DALLAS — What's the first thing that pops into your mind when someone names a generic Middle Eastern airline? If it's luxury travel, you could be thinking of Emirates' (EK) A380 business class bar, Qatar Airways (QR) Suites, or even Etihad's (EY) dreamy “residence” experience. If it's an airport, you might be imagining the busy hub of Dubai or the beautiful airport of Doha.

But in this trip report, Airways reviews a true hidden gem, flying the Oman Air (WY) business class from Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) to Muscat International Airport (MCT).

Most trip reports can be written following a checklist of pre-departure expectations, such as free Wi-Fi, a lie-flat bed, dine-on-demand, and so on. However, for this particular flight, we chose a slightly different narrative. I spent a good amount of time researching WY products, and I boarded my plane with very high expectations.

Spoiler alert: my expectations were exceeded on almost every single aspect of the flight, making this experience one of my most memorable flights ever.

Check-in

We start at the business class check-in at MXP. Business class passengers can select their seats free of charge online before the flight (I might have changed mine six to seven times due to heavy overthinking), carry up to 50 kg, or 110 pounds of checked luggage, and take advantage of priority check-in as well as security fast track. This meant going from the airport entrance to the lounge in less than ten minutes.

I spent a couple of hours in the Sala Montale lounge, getting some work done. The lounge is open to most travelers flying business class, as well as priority pass members. Lounge amenities included a good selection of drinks and food, as well as showers, a business center, a smoking room, and a family room.

Leaving the Sala Montale, I saw my aircraft arriving, A4O-SH, a 4.3-year-old Boeing 787-9. I remember WY using London Heathrow (LHR) T4 before the pandemic and seeing its Dreamliner aircraft from my Alitalia hop to Rome as a college student.

Boarding such a beautiful airplane has been a long dream of mine for quite some time, so I was particularly excited about this flight.

Boarding, Cabin First Impressions

The boarding area was a little crowded due to many heavy airplanes all leaving more or less at the same time. The boarding was perfectly on time, and I was soon welcomed by an amazing crew.

They showed me to my seat, offering me a hot towel as well as a welcome drink. Soon after, they also came with the dinner and wine menu and offered me Arabic coffee and dates, which I never tried before. This was a lovely touch and a good anticipation of a great flight.

A pajama was also handed out, together with a unisex Amouage amenity kit. My seat included a bottle of water, headphones, a mattress, a nice pillow, and the comfiest blanket I have ever seen on an airplane.

Ten minutes later, and before closing the doors, I was already blown away by the crew's kindness and professionalism and the attention to every passenger’s experience.

Seat Comfort

Oman Air long flies its Boeing 787s and A330s with different configurations. Their 787-9s are usually flown to major European destinations such as Milan, London, and Paris. My 787-9 today featured 30 business class seats divided into two main cabins and 258 economy seats.

My seat, 14A, was the last seat in the front cabin. Oman Air has installed the APEX suites on their twin-aisle aircraft, with all front-facing seats. This particular seat is found only on a few airlines in the world and is among my favorites.

While featuring a 2-2-2 configuration, these seats are renowned for providing all direct aisle, good privacy, as well as the largest business class beds in the sky. Window seats are particularly generous, with the full reclined seat measuring over 2 meters or 6.5 feet.

The in-flight-entertainment screen can be controlled through a touchscreen remote positioned on the armrest, opposite the seat controls. An electronic partition can be raised between each pair of seats, providing increased privacy.

The seat also features two USB charging ports, as well as a universal power outlet.

Take-off, Dinner

We had an on-time pushback from Milan Malpensa airport, climbing soon and flying over Venice. Another welcome drink was offered, and this time I opted for champagne and warm nuts.

While WY offers the possibility to dine on demand, most passengers chose to go for dinner immediately. At that point, I was still overwhelmed with how good the seat was, I wanted to try all the features so I didn’t give much thought to food selection, which means I was completely unprepared to order anything.

The crew recommended me some food choices, and I was more than happy to follow their advice for what was arguably my best-ever dinner on an airplane. A five-course meal started with an amuse bouche, followed by traditional Arabic mezze. This was my first time trying Arabic mezze, and it was such a nice surprise. I went for the lamb as the main course, which was very good too, and finally a dessert. All courses were paired with some great wines, although the dessert wine truly stands out.

Flight attendants regularly passed to check how everything was going. Again, the attention to detail was beyond any expectation. I want to stress this as I recognize flight attendants’ work: they are working for our safety, for which they receive thorough training and certifications. The fact that in-flight service was this good is an added value to me, for which I am thankful to my crew.

In-flight Entertainment, Bedtime

The IFE features a good selection of movies and TV series, as well as games and information about Oman and Oman Air. But as we all know very well, the in-flight map is Airways Magazine's favorite IFE feature.

The touchscreen controller was very responsive, and the complimentary headphones, despite not being noise-canceling, worked very well in the silent Boeing 787-9 cabin.

While Wi-Fi was provided, I found it a little expensive compared to competitors. It was a night flight, so nobody was using the service anyway. Many people decide to fly business class to take some good rest, or work, before arriving at a destination.

If that is your aim, you will be more than fine on the business class bed on WY twin-aisle aircraft. The reclined seat, completed with the provided mattress and blanket, provides one of the best business-class beds in the sky, if not the best.

Approach and Landing

I woke up about one hour before landing, flying above Iran. I quickly converted my bed to a seat and went to change back into my clothes. After that, I noticed we were flying directly above Dubai. We soon started our descent into Muscat, turning above the city center before aligning with runway 26R.

We landed at 6:00 AM and soon taxied to the gate. The airplane was connected through two jet bridges to the main terminal and business class passengers were able to disembark through door 1L. Most passengers had connections in Muscat, so I was almost the only one at immigration.

Conclusion

There is a reason why WY advertises itself as a “premium boutique airline.” This definition suits extremely well the Omani airline, which with a fleet of just above 50 aircraft is capable of offering a truly remarkable in-flight experience.

While the APEX suite offers one of the best business-class suites in the sky, if not the best, the attention to detail is what surprised me the most.

Everything was spot-on, from the menu choices to the seat amenities, from the information provided to passengers to the professionality of the crew. It is no wonder to me that Oman Air has been consistently winning awards in the past years.

I loved every moment of my flight, and to make this occasion even more special, this was my first-ever flight on a Dreamliner, and I couldn't have been happier about how it went!

The airline is set to join OneWorld in 2024, further expanding its network.

Featured image: Oman Air Boeing 787-9. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways