Review: Oman Air Boeing 787-9 Business Class (MCT-MUC)
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Oman Air 787 Business Class – Booking
Booking a one-way ticket between Muscat (MCT) and Nice (NCE) via Munich (MUC) costs 25,000 Aeroplan points in economy class and 45,000 Aeroplan points in business class (Atlantic Zone pricing):
You must know that Oman Air only releases two business class award seats per flight. Knowing that we were travelling as a family (4 people), we decided to travel in both cabins (with a draw between us).
You should also know that although Oman Air is a partner of Aeroplan, this may not last as the airline has announced its intention to join Oneworld. So don’t delay using your Aeroplan points to travel on Oman Air!
Check out our tutorial at the end of this article on how to earn Aeroplan points, whether you’re reading this from Canada, the U.S. or anywhere else in the world.
Oman Air 787 Business Class – Boarding
After two weeks in Oman, we arrived at Muscat International Airport (MCT) to catch our flight to Nice via Munich with Oman Air.
When travelling in business or first class with Oman Air, you have access to a reserved check-in area and a priority lane for security control and customs clearance.
You also have access to Oman Air’s First & Business Lounge.
If you’re not flying business class with Oman Air, you can access another lounge with the right credit card or Priority Pass access: Primeclass Muscat Lounge.
Audrey used the Priority Pass membership coming with the American Express Platinum Card® to enter the Primeclass lounge with our son.
For the record, the Oman Air lounge was bustling, unlike the Primeclass lounge.
Here are a few photos:
For our Canadian readers, this one is accessible to Priority Pass members (via the Platinum Card® or the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card) or DragonPass (available with many Visa and Mastercard such as the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card, Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card or BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard).
For our French readers, you can use the Priority Pass subscription coming with your American Express Platinum Card.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $799 | |||
| $399 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $150 | |||
| $0 |
Our flight to Munich boarded on time at gate B27.
Oman Air 787 Business Class – Cabin
This aircraft is made up of two cabins:
- Business
- Economy
For this flight, I’ll be travelling in business class with my daughter, while Audrey and our son will be in economy class (thanks to the draw between us)!
Oman Air’s B787 Business Class comprises two cabins with 30 seats.
The first cabin has four rows of 6 seats (24 seats), while the mini-cabin has just one row of 6 seats. See Aerolopa for a detailed layout.
Despite the 2-2-2 configuration, all seats have access to the aisle (these seats are known as Apex Suites).
If you’re travelling with two people and want to be at the same height, you must choose the middle seats.
However, I think the best seats are the ones by the window. You’ll be slightly out of step with your neighbour, but you’ll still be able to converse easily.
And you’ll be well insulated by being away from the aisle. With a partition between the aisle and window seats, these Apex seats offer privacy that’s hard to beat in business class (perhaps by Qatar Airways).
Here are a few storage compartments accessible from your seat, as well as the blankets and mattress provided before takeoff:
Oman Air 787 Business Class – Seat
The Apex Suites seat is very comfortable and generously sized (22 inches wide and 82 inches pitch).
Being 5’10”, I had no problem with the available leg length. Also, I like having 3 windows at this seat.
It is adjustable in all directions and, of course, tiltable to 180 degrees in the bed position.
For a 7-hour flight, it’s an excellent product. I’d have no trouble flying in this seat for more than 10 hours!
The screen is not touch-sensitive but of good quality. In any case, it’s too far to reach, so we don’t feel it’s a problem that it’s not touch-sensitive.
The Aria entertainment system is of good quality and has a fine catalogue of recent films.
However, even if Wi-Fi is available, it is too slow to work efficiently. And from what I’ve seen in other reviews about Oman Air, this seems to be a recurring problem.
You can control the entertainment system with a touch-sensitive remote control.
Under the remote control, you’ll find USB-A ports (no USB-C port), an audio port and a power socket.
Oman Air 787 Business Class – Service
When boarding, the Oman Air flight attendant offers tea, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne and cold drinks.
Noise-cancelling headphones are distributed.
The Amouage welcome kit is not offered automatically but must be requested.
This one is complete and of good enough quality to keep!
We take off on time from Muscat airport, and we have a beautiful view of the mountains, some of which are lightly covered in snow.
Shortly after takeoff, the dining service began.
For this meal, which I chose to accompany with Château Greysac red wine (Medoc, Bordeaux 2018), I opted for a starter of Red pepper tomato soup – Bell pepper, crostini and basil oil.
My daughter had a seasonal salad: crisp leaves, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, roasted walnuts, goat cheese, prunes, and balsamic syrup with anise and olive oil.
Followed by braised lamb (kabsa rice, mixed roasted vegetables, and pearl onion sauce), for me.
While my daughter chose the Rigatoni pasta – tomato basil sauce, mixed vegetables and parmesan cheese.
We both chose the cheese platter.
Unfortunately, the chocolate praline cake with chocolate sauce on the menu was no longer available. So we had a selection of seasonal fruits with a blueberry compote.
And I finish with a cappuccino.
Here is the complete menu:
Shortly after the meal, the cabin lights are dimmed, and the crew automatically darkens the windows of this B787.
Here’s a view of the Apex Suite seat in bed position.
A short trip to the toilet, which is quite large, with a seat where you can sit and put on your pyjamas. For young parents, a changing table is also available.
Bottom Line
Overall, we had an excellent flight of just over 7 hours on board this Oman Air B787.
The Apex Suite configuration is ideal whether you’re travelling solo or as a couple, and it is more than a match for Air Canada, Etihad, Swiss, Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines. And even better than the Emirates business class hard product.
Overall, in terms of both soft and hard products, we have no difficulty in recommending that you travel with Oman Air.
How to earn Aeroplan Points
Earn Aeroplan points in Canada
The easiest way to earn Aeroplan Points is to apply for one of these Aeroplan credit cards. Not only will you earn Aeroplan Points as a welcome bonus, but you will also earn Aeroplan Points on all purchases charged to your Aeroplan credit card.
Aeroplan’s most popular credit card is the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, whose current welcome offer is as follows:
Featured
- Annual feeNo annual fee the first year
- $0 $139
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Annual fee rebated$139Total$1,139Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,139
- Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months
- Up to 50,000 points
Apply Now
on TD's website
You can also earn Aeroplan Points through the American Express Membership Rewards program. You can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan Points at a 1:1 ratio. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 10,000 Aeroplan points. Many Membership Rewards credit cards are available in Canada.
In my opinion, one of the best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards is the American Express Cobalt® Card. With this credit card, you get 5 points per dollar for grocery purchases, convenience stores and spending at restaurants and bars. Also, consider the gift card trick where you can get 5 Points per dollar for many stores like Amazon, SAQ, Ikea, Netflix, etc.
Here is the welcome offer currently available for this card:
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Earn Aeroplan points in the United States
If you live in the U.S., you can also earn Aeroplan Points via credit cards.
First, there’s the Chase Aeroplan® World Elite Mastercard®. This credit card allows you to earn Aeroplan Points directly through your purchases.
You can then transfer points from various programs to Aeroplan:
- American Express Membership Rewards points (USA)
- Bilt Rewards
- Capital One
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn Aeroplan points elsewhere in the world
If you are not fortunate enough to be able to earn Aeroplan Points via a credit card or partner points program, there are two other ways to earn Aeroplan Points:
- By transferring Marriott Bonvoy points into Aeroplan points: 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Aeroplan points
- By purchasing Aeroplan points (buy during promotional periods)
Buying Aeroplan points can make sense. In many cases, the cost of this purchase will be equivalent to what you would have paid for an economy flight. Except that you can travel in business or first class!
For example, this flight with Oman Air costs:
- 25,000 Aeroplan points in economy class (or 50,000 Aeroplan points round trip)
- 45,000 Aeroplan points in business class (or 90,000 round-trip Aeroplan points)
By purchasing Aeroplan Points during a promotional period (usually with an 85% Bonus), you can buy Aeroplan Points for 1.9 cents per point:
- 472 CAD one-way in economy class
- 851 CAD one-way in business class