Oman Air wants to join the oneworld alliance

According to a Reuters report, Oman Air is looking to join British Airways as a member of the oneworld alliance.

This would be a handy development for UK residents, given that British Airways has dropped flights to Muscat.

The story is vague. It states that Oman Air has asked Qatar Airways for ‘guidance’, which would be necessary because a new member requires a sponsor. It doesn’t say that Qatar Airways has agreed, and obviously there are some routes where the two carriers overlap.

Even if we assume that Qatar Airways will work with Oman Air to progress the application, don’t expect much progress in a hurry. It tends to take around 18 months for alliance memberships to be processed, because a substantial amount of IT integration is required. It also requires the airline to make changes to its frequent flyer programme to match oneworld tiers and benefits.

I rate Oman Air highly. I reviewed Oman Air First Class here and I reviewed Oman Air Business Class here on a 2019 trip between Heathrow and Muscat. There are also lounge reviews as part of that series. I stayed at The Al-Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel which had just been refurbished and has the best stretch of beach.

I liked what I saw, and had plans to return to Oman with my family last Autumn before covid intervened. It’s a trip I intend to revive as soon as I can.

We’ll keep you updated on this story as it develops, but nothing will happen in a hurry. For now, the best way to redeem frequent flyer miles for Oman Air flights is via Etihad Guest.