Oman Air

CAI-MCT-DXB return in business class. Because I had read such good reviews of Oman Air's business class we decided to do a dog's leg to Dubai instead of taking a direct flight with Egyptair or Emirates. This turned out to be a mistake. On the positive side the Czech cabin crew (this was on a 737-800 wet leased from a Czech company) was cheerful and efficient and the business class lounge in Muscat was as excellent as we had been led to expect. However the flight experience was basically awful. Old armchair seats that had ZERO recline and no footrest; faulty headphones that had to be changed on two occasions an IFE system that consisted of fold-down screens with a choice of an arabic movie with illegible subtitles and the moving map catering that ranged from the adequate - to a "special gluten-free" meal that had enough gluten in it to send me straight to hospital had I chosen to believe an untrained cabin attendant who assured me that the pitta bread buns and cheese sambousek on my tray were indeed gluten-free.

LON-MCT-BKK. By booking early we were able to afford a one way upgrade to business for the same price as premium economy with any other airline. As has been widely stated the business class experience is superb: excellent seat and service. Economy for return was also very good - 34in is very good and the AVOD selection ensures that the flight passes quickly. All flights on time very impressed overall and would definitely use again.

Colombo to Dubai via MCT. I had a pleasure of flying this little gem of an airline on 19th Aug. Crew on board for both flights were fine. Breakfast was very good although a little heavy. Tea and coffee was also served. No AVOD on 737.MCT is a good place to connect for flights. A mere 30 minutes and I was off to Dubai. Very fair prices and nice service. Will use them again in future.

MCT-SLL 3 Aug WY905. SLL-MCT 5 Aug WY916. I travelled with my wife and 1 year old baby. The staff were very friendly food was good for the short trip and they were very helpful with my child. Seats were spacious and comfortable for economy seating especially on the SLL-MCT sector. They offered baby food. The baggage was quick and no problems at all. I see that this airline is improving.

BKK-MCT-MUC return. Flight to Muscat was about half full so plenty of room to stretch out. Entertainment was fine and watched a new movie and several TV shows. Economy class seating was spacious in a 2x4x2 configuration. Food was average and not much of it but wine was plentiful. Hot wrap snack before arrival into Muscat was just ok. Muscat airport has no jetways so buses are involved. Both sectors took no more than 10 minutes total and was well organized. The airport was fine though the Duty Free seemed overly expensive but there are several decent food outlets including Costa Coffee. Flight to Munich again was half empty so we could stretch out but once again the food was just average though they gave us several bottles of wine and water. Return flight from Munich to Muscat had 42 passengers total on the flight. We were the only ones in the front economy class cabin and were served within 10 minutes after take off and lights out 30 minutes later which was great as the flight leaves at 10pm. Slept 5 hours straight as we made beds from the middle section with many blankets and pillows. Better than first class! Flight from Muscat to Bangkok was 100pct full so I was now wondering what the service would be like. We had 2 seats together at the window in 2nd cabin with no room to stretch out but again the seating is great and the best economy class at 34 inches I've been in. Service was efficient and quick even with a full flight. All sectors the cabin crew were friendly and welcoming. Nice towel service all flights and good amenities kits handed out on each sector. Entertainment is fine and no issues and could recharge my phone and laptop as well from any seat. My only issue was the food. Little of it and not very appetizing though on one sector the vegetarian lasagne was good. Water bottles were also handed out immediately after service on all sectors which is a great idea. If I was not Gold with Etihad I would fly them again though you do get Etihad mileage by flying Oman but just not the bonus miles for Gold or Silver level. Good experience overall!

CMB-MCT on 19 July 2013. Service is terrible cabin crew were not friendly at all. After the meal there were no Tea or Coffee being served. Sometimes we ended up with no choice with meals had to eat what they offered. No refreshments before the main meal. I requested ear plugs twice but cabin crew did not bother to supply. This was not my first travel with Oman Air. Ground staff in both Oman and Sri Lanka are excellent very helpful and switched on.

Milan to Kuala Lumpur and return via Muscat. Outbound was fine very impressed by the value for money. Entertainment was good but all of us had headset which either didn't work or only worked from one ear. Had to change seats. Main meals were fine snacks pretty poor. Return flight a nightmare. First leg ok. Flight from Muscat delayed 13 hours. I understand it can happen my complaint is about the way ground staff treated us. No explanations lots of excuses. After 6 hours they drove us by bus to a desk (still inside the airport) where we were supposed to receive a temporary visa. We had to deal ourselves with the staff who didn't believe that we were told to leave the airport. Finally after one hour fighting with other passengers who also wanted a hotel room we managed to have that piece of paper and went to the bus to the hotel. The aircraft is nice but I don't recommend this company because if anything goes wrong they can't deal with it.

In June I travelled from Frankfurt via Muscat to Bangkok. The check-in counter closed unusually early so I had more than 1.5 hours free time. The seat load factor was very low so I had enough space. Usually there would have been a 3 meal choice there was only one left for me. A hot snack was served as well being something unidentifiable in a roll with chicken. The IFE had a huge variety to offer but only one side of the headphones worked properly.

Third time flying Paris-Kuala Lumpur via Muscat in business class. Service was excellent and the seats comfortable with a lot of space and privacy. Oman Air's business class cabin offers comfort and space which could rival many airlines' first class cabin. Fare for this trip very competitive. Happy with the service. However all business class passengers should be offered the limousine service as advertised on their website. Secondly while in transit in Muscat passengers should not have to go through another security check and if so there should be a priority lane for premium passengers. The last few trips the security checks were fairly quick as there weren't many passengers but when you have a rather short transit time this can be a source of anxiety. On my return trip via Muscat the plane landed 25-30 minutes late and I was anxious in case I had to go through a long queue in security. However the crew reassured me and as it happens there was no queue. Thirdly for trips to and from Malaysia it would be a good idea to add some Malay cuisine to the menu. Finally dining should be on demand in business class and there should be an option to order from a menu online prior to departure this will avoid disappointment of the crew running out of your choice on the menu. For example on the first leg from Paris they ran out of sea bass on the business class menu.

LHR-MCT-BKK and back. Great service in the Heathrow lounge (even though it's a pay-for-access lounge to the general public as guests of Oman Air we had reserved seating and table service). All flights were on schedule. The cabin of the A330 is superb as many others have said their business class is a product that most other airlines would like to have as their first class offering. Business lounge is Muscat is huge. Great selection of complimentary food and drinks as well as complimentary treatments in the spa. The Oman Air lounge in BKK is small but perfectly formed. Staff Service was generally really good but some crew struggled to understand us - I think it could be improved upon if there were more crew with better English language skills. Will definitely use again.