Oman Air is one of my favorite “boutique” airlines. Oman is a gorgeous country with friendly people, and overall the airline does a great job representing the country. Up until now, Oman Air has had two types of business class products on their longhaul planes.
Traditionally Oman Air has had an incredible business class product in a 1-2-1 configuration, which looks a lot like what you would have found in first class on many airlines about a decade ago.
Oman Air also has a new business class product, which I initially thought was a downgrade, though the window seats in this configuration are actually my favorite business class hard product out there, as they’re incredibly private.
Add in Oman Air’s excellent catering, and it really is a great experience.
Do keep in mind that Oman Air consistently has exceptional business class fares, especially between Europe and Asia with a layover in Muscat, so it’s possible to fly them on the cheap (and you can even credit your miles to programs like Etihad Guest).
It was just pointed out to me by reader Matthew R that Oman Air has a new type of business class on some of their 787 aircraft. Oman Air is trying to grow at a quick pace (including hopefully starting service to New York), and as part of that they’re leasing two 787 aircraft from Kenya Airways for a period of three years. This is in addition to the four 787s of their own that they operate.
The catch is that per Oman Air’s website, these planes have a different kind of business class hard product.
While Oman Air’s own 787s have just 18 business class seats, these leased 787s have 30 business class seats. These are simply standard forward facing business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, so are not nearly as exceptional as Oman Air’s own old & new business class products.
If you want the true Oman Air experience, you’ll want to avoid the 787s that have five rows of business class, as they’ll feature the Kenya Airways product. For the upcoming weeks it seems like Oman Air is flying this plane to Paris, though the airline is also known for last minute aircraft swaps, so no routes are safe.
Now that I’ve started thinking about Oman Air, I’m listening to their (awesome) boarding music once again…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBipCzuxTfE
wonderful airline, all 3 business cabins are pretty good, but true that the latest one with front seats have less privacy and seats are really hard. Old and new "suite" cabins are top notch. I believe the best value rate in the market with outstanding service (inc food). Connections are usually trouble free with little time in Muscat. Ground staff particularly helpful in Paris and true that there are some inconsistencies on-board but that applies...
wonderful airline, all 3 business cabins are pretty good, but true that the latest one with front seats have less privacy and seats are really hard. Old and new "suite" cabins are top notch. I believe the best value rate in the market with outstanding service (inc food). Connections are usually trouble free with little time in Muscat. Ground staff particularly helpful in Paris and true that there are some inconsistencies on-board but that applies to most carriers. let's see how if develops with the new airport increased capacity but I don't think there want to grow as quick as other carriers from the regions and will keep this boutique touch for some time. only drawback is still limited network
First thank you for your very useful posts.
I took this "leased plane configuration" last week from Muscat to Bangkok. There is less privacy for sure although the seat and space is not bad at all. I had a very good followed by a nice lunch. I was lucky to have a free seat next to mine otherwise this configuration lacks storage space.
I did not want to change my flights after seeing...
First thank you for your very useful posts.
I took this "leased plane configuration" last week from Muscat to Bangkok. There is less privacy for sure although the seat and space is not bad at all. I had a very good followed by a nice lunch. I was lucky to have a free seat next to mine otherwise this configuration lacks storage space.
I did not want to change my flights after seeing your post as the price was great and the connection time perfect (90 minutes in Muscat).
One of the most inconsistent airlines when it comes to catering, service, and even airport terminals in the case of Heathrow. Further increasing the inconsistency of on-board seating just seems like another reason to strongly consider not flying Oman Air.
Would you really say this is being "introduced" as a new J product? I mean, yeah their website discusses it, but it's not like they just purchased/leased a whole bunch of new planes and their rolling out a new product within the fleet. I see this more as the Jetihad J offering; a negative side-effect of fiscal or market constraints when trying to build-up the fleet.
But you're right, this does mean pax have to...
Would you really say this is being "introduced" as a new J product? I mean, yeah their website discusses it, but it's not like they just purchased/leased a whole bunch of new planes and their rolling out a new product within the fleet. I see this more as the Jetihad J offering; a negative side-effect of fiscal or market constraints when trying to build-up the fleet.
But you're right, this does mean pax have to be more careful when choosing flights so you don't get boned with a crummy J product.
How did you credit your Oman Air flight to Etihad? I jumped on the $1,200 business class fares from last month but I could only choose to credit miles to Oman's own program-- there was no Etihad option in the pull down menu to credit miles from the flight to Etihad.
@ Kory -- That's odd, as I was able to add it online. Otherwise you should be able to have them add the number at check-in, or otherwise you can send in the boarding passes after the fact.