Oman Air Business Class Trip Report with Photos
Nov 1, 2010, 8:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA, AA & Virgin
Posts: 6
Oman Air Business Class Trip Report with Photos
London Heathrow to Muscat on Oman Air Business Class Review (Sept 2010)
I thought I'd add a review of Oman Air to these pages as they are not one of the more well known airlines that always crop up on here. I've been lazy and written the report to cover both the outward and return journey in one go.
CHECK-IN We checked in online the night before although it took a few minutes more than I expected due to all the information required, such as passport no's, next of kin etc. Not been frequent flyers on Oman Air meant none of our data was stored. Seats were already selected at the time of booking using our travel agent and these choices were honoured at check in so we had 11E and F the two adjacent seats in the centre aisle. Although there were a few others available that we could have changed to.
At Heathrow, Oman Air use Terminal 3 and been an 10:25pm flight meant it was particularly busy at drop off as it was peak time for all the Far Eastern flights when we arrived. Check-in / bag drop is in Zone F where there was no queue to drop off our bags. At the desk were issued with boarding passes (I didn't print them off when checking in online) and a lounge pass for the SAS lounge. A few minutes later and we were off to the security point. As usual for the Fast-track security channel BAA security still seem reluctant to open more than one x-ray machine so at peak times the queues can be longer than the standard security channels. Still the 15 minute wait was pretty painless although for some reason there was an additional queue for checking passports after security which I hadn't seen before and wasn't in place a few weeks before when I flew to the States. Eventually we made it to the SAS lounge via a quick stop at duty free.
THE LOUNGE The SAS lounge at Heathrow is the first one you come to on the way to the departure gates so not far to walk. No queue at the desk so we handed in our lounge pass and were left with just over an hour before the flight was called. Laid out over two floors the SAS lounge feels fairly open and light (not natural light though) but is nowhere as big as the Virgin, BA, AA or Cathay lounges I've used in the past. It does offer a small selection of food both upstairs on the mezzanine floor as well as downstairs. The drinks selection was pretty good with a few wines and beers to choose from as well as a good selection of soft drinks, tea and coffee. Like most lounges these days we struggled to find anywhere to sit initially and ended up upstairs where it was a bit quieter.
Other facilities on the lower level included a separate glass-walled TV area, a bank of eight Apple Mac computers with internet access, arranged in a circular fashion around a seating area, as well as further seating options and a good selection of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Express, Lonely Planet Magazine and The New Statesman.Upstairs there is a business centre with more Apple Macs and a wall adorned with orange buddha figurines, as well as a 12-seater cinema, a kids’ area, a relaxation room, another self-service buffet, and a central circular seating area decked out with green carpets and sofas.
With 30mins before departure we left the lounge for gate 35 which was about the furthest point from the lounge in the whole airport and reported to the gate just as boarding commenced.
In Muscat the lounge available to Oman Air premium customers is another story. Located just after the immigration point this small open plan square room is not very welcoming at all and had it not been for the free wireless access I would have struggled to spend anymore time than absolutely necessary here. Even the toilet facilities were nearly as big in floor space as the seating available in the lounge. No doubt in time as Oman Air and Muscat airport expands these facilities will improve but at the moment you are better killing time in Costa while waiting for your flight than in the poor lounge facilities.
BOARDING Boarding hadn't actually commenced when we arrived at the gate at 10pm but it was very quick once it started and with only a 50% loading in business class I was expecting to be well looking after. I didn't really pay much attention to the loading in economy class but judging by the number of people in the lounge it must have been pretty full. Once seated we were offered a choice of drinks, champagne, orange juice or water. Being a night flight I declined the alcohol as I was keen to try and sleep for a few hours. Impressive amenity kits were handed out, which included Amouage-branded lip balm, hand and body lotion, eye gel and facial moisturiser, as well as toothbrush and paste, mouthwash, mints, ear plugs, hairbrush, shaving kit, shoehorn, sewing kit and socks. A word of note here, if you are looking for the eye mask this can be found in the separate jump suit kit that was handed out after take off to those wanting to sleep. Also prior to take off Arabic coffee and dates were served which was a nice touch. At the same time dinner menus were offered around with orders been taken once airborne but with only 10 people in J class I was expecting my first choice option.
P1000191 by novajames2002, on Flickr
THE SEAT Oman Air took delivery off their first Airbus A330-300 and A330-200 aircraft in September 2009 and it is supposed to be one of the A330-300 aircraft that serve the London to Muscat flagship route. These are typically a 3 class configuration (economy, business and first) with just six seats in first and 20 in business class arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, all facing forward and with direct access to the aisle. Our aircraft on the outward trip was -200 with only a two class configuration with 3 rows in the first section of the aircraft and then another two rows behind the first galley. This is slightly different to the -300 aircraft which we had on the return trip.
P1000061 by novajames2002, on Flickr
The 22-inch wide seat converts into a 77.5-inch fully flat bed by sliding electronically to meet an ottoman underneath the 23-inch TV screen, which also serves as a companion seat for dining (it has a seatbelt to allow your guest to stay in the seat during turbulence) Other features include a large, sturdy table that slides back and forth to make it easy to get out of your seat, and a long drinks tray. There is a multi-directional reading lamp, a coat hook next to the TV screen, a small storage space underneath the fixed armrest, in-seat power with a UK socket, a host of other input sockets for USBs, iPods, and so on, which are explained on the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, and a storage space underneath the ottoman, which contained a blanket and sheet for the bed when we boarded. Window seats also enjoy the benefit of two side storage bins. Seat spacing is excellent at 82 inches so there is none of those issue with your seat extending into a recess cut into the back of the seat in front like many airlines do to maximise space.
P1000062 by novajames2002, on Flickr
The seat is without a doubt the best I've travelled on so far with plenty of space, numerous comfortable seating positions similar to those on Etihad but without the staggered spacing. The bed is also fully usable and with two full size pillows (I managed to pinch an extra one from the empty seat adjacent to me) I managed to grab the best sleep I've had to date on any flight.
P1000175 by novajames2002, on Flickr
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? The front cabin of the two business class areas is slightly more exclusive as it has only eight seats, as opposed to 12 in the second cabin on the A330-300 but on the -200 this is the other way round. With 12 seats in the front section then 8 in the section split by the galley and toilet . All the seats are the same in length, so it comes down to personal preference and whether you are travelling with a companion, in which case you will probably want to take two middle seats. My wife and I went for 12E & F which is in the front section of business class in the centre of the aircraft. These seats are ideal for people travelling together although the only word of note here is you cannot get between the two seats, they are separated by a partition so when boarding one person goes down one aisle while the other person will need to go down the opposite aisle.
P1000178 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000184 by novajames2002, on Flickr
THE FLIGHT A few minutes after take off and the cabin crew were round with a selection of nuts and the drink of your choice. They also took the dinner orders and wanted to know whether to wake you for a served breakfast or go with the express option for maximum nap time. The A La carte dinner menu was as follows:
Creamy potato soup with croutons or a Mezzah selection - featuring Loch Fyne centre cut salmon
King prawn and salmon rigatoni pasta tomato and lemon cream sauce with cherry tomatoes, olives and red peppers
Grilled beef steak ciabatta sandwich saute mixed peppers caramelised onion and potato wedges
Fresh seasonal fruit with passion fruit coulees
Vanilla bean ice cream and roasted pistachios
Tangy lemon curd tart candied cumquats fruit coulis
Beverage selection to accompany the meal were:
Pouillon Cuvee de Reserve Champagne, 2008 Max Reserva Chardonnay Errazuriz, 2008 Cape Mentel Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Mencia Cuatro Pasos Martin Codax, 2006 Shaw & Smith Shiraz with a dessert wine of 2003 Chateau Armajan Des Ormes.
P1000187 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000179 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000181 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000182 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000183 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000185 by novajames2002, on Flickr
Note all the meal photos were taken on the return flight.
Service during the meals was excellent with everything extremely well presented and nothing was too much trouble for the attentive staff. During the meal service I ran through the very comprehensive IFE selection and having a 23" widescreen was like having your own private cinema screening. As is pretty much the standard these days in the premium cabins noise cancelling headsets were included and these were pretty effective, certainly better than the BA ones.
As it was a night flight I settled down for some sleep soon after dinner but refused the offer from the cabin crew to make up the bed and I also declined the pyjamas. With the seat fully reclined into the flat bed it made for a larger than average sleeping area and with two full size pillows (i took an extra one) managed to grab the best 3-4 hours sleep on a flight to date. So good in fact I nearly missed the breakfast service only just managing to grab a few things 30minutes before the flight landed.
One final note about the IFE available, it seems unlike most airlines that the movies will play right up until the plane touches down. As I had my own headphones I was able to continue watching a movie right up till when the plane docked at the Heathrow terminal 3 airbridge on the return flight. I believe it was also possible to do this on the outward leg but I wasn't aware of it then to make use of it.
This might not be a good thing but Oman Air now offer the use of mobile phones on their flights and they made sure everyone on board knew about it announcing the service was available at least three times on the day flight back to Heathrow, luckily it wasn't so heavily promoted on the outward night flight. Not that I noticed anyone trying to make a call though…..thankfully.
ARRIVAL We arrived about 5 minutes early and taxied to a spot on the apron to disembark. There are no air-bridges in Muscat which made a pleasant change so were bused the short distance to the terminal building. Business class passengers are treated to a separate bus which got us to the main terminal way before the other passengers and this gave us the chance to pick up the tourist visa from the Travelex branded counter while there was no queue. So in a matter of minutes we cleared immigration before picking up our priority baggage and were on our way out the airport in no more than 20 minutes from landing. A very slick process.
VERDICT Overall the new Oman Air business class is an excellent product and certainly the best I've tried so far. The seat and cabin is very spacious and comfortable, service was excellent throughout and the 23inch inflight entertainment superb. Oman Air is a relatively unknown carrier to most people but with a growing fleet and big aspirations they will soon be an airline to rival the bigger players in the Middle East. Now that they have introduced the A330 on routes to the Maldives and Bangkok, Oman Air have made themselves an excellent and cheaper alternative to Emirates and BA providing you don't mind the change in Muscat for European based flyers.
I thought I'd add a review of Oman Air to these pages as they are not one of the more well known airlines that always crop up on here. I've been lazy and written the report to cover both the outward and return journey in one go.
CHECK-IN We checked in online the night before although it took a few minutes more than I expected due to all the information required, such as passport no's, next of kin etc. Not been frequent flyers on Oman Air meant none of our data was stored. Seats were already selected at the time of booking using our travel agent and these choices were honoured at check in so we had 11E and F the two adjacent seats in the centre aisle. Although there were a few others available that we could have changed to.
At Heathrow, Oman Air use Terminal 3 and been an 10:25pm flight meant it was particularly busy at drop off as it was peak time for all the Far Eastern flights when we arrived. Check-in / bag drop is in Zone F where there was no queue to drop off our bags. At the desk were issued with boarding passes (I didn't print them off when checking in online) and a lounge pass for the SAS lounge. A few minutes later and we were off to the security point. As usual for the Fast-track security channel BAA security still seem reluctant to open more than one x-ray machine so at peak times the queues can be longer than the standard security channels. Still the 15 minute wait was pretty painless although for some reason there was an additional queue for checking passports after security which I hadn't seen before and wasn't in place a few weeks before when I flew to the States. Eventually we made it to the SAS lounge via a quick stop at duty free.
THE LOUNGE The SAS lounge at Heathrow is the first one you come to on the way to the departure gates so not far to walk. No queue at the desk so we handed in our lounge pass and were left with just over an hour before the flight was called. Laid out over two floors the SAS lounge feels fairly open and light (not natural light though) but is nowhere as big as the Virgin, BA, AA or Cathay lounges I've used in the past. It does offer a small selection of food both upstairs on the mezzanine floor as well as downstairs. The drinks selection was pretty good with a few wines and beers to choose from as well as a good selection of soft drinks, tea and coffee. Like most lounges these days we struggled to find anywhere to sit initially and ended up upstairs where it was a bit quieter.
Other facilities on the lower level included a separate glass-walled TV area, a bank of eight Apple Mac computers with internet access, arranged in a circular fashion around a seating area, as well as further seating options and a good selection of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Express, Lonely Planet Magazine and The New Statesman.Upstairs there is a business centre with more Apple Macs and a wall adorned with orange buddha figurines, as well as a 12-seater cinema, a kids’ area, a relaxation room, another self-service buffet, and a central circular seating area decked out with green carpets and sofas.
With 30mins before departure we left the lounge for gate 35 which was about the furthest point from the lounge in the whole airport and reported to the gate just as boarding commenced.
In Muscat the lounge available to Oman Air premium customers is another story. Located just after the immigration point this small open plan square room is not very welcoming at all and had it not been for the free wireless access I would have struggled to spend anymore time than absolutely necessary here. Even the toilet facilities were nearly as big in floor space as the seating available in the lounge. No doubt in time as Oman Air and Muscat airport expands these facilities will improve but at the moment you are better killing time in Costa while waiting for your flight than in the poor lounge facilities.
BOARDING Boarding hadn't actually commenced when we arrived at the gate at 10pm but it was very quick once it started and with only a 50% loading in business class I was expecting to be well looking after. I didn't really pay much attention to the loading in economy class but judging by the number of people in the lounge it must have been pretty full. Once seated we were offered a choice of drinks, champagne, orange juice or water. Being a night flight I declined the alcohol as I was keen to try and sleep for a few hours. Impressive amenity kits were handed out, which included Amouage-branded lip balm, hand and body lotion, eye gel and facial moisturiser, as well as toothbrush and paste, mouthwash, mints, ear plugs, hairbrush, shaving kit, shoehorn, sewing kit and socks. A word of note here, if you are looking for the eye mask this can be found in the separate jump suit kit that was handed out after take off to those wanting to sleep. Also prior to take off Arabic coffee and dates were served which was a nice touch. At the same time dinner menus were offered around with orders been taken once airborne but with only 10 people in J class I was expecting my first choice option.
P1000191 by novajames2002, on Flickr
THE SEAT Oman Air took delivery off their first Airbus A330-300 and A330-200 aircraft in September 2009 and it is supposed to be one of the A330-300 aircraft that serve the London to Muscat flagship route. These are typically a 3 class configuration (economy, business and first) with just six seats in first and 20 in business class arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, all facing forward and with direct access to the aisle. Our aircraft on the outward trip was -200 with only a two class configuration with 3 rows in the first section of the aircraft and then another two rows behind the first galley. This is slightly different to the -300 aircraft which we had on the return trip.
P1000061 by novajames2002, on Flickr
The 22-inch wide seat converts into a 77.5-inch fully flat bed by sliding electronically to meet an ottoman underneath the 23-inch TV screen, which also serves as a companion seat for dining (it has a seatbelt to allow your guest to stay in the seat during turbulence) Other features include a large, sturdy table that slides back and forth to make it easy to get out of your seat, and a long drinks tray. There is a multi-directional reading lamp, a coat hook next to the TV screen, a small storage space underneath the fixed armrest, in-seat power with a UK socket, a host of other input sockets for USBs, iPods, and so on, which are explained on the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, and a storage space underneath the ottoman, which contained a blanket and sheet for the bed when we boarded. Window seats also enjoy the benefit of two side storage bins. Seat spacing is excellent at 82 inches so there is none of those issue with your seat extending into a recess cut into the back of the seat in front like many airlines do to maximise space.
P1000062 by novajames2002, on Flickr
The seat is without a doubt the best I've travelled on so far with plenty of space, numerous comfortable seating positions similar to those on Etihad but without the staggered spacing. The bed is also fully usable and with two full size pillows (I managed to pinch an extra one from the empty seat adjacent to me) I managed to grab the best sleep I've had to date on any flight.
P1000175 by novajames2002, on Flickr
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? The front cabin of the two business class areas is slightly more exclusive as it has only eight seats, as opposed to 12 in the second cabin on the A330-300 but on the -200 this is the other way round. With 12 seats in the front section then 8 in the section split by the galley and toilet . All the seats are the same in length, so it comes down to personal preference and whether you are travelling with a companion, in which case you will probably want to take two middle seats. My wife and I went for 12E & F which is in the front section of business class in the centre of the aircraft. These seats are ideal for people travelling together although the only word of note here is you cannot get between the two seats, they are separated by a partition so when boarding one person goes down one aisle while the other person will need to go down the opposite aisle.
P1000178 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000184 by novajames2002, on Flickr
THE FLIGHT A few minutes after take off and the cabin crew were round with a selection of nuts and the drink of your choice. They also took the dinner orders and wanted to know whether to wake you for a served breakfast or go with the express option for maximum nap time. The A La carte dinner menu was as follows:
Creamy potato soup with croutons or a Mezzah selection - featuring Loch Fyne centre cut salmon
King prawn and salmon rigatoni pasta tomato and lemon cream sauce with cherry tomatoes, olives and red peppers
Grilled beef steak ciabatta sandwich saute mixed peppers caramelised onion and potato wedges
Fresh seasonal fruit with passion fruit coulees
Vanilla bean ice cream and roasted pistachios
Tangy lemon curd tart candied cumquats fruit coulis
Beverage selection to accompany the meal were:
Pouillon Cuvee de Reserve Champagne, 2008 Max Reserva Chardonnay Errazuriz, 2008 Cape Mentel Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Mencia Cuatro Pasos Martin Codax, 2006 Shaw & Smith Shiraz with a dessert wine of 2003 Chateau Armajan Des Ormes.
P1000187 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000179 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000181 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000182 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000183 by novajames2002, on Flickr
P1000185 by novajames2002, on Flickr
Note all the meal photos were taken on the return flight.
Service during the meals was excellent with everything extremely well presented and nothing was too much trouble for the attentive staff. During the meal service I ran through the very comprehensive IFE selection and having a 23" widescreen was like having your own private cinema screening. As is pretty much the standard these days in the premium cabins noise cancelling headsets were included and these were pretty effective, certainly better than the BA ones.
As it was a night flight I settled down for some sleep soon after dinner but refused the offer from the cabin crew to make up the bed and I also declined the pyjamas. With the seat fully reclined into the flat bed it made for a larger than average sleeping area and with two full size pillows (i took an extra one) managed to grab the best 3-4 hours sleep on a flight to date. So good in fact I nearly missed the breakfast service only just managing to grab a few things 30minutes before the flight landed.
One final note about the IFE available, it seems unlike most airlines that the movies will play right up until the plane touches down. As I had my own headphones I was able to continue watching a movie right up till when the plane docked at the Heathrow terminal 3 airbridge on the return flight. I believe it was also possible to do this on the outward leg but I wasn't aware of it then to make use of it.
This might not be a good thing but Oman Air now offer the use of mobile phones on their flights and they made sure everyone on board knew about it announcing the service was available at least three times on the day flight back to Heathrow, luckily it wasn't so heavily promoted on the outward night flight. Not that I noticed anyone trying to make a call though…..thankfully.
ARRIVAL We arrived about 5 minutes early and taxied to a spot on the apron to disembark. There are no air-bridges in Muscat which made a pleasant change so were bused the short distance to the terminal building. Business class passengers are treated to a separate bus which got us to the main terminal way before the other passengers and this gave us the chance to pick up the tourist visa from the Travelex branded counter while there was no queue. So in a matter of minutes we cleared immigration before picking up our priority baggage and were on our way out the airport in no more than 20 minutes from landing. A very slick process.
VERDICT Overall the new Oman Air business class is an excellent product and certainly the best I've tried so far. The seat and cabin is very spacious and comfortable, service was excellent throughout and the 23inch inflight entertainment superb. Oman Air is a relatively unknown carrier to most people but with a growing fleet and big aspirations they will soon be an airline to rival the bigger players in the Middle East. Now that they have introduced the A330 on routes to the Maldives and Bangkok, Oman Air have made themselves an excellent and cheaper alternative to Emirates and BA providing you don't mind the change in Muscat for European based flyers.
Last edited by novajimmer; Nov 2, 2010 at 5:15 am Reason: Updated Photo links to flickr website
Nov 1, 2010, 9:55 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 2,368
Pictures
novajimmer,
I would love to see the photos, in particular because I am considering a trip on WY in the near future.
Your photo links are broken. I've tried pasting the me.com links directly into my browser but that doesn't work either.
Can I suggest uploading them to Flickr or one of the other photo sites that seem a little more FT friendly!
BiH
I would love to see the photos, in particular because I am considering a trip on WY in the near future.
Your photo links are broken. I've tried pasting the me.com links directly into my browser but that doesn't work either.
Can I suggest uploading them to Flickr or one of the other photo sites that seem a little more FT friendly!
BiH
Nov 1, 2010, 10:24 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA, AA & Virgin
Posts: 6
Photo link
Sorry about that I guess there must be some additional security on the me.com photo hosting that stops the links working when used in forum posts because they previewed fine when I submitted the post.
Anyway this link should take you direct to the gallery folder where the photos are hosted while I create a flickr account to use instead.
http://gallery.me.com/jameswhite73#100037
Anyway this link should take you direct to the gallery folder where the photos are hosted while I create a flickr account to use instead.
http://gallery.me.com/jameswhite73#100037
Nov 1, 2010, 11:36 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Programs: BA | A3 | AFKL | Hertz | SPG | Avis
Posts: 748
Sorry about that I guess there must be some additional security on the me.com photo hosting that stops the links working when used in forum posts because they previewed fine when I submitted the post.
Anyway this link should take you direct to the gallery folder where the photos are hosted while I create a flickr account to use instead.
http://gallery.me.com/jameswhite73#100037
Anyway this link should take you direct to the gallery folder where the photos are hosted while I create a flickr account to use instead.
http://gallery.me.com/jameswhite73#100037
(edit)
In fact, it appears to be the exact same seat!
Nov 1, 2010, 4:04 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: BA silver, Hyatt PLT, AA EXP, US silver, ICH RA, CO PLT
Posts: 957
Wow, WY J looks more like F class than J! Compare for example with this pic, which I took of GF's "Class 180" seat in F class.
(edit)
In fact, it appears to be the exact same seat!
(edit)
In fact, it appears to be the exact same seat!
Nov 1, 2010, 9:14 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,280
Wow, WY J looks more like F class than J! Compare for example with this pic, which I took of GF's "Class 180" seat in F class.
That is the exact same seat on OZ F on their 3 class 777 but different color.
Nov 2, 2010, 12:22 pm
#15
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, AA, Emirates, Hilton, Hyatt, Taj Hotels
Posts: 2,345
Thank you; looks lovely doesn't it. Sure beats BA with their crappy 777s (with the pathetic IFE) that they usually use on AUH/MCT.
Are they in any Airline scheme?
Very tempting apart from the fact I personally prefer a daytime flight.
Are they in any Airline scheme?
Very tempting apart from the fact I personally prefer a daytime flight.