Flying Oman Air’s Business Studio to London + Lounge

BAHRAIN — Oman Air’s (WY) transformation is among the most interesting of the past decades. The boutique airline is undergoing a series of essential reformations on which its future heavily depends.

Famous for its premium experience, the airline recently rebranded its First Class product. The Business Studio is an enhanced Business Class experience, available only on two aircraft in the airline’s fleet.

This can be booked for an added fee, sometimes 10% of the Business Class cost. This guarantees a First-Class seat and business-class service with improved amenities and WiFi on board. On my way back home, I had the chance to try this cabin on the popular Muscat-London Heathrow route.

Muscat Airport

I reached the airport by taxi almost five hours before take-off. Muscat airport (MCT) is Oman Air’s hub; the airline operates its Boeing 737 and 787 fleet from the Omani capital to destinations in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The airport feels like a hidden gem in the Middle East. Modern, quiet, and efficient, connecting in this facility can take only a few minutes if you travel on premium products.

Oman Air has dedicated much of its check-in and security to its business class passengers. I was the only one in this large area, and having already checked in online, it took around 30 seconds to receive my boarding pass. The area also features some comfortable chairs and waiting lounges. From here, I took the priority path to the passport control and security lane. Similarly, both took a record amount of time.

Once out of security, passengers are welcomed by a large duty-free area with international brands and all the products you would expect in any global hub. This is arranged as a square, above which connecting passengers can find a hotel inside the security area of the terminal. On the same level, Oman Air operates its flagship lounge.

Lounge

I already visited the area one year ago; at the time, I thought this was the best business-class lounge in the world, and today's visit confirmed and enhanced my feelings. After traveling through multiple airport lounges, this remains my favorite area to wait for my flight. The premium feeling is embodied by the furniture and color scheme.

Without feeling opulent, the lounge features many different amenities, including showers, sleeping rooms, nap chairs, and more. When I arrived, breakfast was still being served. I opted for a sweet continental breakfast made of croissants, sweets, espresso, Arabic coffee, dates, and hummus. This was an uncommon combination, but good hummus ranks high on my favorite food list, so I tried it.

After a larger-than-usual breakfast, I explored more of the lounge to find out if any changes were made over the 15 months since my last visit. Everything was exactly as I remembered, except the sleeping rooms, which were all booked this time. It was not an issue as I decided to head to the airport later than usual and sleep briefly. This meant I did not shower at my hotel and was keen on trying the shower experience in the lounge.

Showering at an airport somehow feels wrong; it is the last place where you would expect such an amenity, given the usual chaos people associate with global hubs. My experience couldn’t be more relaxed, mostly because I was one of the few visitors in the lounge then, but also thanks to the provided amenities in the shower room. After my second-ever airport shower, I headed to the main bar for some plane spotting of the incoming traffic in Muscat.

The bar then opened at around 11:00 am local time. This area is stocked with top-shelf products, which are masterfully served in the beautiful Oman Air glassware. I had a glass of champagne, and it was hard not to ask the staff if I could kindly keep the stunning glass it was served in.

Lunch started at around 12:00 in the same area where breakfast was served earlier. As the lounge started to get crowded, I opted for a light meal, trying most of the items on the extensive buffet. Around five main course options, including salads, sides, and desserts, were available.

I had one more espresso before leaving for gate C8, where my Boeing 787-9 awaited us. The aircraft, A4O-SF, is one of the two in WY’s fleet and is equipped with the old first-class product. Coincidentally, it is the same aircraft that a few days ago carried me to Muscat.

‍

Welcome Aboard

Oman Air pre-boards guests with an early boarding pass scan and an additional security check before boarding. This is possible thanks to a large waiting area in the departures lounge, which allows for streamlining the boarding process. However, there were no particular announcements during the final boarding stages, and business class passengers were instructed to board whenever they wished.

Boarding occurred through two jet bridges connected to the first and second doors. Here, I was welcomed by the cabin manager, who escorted me to my seat, 1A. I had the entire Business Studio cabin on this flight, which was my first. The cabin crew stored my hand luggage and backpack in the front cabinet since the section lacked overhead bins.

Waiting for me at my seat, I found the headphones set and bedding kit in the large ottoman in front. Soon, a cabin crew member came with the amenity kit, pajamas, and slippers. I was asked if  I would have preferred a hot or a cold towel before taking off and my welcome drink. I went for the hot towel and a glass of champagne. We soon pushed back and headed to the runway, taking off a few minutes behind schedule.

Then we turned north, heading towards the Gulf. Before reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I could see from the cabin that Arabic coffee and dates were handed out with the menu and another glass of champagne. I was also given a three-hour Wi-Fi voucher that worked nicely for chatting on WhatsApp.

The menu and service are the same as in business class, and the only real difference versus first class is the lack of the caviar service (not that I missed it or ever tried it). I went for the Classic Arabic Mezze once again and the braised lamb. The first course was paired with more Piper-Heidsiek champagne; the second was an excellent 2018 Bordeaux.

Both courses were excellently presented, decently sized, and tasty. Every item was carefully positioned on a beautiful tablecloth, and the tableware features the Omani mountains with a stunning profile.

The crew checked with me multiple times extremely professionally, so we started chatting about Oman Air’s dishware. I waited a while before having the dessert, a dark chocolate mousse paired with one of my favorite wines, the Sauternes. One year ago, I tried this particular canteen on the same flight from Muscat to London, and it left a mark.

After significantly too much food for my habits, I had an excellent espresso and wrote part of the trip report you are currently reading. I then explored the seat a bit more. Although I have seen better, the IFE screen has a fair selection of movies and entertaining options.

This is controlled by a touchscreen remote stored in the armrest. Above, a touchscreen controls the suite’s and seat’s functions, with a few keys to set the seat in some pre-defined positions. There is a deep storage compartment next to the seat and a minibar at the end of it.

The large and sturdy tray table is stored in the console, next to which a small storage pocket is found. The large ottoman stores the bedding kit and can be used by another passenger to join the primary guest for dining.

There is also a storage compartment for clothes, which encapsulates the sliding doors. As I was the only one in the cabin, and since it was a day flight, I rarely needed to close these, primarily as the seat already provided enough privacy.

The seat is comfortable, has large armrests, and fully reclines into the best bed I have ever tried on an aircraft. After changing into my pajamas and as I ran out of WiFi, I decided to explore the other cabins a little more. The economy section was not full and looked comfortable enough for an 8-hour flight. Oman Air is one of the few airlines that have handed out an amenity kit to this class.

The business-class cabin was busier, and to my surprise, most people were sleeping on this day's flight. I returned to my room because calling it a seat wouldn’t make it justice, and I decided to watch a movie. I reclined the seat and got asked if I wanted to turn it into a full bed. I kindly declined as I was already more comfortable than ever on an aircraft.

Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy for the last few hours of my flight. However, the slow sunset view was rather memorable. Another meal was available before landing. However, I was so full from my lunch that eating was the last of my thoughts.

As we approached London, I asked if I could sit on the other side of the cabin to record the landing on runway 27R. When approaching London Heathrow, always sit on the aircraft's right side. Between the clouds, we could briefly see the City’s skyline. We landed on time and taxied to T4, where Oman Air operates. I was escorted to the connections area, awaiting my KLM flight to Amsterdam. Coincidentally, my E2 was parked next to the Omani’s Dreamliner.

Conclusions

The business studio is a proper first-class seat with above-average business-class service. As Oman Air continues with one of the most important airline transformations in the past years, it is excellent to see that the business class dining service did not change by much aside from a few negligible details.

In the future, I expect Oman Air to make several announcements about securing its legacy and cementing its position in the Middle East. The airline’s executives disclosed some of those announcements during my visit to WY’s headquarters.

Deciding to phase out a product for which there was, simply put, no commercial demand and offer it as a business class was the most straightforward and logical business decision the airline could take.

If we consider the new Business Studio cabin a proper Business Class, I can’t help but notice that it is in a league of its own. These days, the best business-class products include Singapore Airlines, Qatar, and ANA, to name a few. These are consistently available across the airlines’ fleet. Oman Air’s business studio can only be found on two aircraft, effectively raising the bar, with no other airline coming close.

This achievement was made possible by the extreme costs of retrofitting the cabins to the Apex suites. The airline’s excellent business class represents its biggest competitor, but for the correct fee, the Business Studio is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.