comfortable couches and leather chairs. In a relaxed environment, I had some snacks and a juice as I waited for my flight to depart.
At Frankfurt and Munich airports, Oman Air partners with other airlines and third-party lounge providers.
Oneworld alliance
Oman Air is expected to be implemented into oneworld soon. “This is a big step moving forward. We will provide more options and destinations to customers with our alliance’s members. Ours is the third airline in the Middle East along with Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian to be part of oneworld. Oman Air’s Sindbad frequent flyer program will be able to earn and redeem miles on all oneworld member airlines, with top-tier members receiving additional benefits including lounge access,” said Sunil V A, Regional Vice President ISC & FE.
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