On my previous flight with Oman Air, I was not only able to select my seat, but could see the virtual 3D seat map. I was cool. Here are some screenshots I took:


Select your seat

Business class cabin

Economy class cabin had several points I could click on

One of tje view

View from the seat


I was curious to see how boarding would be organised, as my boarding pass indicated Zone 2. I arrived at the gate around 40 minutes before the scheduled departure. Just five minutes later, pre-boarding began for passengers requiring special assistance.

Shortly after, I heard staff walking around the gate calling for business class passengers, followed by those in Zone 4. A minute later, they announced boarding for Zone 3. Then, somewhat abruptly, they stopped making announcements and no longer called out any zones. It felt disorganised and not very passenger-friendly. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone missed the flight.

I’m genuinely interested to see how they plan to manage oneworld group boarding in future. I might need to return just to observe it.


Boarding

I boarded near the end, since I only had a small backpack that fits under the seat. I was mildly annoyed to discover that my “window” seat had no actual window. And someone else was already sitting in it.


Business class seat as I saw it

I politely pointed out that the seat was mine, and the woman quickly moved. Looking around, it seemed many passengers had taken random seats, as the cabin crew spent time relocating several people to their assigned places. Once boarding was complete, we departed on time. The safety demonstration video was played on the monitors and the crew pointed the emergency exits. I enjoyed the video, as it showed how beautiful Oman is.

It was ok for a 1h flight. Same as BA ET

Power socket was under the seat in fron of me

Safety card

Safety card

Safety video

View of a small part of Salalah

Snack box

Omani chips/crisps are almost like a regular crisps but they are cut into smaller pieces

A few minutes after take-off, the seatbelt sign was switched off and the crew began the service. First, each passenger received a small bottle of water. My seat neighbour mistakenly assumed both bottles were for her and took mine. After realising the mistake, she asked for another bottle for me. We were also given a snack box containing Omani chips and a chicken sandwich. I wasn’t hungry, so I just had the chips and offered the sandwich to my neighbour, who happily accepted with a big smile. Despite not sharing a language, she spoke no English, and I didn’t know Arabic, we somehow became friends during the short flight.

While taxiing to the terminal in Muscat, I noticed an Airbus A320 Prestige belonging to the Royal Air Force. It had flown to Salalah and landed just before us. Since Salalah is relatively close to Yemen, military activity is common in the area. Throughout my stay, I frequently heard helicopters flying over the hotel, day and night.


A320 Prestige

And its flightpath from fr24

More info from fr2r

Helicopter, I saw from the balcony in Salalah

As I was walking to the transfer desk I met my seat neighbour again. With a big smile on her face she waved me a goodbye.

Back at MCT