Airline Review: Oman Air regional Business Class
The Oman Air regional Business Class isn’t really only used for shot flights with the Arabian Peninsula, but also for some medium haul routes. While I think the experience is alright, I also have to share some to criticism in this airline review.
Oman Air has a really amazing long haul Business Class product, which you can find on board all Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 jets. At the same time, Oman Air also has a regional Business Class, which is only available in Boeing 737 jets.
- Airplane: Boeing 737
- Cabin Class: Business
- Daytime: Morning
- Food: Breakfast
- Seat Pitch: 40 Inch (102 Centimeter)
- Seat Width: 21 Inch (53 Centimeter)
The latter fly to various destinations, most of them on the Arabian Peninsula and India, but also a couple in Africa. We, for example, had the pleasure of flying this product on a nearly five hours long flight to Muscat to Zanzibar.
Seating in the Oman Air regional Business Class
Oman Air’s business class is located in the front of the plane and consists of three rows in a 2-2 configuration. There are actually two different products as we were on a jet with the “old” product with thick leather seats on our flight to Zanzibar.
While on our flight back (which we were in Economy) the seats looked more modern and more in line with the current Oman Air design.
The leather seats we had on our flight in Business Class were fairly comfortable and had a very nice padding, making them comfortable enough even for longer flights.
The seat pitch is very good, allowing you to stretch out without any further issues. Nevertheless, I’ve already seen similar seats on regional aircraft with even more pitch.
On all seats, a pillow was already waiting for us. Blankets were only available on request though.
Storage at the seat is quite limited with just a middle console and a seat pocket.
The seats themselves looked a little worn to me and definitely were past their prime. The cabin was kept clean anyways, so it wasn’t a real issue.
The headrest is quite thick and adjustable on both sides, allowing you to find a comfortable position.
The recline of the seats is okay, but not really amazing. I’d say the angle is maybe 70 degrees when reclined. At least, there’s also a leg rest and a foot rest.
All in all, I’d say that the Oman Air regional Business Class hard product is good enough, but it’s far from being outstanding.
Catering in the Oman Air regional Business Class
Interestingly, the catering in the Oman Air regional Business Class only consisted of a single meal on a five hour flight. This, however, was quite good. As we departed in the morning, we were served breakfast and everything was brought out on one tray.
The main dish had two eggs, a sausage, a tomato and some green beans as well as asparagus. The quality was good, but I found it a little surprising that there was no choice for any of the options.
The fresh fruits and yogurt were alright, too. I also enjoyed the pastry offered from the bread basket. Nevertheless, I would have wished for a second meal or snack on a flight that long. Service wasn’t that great either as we were only asked for drinks twice. Other airlines do a way better job in that regard.
Entertainment in the Oman Air regional Business Class
As you may have already noticed on the pictures, there’s no built-in entertainment system in the Oman Air regional Business Class. Instead, you are handed a tablet with some content. The newer Boeing 737 aircraft come with built-in entertainment though – even in Economy Class.
The tablet was a good alternative, too. It had various movies, TV shows and music options. While you would usually find a wider choice, I thought that the options provided were enough for this flight.
The provided headphones were quite good.
We were not offered any newspapers or magazines before boarding, so the only other real entertainment was the board magazine. WiFi wasn’t available either.
Overall impressions of the Oman Air regional Business Class
To be honest, our flight in the Oman Air regional Business Class was far from great. The seats are comfortable enough and offer a good seat pitch, the catering is not bad and the entertainment options are okay. Yet, there’s nothing to get excited about, neither in regards to service nor to entertainment. Personally, I also didn’t find the service any warm and missed a couple of things, a choice of food, a menu, a second snack, WiFi and an amenity kit. All in all, an alright experience, but I’d definitely recommend sticking to Oman Air’s excellent long haul Business Class whenever possible!
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