MUSCAT SEEB INT'L AIRPORT review : 19 June 2008 : by James Chlup

Customer Rating : 4/5

A small-ish airport, but nicely laid out. No airbridges, boarding and deplaning in 40 C+ is quite an experience. Check-in area a bit cramped and chaotic. Departure area nice with good duty-free shops, bookshop, coffee shop, and plenty of seats. Arrivals area very good. Visa purchase, passport control, and baggage reclaim moves swiftly.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by E McConnachie

4 December 2007   Customer Rating :

Seeb has to have the quickest baggage reclaim in any airport. Came off the BA flight first, straight through immigration and bags came out within 5 minutes as opposed to almost 30 mins in other airports if you're lucky. Departures area is good, clean with decent Duty Free. Oman Air lounge is slightly dated but still good.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by David Wallace

10 December 2006   Customer Rating : n/a

A pleasant surprise. It was clean, had enough seating with a nice coffee shop with a view of the ramp and clean toilets. The busses were not a problem in December, but may be more of an issue in the hot summer.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Steve Sherratt

3 June 2006

I transited twice in March. The outbound was a quick changeover with only 50 mins on the ground. Simple signs, very good a/c, adequate seats and cheap duty free. On return we had 5 hours to kill, the seats are average, enough places to eat and drink etc. Toilets not too bad but occasionally short on paper, could be alarming! Buses to remote parking but only a short distance and no great hardship. The airport is busy during the late evening but there are sufficient facilities. Some decent entertainment during a long layover would be a bonus.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by S Jasim

21 February 2006

I flew in from the UAE on 15th Feb 2006 and was expecting a considerable wait to sort out visa etc but was very pleasantly surprised. Upon arrival you join an orderly and fast moving queue to purchase your visa stamp from a currency exchange bureau and then proceed directly to the immigration counter where your passport is stamped. The whole procedure took about 20 minutes. This is far quicker than it takes at Dubai airport where, although you don't have to get an visa, the queues for passport control are huge and very slow moving. The staff on visa stamp/passport control duty were super friendly and totally not-intimidating - unlike at Dubai. All in all it was a totally hassle free experience.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by M Visschers

12 February 2006

Was there twice on transit from Frankfurt to Jakarta. The airport is small, comparable with a regional European airport like Charlerois in Belgium. All planes park outside and everyone is being bussed to the terminal building. A Middle East-style security check is there in place for all arriving passengers, which can take quite a while, especially when you're already tired from a long flight. The building itself is very small and can be very crowded, plastic chairs everywhere, with a noisy and "charter airport" like appearance. Fortunately I could use the Gulf Air lounge downstairs to escape the fish market upstairs. The lounge was of very good quality, only the internet speed was extremely low - I guess they still use a dial-up internet connection there. All in all not an airport you could wish to have to transit, but if you can use on of the lounges, it can be a nice experience.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Suman Das

29 August 2005

Muscat Airport was a big disapointment. The transfer desk is a complete mess. There is no indication of which desk to go for which flight. Creates an unnecessary chaos which is completely unnecessary. The staff were rude and unhelpful. The fast food area is dirty and the tables are not cleaned regularly. Not what you expect in an international airport. The airport needs some decent management. I am unlikely to fly Gulf Air again if the stopover is in Muscat.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Michelle Geldenhuys

4 July 2005

Seeb departure is a dump. You can see the change since the government fired the crowd running it. It was really starting to become a decent airport but now with nobody running it its going one way and tht is down. There was only one person at the 3 fast food places and she could only provide one meal at each place. Food area was dirty. They need some decent management again.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Ben Weston

11 March 2005

I've experienced many airports in the Middle East and although Seeb is modestly sized with fairly basic facilities it isn't a bad airport at all. Upon arrival immigration is well orchestrated and runs smoothly, and the officials seemed polite and welcoming, which makes a refreshing change! Also Seeb is the only place in the world I've rented a BMW X5 that they pull up for you outside the arrivals building and leave with the keys in and the engine running! Departure was also fairly smooth, and there's a fair selection of duty free and refreshments while you wait for your flight. Altogether not unpleasant to go through, and has the typically Omani oiled military precision that the British taught them then promptly forgot all about when it came our own airports. If you're expecting Amsterdam Schipol then you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking for a well run, efficient airport that gets you there, Seeb ticks the boxes.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Stefano Liberati

9 March 2005

Time Travel - Backwards! Horrible airport and a real shock after Dubai. The terminal was seriously grey in every respect and I couldn't wait to get on the plane. If you're flying business/first with Gulf Air, don't think you'll find any sanctuary in the business lounge, which looked like it had been fitted out by Dodgy Sofas Ltd. Gaudy decor, dirty toilets and only one window. Not a great way to promote Oman and seriously in need of investment!

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by J George

10 August 2004

Muscat's Seeb International Airport has to be one of the worst airports that I've been to. First, the lack of jetways (air bridges) is a problem because the temperature in Muscat usually exceeds 100 degrees (F) and having to go in that heat from the airplane to the bus is cruel. The first thing you notice about the airport is the muggy, thick smell of cigarette smoke. There seems to be a cloud of smoke hovering below the ceiling. I personally found this very bad. Other than that, the airport is clean and neat. There is plenty of seating area. The duty free shop has a large range of items, and the fact it is almost like a grocery store is nice. There are a few restaurants like and there is a Dairy Queen. There is also a small book store which sells new books and some stationery. Another problem is the fact that the flight display screen are not arranged in chronological order. I thought i missed my 12:15 AM flight and staff are no where to be found. The boarding gates are small "room"-like sections in a big hall which are obviously not capable of handling all the passengers on a plane because seating is very difficult to find.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Allan Marmita

18 May 2004

Seeb International Airpot of Muscat has witnessed great improvement. Departures and arrivals duty free is well stocked. I almost finished all of my money shopping before departure. An on arrivals, i was pleasantly surprised that we can buy alcoholic drinks! However, air bridges would be a good improvement since riding on an airport bus to reach your aircraft makes the airport look like a regional airport only instead of being an international one.

Muscat Seeb Int'l Airport review by Hiro Suda

9 November 2003

The airport is compact, clean, and spacious. Immigration is swift, baggage handling very smooth and indeed you could come out of the airport from the plane in just few minutes! As for departure hall, there are enough check-in counters that even during the most crowded time of the day (around mid- night) there aren't many lines to wait to get boarding pass. Duty free is small compared to Dubai or Bahrain but has variety of goods ranging from Omani souveniers to latest electronics, alcohol to sports equipments. Boarding procedure is quick and smooth and has enough seats in the waiting area. This is a retreat compared to congestured Dubai airport! I'd rate 9/10 for the overall quality of the airport.



 

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