It was time to leave Muscat and check out of the Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC, where I had enjoyed a very pleasant stay. The journey to the airport was short, no more than fifteen minutes. Muscat International Airport has just one terminal, used for both domestic and international flights.
MCT airport outside
MCT inside
MCT
Oman Air economy counters
One of many self-checkin machines
And there, under the palm tree, I was waiting until the check-in for my flight was open
Just like in Doha, business and first class passengers have a dedicated entrance. I had completely forgotten that I’d upgraded my flight and was sitting under a palm tree until the check-in opened.
About a week before departure, Oman Air sent me an email inviting me to bid for an upgrade. I selected the lowest possible amount, 30 OMR (roughly £60), mostly out of curiosity, not expecting it to be accepted. But to my surprise, the day before my flight, the amount was deducted from my account and I received confirmation that I had indeed been upgraded.
Once I remembered I was flying business class, I headed to the correct check-in area. I handed over my passport and, while the agent processed my booking, I wandered around taking photos.
Oman Air First and Business Class check-in
Seating
Check-in area
Way to the passport and security checks
Security was a breeze. There was no queue at all, and everyone I interacted with was warm and welcoming. I was repeatedly wished a pleasant stay in Oman.
I followed the sign
In case passengers need something from a pharmacy
MCT is a nice airport
Oman Air LoungeThe lounge was located upstairs, accessible by escalator. As far as I could tell, there was no separate first class lounge, everyone shared the same space. However, YYCCL3 reported
here that there is one.
Entrance
WY Dreamliner
It wasn’t busy at all, with more staff than passengers, which made it easy to take some photos.
Dining part
Some food
More food
Fish
Lamb
Drinks
Sweets
Biscuits
Menu
Omani coffee
More sweets
Even more sweets
After I finished eating, I moved to a different section of the lounge near the bar, simply because I found plug sockets there and needed to charge my laptop while getting some work done.
Bar
Area behind the bar
More tables
Office part with computers
I noticed there was a terrace behind the curtains, but I couldn’t figure out how to access it. When the third person approached me to offer a drink, I gave in and ordered a glass of white wine and a halloumi wrap.
Bar menu
White wine
Mini Philly Sliders, Halloumi tortilla, Tacos
Shower
An hour before departure, I went to the gate. I hadn’t realised that the time printed on the BP was when the gate opened, not when boarding began. Most boarding passes I’ve had usually state the boarding time, so this caught me out.
Boarding was at Gate A6. I didn't see a separate line for business class, but in the end, it didn’t matter. After boarding passes and IDs were checked, everyone was ushered into a large hall downstairs to wait. I joined the crowd and watched the process unfold.
Gate A6
We all waited in this area
About 30 minutes later, the cabin crew boarded the aircraft, followed shortly by the pilots. Business class boarding began a few minutes after that, though many other passengers also joined the queue, I assumed they were frequent flyers.
The Flight: WY921, B738The business class cabin had a 2–2 configuration with three rows. Economy was in a standard 3–3 layout, with extra legroom in the first row.
Business class seat
Seat in fron of me
Headphones, not sure if they were noisecancelling as I always use mine
Seat controls
Ports for charging
Table
Lights and ventilation
There were several German-speaking passengers onboard. Oman must be a popular holiday destination for them. Pre-departure drinks were offered – orange or apple juice.
PDB
There were no announcements from the pilot or crew about the flight time or any other details, which felt a bit odd.
The view of the city during takeoff
We pushed back on time, and while the pilots completed their checks, the crew came around to take meal orders. There were two options – vegetarian and non-vegetarian. That was the full description, which wasn’t very helpful. I had pre-ordered a non-lactose meal (NLML), as dairy tends to be everywhere in these meals, especially milk and yoghurt. It turned out that my meal looked almost identical to the regular option, though I had a salad instead of couscous.
NLML
Once the seatbelt sign was switched off, the crew got to work quickly. It was a short flight, and they had to serve all passengers in business class in a limited time.
I had barely finished eating when we began our descent into Salalah. It’s a small airport with just four gates.
Welcome to SLL
Arrivals
Arrival in Salalah
Unfortunately, ride-hailing apps like Otaxi, Marhaba, Tallem, don’t operate at Salalah Airport. A single taxi company has exclusive rights there, so there’s no competition. Prices are listed on a board on the wall, which means you don't need to negotiate the price, but on the downside, many drivers don’t accept card payments.
