Review: Oman Air First Class from Muscat to London (2022)

Introduction – My trip to Oman

Review: Oman Air Business Class from London (LHR) to Muscat (MCT)

Review: Grand Hyatt Muscat (2022)

Review: The stunning Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman (2022)

Review : Oman Air First Class Lounge, Muscat International Airport

Review: Oman Air First Class from Muscat (MCT) to London (LHR)

• Airline: Oman Air (WY)
• Route: Muscat (MCT) – London (LHR)
• Duration: 8 hours
• Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
• Flight: WY 101
• Seat: 2A
• Booking: Muscat (MCT) – London (LHR) – Toronto (YYZ) – Ottawa (YOW): 109,900 Aeroplan Points + $157.38 CAD

After a true First Class experience in the Oman Air lounge, which included a Spa treatment, I was ready to embark on my 8 hour journey from Muscat (MCT) to London (LHR), and looking forward to a personalized First Class experience!

Unfortunately, true personalized service it was not. The overall experience, especially the soft product, came across as “First Class lite” in many aspects. For starters, there was no direct access to the boarding area, or any car escort service to the flight. Instead, I made my way to the gate and scanned my boarding passes, only to realize that I was joining a long queue of people to go through a scan of carry-on bags. With no dedicated area for premium passengers, the waiting area crowded shortly after initial call for passengers.

Gate area

The lacklustre pre-boarding aside, the First Class cabin onboard was spectacular! As soon as I entered the flight, the purser welcomed me onboard and escorted me to my seat, 2A.

Oman Air First Class – Cabin and Seat

This First Class cabin was one of the best I had seen in a long time, adorned in elegant warm colours, and luxurious trim. With no overhead storage in the entire cabin, it looked much more open and spacious. The first class suites onboard offered an excellent setup with plenty of storage space, and stretched across 3 windows on the Boeing 787-9. The ornate doors of the suite were jaw dropping beautiful. The accents and trim of the entire cabin, much like the doors, “popped without being excessive”. The ottoman seat in each suite was an excellent amenity that doubled as storage bin. If I had to be critical of one thing, it would be the awkward placement of the power outlets – placed deep into the side panel storage, and was not easy to access.

Oman Air First Class Cabin – WY 101

Ornate First Class doors on WY 101

Seat 2A – Oman Air First Class

Middle Suites – Oman Air First Class

Seat 2A – WY 101

Luxury accents of Oman Air Seats

Storage in Seat 2A

Storage under the ottoman seat

Power/headphone outlets

Power Outlet – Seat 2A

In-seat beverage bar, and additional storage

Oman Air First Class  – WY 101 service

Being the only guest in the First Class cabin, the crew was more than proactive to my needs and jumped into action as soon as I had settled into my seat. I was informed that no alcoholic beverages were being served pre-departure owing to Ramadan, but that the alcoholic drinks menu would be available upon departure. With recommendation, I chose the watermelon and ginger drink which was fabulous, and accompanied by warm nuts and a hot hotel.

Welcome drink, nuts, and hot towel

I was also presented with a set of PJ’s, an Amouage amenity kit, and the menu. The amenity kit by Amouage (an Oman based international luxury fragrance brand) was chic and carried and understated elegance.

Oman Air First Class amenity kit – by Amouage

First Class menu – Oman Air

Oman Air offers a a la carte ‘Dine anytime’ menu for First Class passengers, and the purser was keen to personalize the menu to my preferences. Upon reviewing the menu options, I opted for the “best appetizers” as opposed to the traditional multi-course meal, and left it up to the purser to surprise me. Speaking of surprise, I also skipped the Champagne for a wine pairing of Dog Point Souvignon Blanc 2018 which complimented my all-appetizer meal really well.

Oman Air First Class – PJ’s

My preferred drink on WY 101

The food service kicked off with the Amuse Bouche of Salmon, but to my surprise without any table cloth service. Sure enough, when the crew returned to refill my drink, they acknowledged the oversight and setup the table for my first round of appetizers. It’s the little things..

Amuse Bouche – Dill Salmon, with sun-dried tomato cream cheese

Appetizer 1: Beluga Caviar

Appetizer 2: Red Lentil Soup

Appetizer 3: Poached shrimp

Appetizer 4: Fatayer and Falafel platter

Absolutely stuffed from my 4-course appetizer meal, I decided to switch into the PJ’s and tucked in some hours of sleep before we landed in London. The meal service had wrapped up in ~2 hours, leaving me a good 6 hours to rest. Once the lights were dimmed in the cabin, dare I say, it looked even more beautiful. While I stepped away to change into my PJ’s the crew setup my bed. I returned to my seat, which was now laid out into a full size bed, with a basket of snacks placed in the suite in case I felt peckish.

For those interested, Oman Air also offers 3-hour Wi-fi pass to each passenger in First Class, however, all I wanted was some nap time 🙂

Oman Air First Class – Closed doors

Oman Air First Class Suites

Ready to call it a night

Oman Air Wi-Fi options

My bedtime was excellent, with the right form factor and firmness of the seat mattress, while the cabin temperature was maintained on the cooler side (as per my preference). I got a good 5.5 hours of sleep and woke up about 30 minutes before landing. Still pretty full from my meal I skipped the pre-landing meal options and opted for another round of the watermelon drink and some nuts. And of course a cold towel service to get refreshed!

Pre-landing drink and snacks

Yet again, upon landing in London (LHR) there was no dedicated ground service for First Class passengers on Oman Air, as I made my way through to the Air Canada lounge for my next flight to Toronto (YYZ).

Take Away

The hard product and the service onboard was an excellent 10/10. However, the lack of any dedicated ground service either side of the flight took away from the sheen of a true First Class experience. Oman Air First Class was an excellent redemption of Aeroplan points, and I would do it again if presented with an organic opportunity. But would I go out of my way to fly First Class with WY? Probably not. Regional competitors like Etihad, and Emirates definitely offer a far superior First Class experience, including dedicated ground service before and after the flight.

Have you booked or flown WY yet? What did you think of the overall experience?