Oman Air ditches First Class

Oman Air has become the latest airline to downgrade its First Class cabin.

Whilst the airline is due to join oneworld by the end of the year, it has been undergoing some restructuring which has led it to jettison its A330 fleet – about half the carrier’s widebody fleet.

It has now announced further changes including the decommissioning of the First Class cabins found on two of its Boeing 787s. These aircraft were used for flights to London and Bangkok, the only routes on which First Class was offered.

These cabins (image above) featured eight seats in a 1-2-1 layout with 82” seat pitch, privacy walls and 23-inch TVs.

Oman Air isn’t ripping these cabins out. Instead, these will be marketed as ‘Business Studios’, and will “retain its spacious cabin layout, classic lie-flat seats, and Wi-Fi connectivity, but with more affordable fares and a redefined service approach that is tailored to the needs of modern travellers.”

By the sounds of it, food and service will be in line with business class but you’ll benefit from improved personal space and bigger seats. In other words, it sounds closer to the ‘business plus’ offering some airlines are rolling out and less like Malaysia Airlines’ Business Suites product, which still retains upgraded meals and service.

Frankly, I’m not sure it ever made sense to offer First Class on just two routes with two aircraft – there really are no economies of scale at that level, so I can’t say this news is particularly shocking.

One key downside is that it is unlikely this product will now be bookable with Avios when Oman Air joins oneworld. The IT isn’t available to allow ‘business plus’ seats like these to be redeemed for miles via partner airlines, although Oman Air may offer them to their own members.

Oman Air’s Business Studio will be available to book from 9th September.