If you are looking to fly from the UK to gulf countries, please consider Oman Air. I travelled with Oman Air from Manchester to Muscat and I was totally blown away by the excellent services and facilities. Up to this point, my favourite airline had been Emirates. Oman Air surprisingly blew that out of the water! I hope that you enjoy my Oman Air Review.
Boarding with Oman Air for Manchester – Muscat
Boarding in Manchester was so organised with calls for business class, disabled and families with young children first. This was followed by row by row calls for boarding. How I love an organised airline that knows how to board it’s passengers properly!
Welcoming Air Hostesses
My first surprise was the flight attendants uniforms – yep, they were wearing templeseeker brand colours! The air hostesses were so welcoming and spoken both English and Arabic. Their dark teal hat and veil looked beautiful.
One of my Most Comfortable flights to date!
I’m not short by most people’s standards and leg room is ALWAYS an issue for me on flights. I didn’t feel too squashed into my seat at all. Throughout the 6 hour flight from Manchester to Muscat I was so well looked after with drinks anytime. They also provided fantastic Oman themed accessories. I was impressed with the ‘Royal opera house headphones’. But it didn’t stop there – this was closely followed by the ‘Nikhal Fort eye mask and flight socks’! Blankets and pillows were all readily available.
As it was a night flight, the timing of this flight was absolutely perfect. We left Manchester just after 8pm in the evening and arrived at 7am in the morning (allow for the 4 hour time difference) with a full day to settle into Muscat.
Food and Entertainment
There was a good selection of entertainment on board with a variety of international movies and TV series. I spent a great deal of the flight watching Anthony Bourdain’s parts unknown.
The food on board was excellent. The main meal included a choice between chicken, beef or fish. I had the beef with rice which was very impressive for aeroplane food! This was complimented with a salad and sponge cake. We also had a breakfast meal shortly before landing – a pasty and croissant/cake.
Overall Oman Air Review
Compared to my recent Air China flight from Heathrow to Cambodia (which involved a 3 hour layover in Beijing) this direct flight to the Middle East was a breeze. Manchester to Muscat or Dubai is only really like flying to Spain and back again – when you think about it like that it’s extremely doable.
I liked the look of the first class section of course, but in all honesty the economy cabin was fine. The price of my flight was £460 which was good value.
The Return Journey – Escaping Muscat before Lockdown!
One of the most bizarre aspects of my journey to Oman was the descent of the dreaded coronavirus. Never before had I needed to cut a trip short, but as countries started locking their borders down halfway through my trip, it seems inevitable that I was going to have to bring my flight forward. I was originally heading back to UK on 26th March 2020. On FCO advice I cut my trip short and headed back to Muscat.
I had trouble getting through to the airline and booking engine by phone and so on 20th I just rocked up to Muscat airport (with the help of my Air BnB host) and went straight to the Oman air desk. They had paired down the flights to one every other day and my flight was now scheduled to go out on 27th March. Possibly too late to get back to the UK before lockdown? I asked if there was any way I could get on an earlier flight and they got me on the flight on 23rd of March for just a £50 charge.
The flight home was over half empty! It ran on time and I was allowed to have the whole of the front row of the plane to myself! It honestly felt like I’d chartered my own private jet! I met a great guy who owns and runs the Metro Hotel in Southport and we were chatting about Sri Lanka – a place that has to go on my bucket list!
Many thanks to Oman Air for getting me home so quickly, comfortably and safely during a worldwide crises!
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