Hey from Frankfurt, as I’m on the return portion of my evaluation journey to Oman. I simply took the 7hr40min flight from Muscat to Frankfurt in Oman Air’s A330-200 enterprise class (sure, that is the flight I used to be purported to be in first-class on, nevertheless it had an plane swap).
I’ve raved about what an excellent airline Oman Air is, and the way the airline has an unbelievable enterprise class product. Heck, I flew Oman Air’s Boeing 787-9 enterprise class from Milan to Muscat the night time earlier than, and had an outstanding flight.
Regardless of this airplane having the identical seats, the expertise couldn’t have in any other case been extra completely different. Whereas I’ll have a full journey report quickly, on this publish I wished to share some preliminary impressions (and really, I want a separate publish in regards to the service, as a result of some stuff unraveled onboard).
I believe it’s additionally vital to acknowledge how two individuals can have vastly completely different experiences on the identical airline on comparable routes. That’s precisely what I skilled right here, as I flew Oman Air on two flights simply hours aside, with planes that includes the identical seats, but the distinction was night time and day. If this was my first flight on Oman Air, I’d assume the airline is value avoiding.
Oman Air’s drained A330 enterprise class cabin
I used to be on an Oman Air A330 with Apex Suites, which is a good enterprise class product. That is most likely the very best enterprise class exhausting product you’ll discover on any A330.
The catch, sadly, is that Oman Air simply isn’t sustaining these cabins. Components of the inside had been simply falling aside. Simply for instance, have a look at the situation of the toilets. Has the airline simply given up, or…? On the plus aspect, yay for bidets!
Oman Air’s terrible A330 leisure & no Wi-Fi
In idea, Oman Air has the same leisure system on the A330 as on the 787. The main distinction is that the monitor isn’t touchscreen. So it’s important to make all of your leisure alternatives through the small handset, which isn’t enjoyable to make use of.
On another airways, there’s an possibility to make use of the handset as a controller and see all of the choices on the display screen, however that didn’t appear to be the case right here. I requested two crew members about it, and so they confirmed that’s not potential. Not solely do it’s important to push tiny buttons, however the distant additionally isn’t very delicate to the touch, so it’s important to push actually exhausting. Shopping a collection of dozens of leisure choices this fashion made the tip of my finger damage.
On high of that, Wi-Fi on this flight was damaged. Now, right here’s the unusual half. I introduced this to the eye of one of many senior flight attendants, and he or she claimed that Oman Air doesn’t have Wi-Fi on its A330s. That’s… although there was an OnAir Wi-Fi sign, Oman Air’s web site stating that A330s have Wi-Fi, and me having flown this precise airplane a few years in the past, and having had Wi-Fi.
However the crew insisted there was no Wi-Fi on this airplane, so I’m unsure what to make of that.
Oman Air’s lacking enterprise class facilities
On my 5hr40min in a single day flight from Milan to Muscat, I acquired superb facilities, together with snug pajamas and Amouage amenity kits. In the meantime on this 7hr40min daytime flight, I didn’t even get an amenity equipment. The flight attendant claimed these are solely provided on in a single day flights, and never on daytime flights.
I’m unsure if that’s correct or not, however that’s weird. Okay, admittedly providing amenity kits and pajamas on such a brief in a single day flight is beneficiant, however not even providing amenity kits on a virtually eight hour daytime flight is uncompetitive.
To others who’ve not too long ago flown Oman Air on a daytime flight to Europe, had been you provided amenity kits, or no?
Oman Air’s complicated meal service
The one beauty of the gentle product on this Oman Air flight was the meal service. Effectively, the primary/solely meal service, that’s. Oman Air has scrumptious meals in enterprise class, and this flight was no exception. Service started with combined nuts and drinks…
I then had the Arabic mezze because the appetizer…
For the primary course I had the Omani dish, which included, fish, prawns, zaatar hen kebab, and extra.
Lastly, for dessert, I had the tropical cheesecake.
Now, right here’s the place it will get unusual. On my 5hr40min in a single day flight from Milan to Muscat, there was a full meal service after takeoff, plus a continental breakfast earlier than touchdown. On this 7hr40min daytime flight from Muscat to Frankfurt, there was… properly, not likely a pre-landing snack?
The menu didn’t listing something a couple of pre-landing snack. Nevertheless, I figured on a flight of this size, there could be some type of a proactive pre-landing snack service. Nevertheless, the crew provided completely nothing, and I didn’t see anybody having something.
Once I requested about this on the finish of the flight, I used to be knowledgeable that that is obtainable on request solely. However how would somebody even know to request it when it’s not provided, not listed on the menu, and so on.? This opened up an entire new can of worms in regards to the service, which I’ll get into within the subsequent publish.
I’d love some information factors from of us, although. Should you’ve flown Oman Air on a daytime flight from Muscat to Europe considerably not too long ago, had been you provided a pre-landing snack?
Oman Air’s dangerous inflight service
I’m going to cowl this within the subsequent installment, however the distinction in service between this flight and the earlier flight was night time and day. The service was so dangerous that I introduced it to the eye of the cabin supervisor (the primary time I’ve ever performed one thing like that), and… that grew to become form of awkward.
Backside line
Apart from the seats and the primary meal, my Oman Air A330 enterprise class expertise was underwhelming. The airplane wasn’t in good situation, the leisure system was exhausting to make use of, the Wi-Fi was damaged (or simply isn’t provided anymore, in keeping with the crew), the service was dangerous, there have been no amenity kits, and there was no supply of a pre-landing snack.
On a superb day, Oman Air is phenomenal. On a foul day, Oman Air is fairly awful. Sadly on this case, the airline was each phenomenal and awful on the identical day. 😉
What’s your tackle this Oman Air A330 enterprise class expertise?
