Best Ways To Book Oman Air Business Class With Points [Step-by-Step]

Oman Air, the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, is a boutique airline with a relatively brief history.

Despite being associated with a country, this airline started in the early 1990s as an aircraft ground handling provider.

Today, Oman Air has a fleet size of around 51 aircraft flying to 50 destinations around the world.

It connects Africa, Asia, Europe, and the rest of the Middle East to the capital of Muscat (MCT). Let’s take a look at how you can book Oman Air business class using points.

A Look Inside Oman Air Business Class

Oman Air offers a relatively petite fleet of aircraft, but it has an impressive first and business class product offering.

When you fly on Oman Air, you’ll enjoy Apex Suites in business class, which are fully lie-flat and arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. This innovative cabin has direct aisle access at every seat.

The seats themselves are wide and spacious — they’re also private, thanks to a seat shell with high walls.

If you find yourself on Oman Air’s older business class seats, you’ll encounter a configuration of 1-2-1 with forward-facing, open-air-style seats.

Oman Air is one of the only few airlines in the world that operate nonstop flights to Oman. This includes international flights via its hub at Muscat (MCT) and Omani domestic flights to cities like Salalah (SLL) and Khasab (KHS).

The Oman Air business class experience includes access to its excellent business class lounges, larger checked baggage allowances, dedicated check-in queues, enhanced boarding, tasty Mediterranean catering, and warm service.

Hot Tip: For a detailed and visual overview of the Oman Air business class experience aboard the 787-9 and A330, check out our thorough reviews.

How To Fly Oman Air Business Class Using Points

In general, Oman Air business class flights are not too difficult to book using points.

Most of these flights are niche routes, so just keep that in mind — Oman Air is selective with its routes due to its small fleet of long-haul aircraft.

Oman Air levies around $200 to $300 in fuel surcharges for European routes, while Asian routes come in around $200 in total taxes and fees.

Here are some of Oman Air’s medium- and long-haul routes:

In general, flights between Europe and Muscat will be slightly harder to find award space on.

Now, let’s take a look at how Oman Air business class is bookable with points.

Etihad Guest

Oman Air isn’t in any airline alliances, which means the field of booking options is very narrow.

Luckily, Etihad Guest, which is Etihad Airways’ frequent flyer program, is available, and it happens to be the most useful frequent flyer partner for Oman Air flights.

Though you could previously use Etihad miles to book both Oman Air first and business class flights, today only business class is available to book.

Etihad Guest requires these bookings to be made at least 7 days before your departure date.

The Etihad Guest award chart lists all of Oman Air’s bookable routes, along with the mileage cost in economy and business class. Remember, first class is no longer bookable using points, so you’ll want to disregard the first class column.

Unfortunately, there’s no good way to check availability before booking, so you won’t know what’s available until you pick up the phone.

Here’s the recommended process for booking Oman Air business class flights using Etihad Guest miles:

1. Call Etihad Guest at 877-690-0767.
2. Choose the prompt for Etihad Guest bookings and information.
3. Once you’re connected to a live representative, explain that you’d like to redeem Etihad Guest miles for an Oman Air flight.
4. Provide the representative with the travel details.
5. The representative will advise of availability, and if you locate an option that works, complete the booking by redeeming Etihad Guest miles and using a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest miles can be earned through transfer partnerships. Specifically, the program is an Amex transfer partner, Citi transfer partner, Capital One transfer partner, and a Marriott transfer partner.

Amex, Citi, and Capital One transfer at a 1:1 ratio, with Amex and Citi transferring almost instantly. Capital One takes around 36 hours for transfers to process to Etihad Guest.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 Etihad Guest miles whenever you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to Etihad take approximately 3 business days to complete.

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Other Great Options for Booking Oman Air

Unfortunately, there aren’t any other mainstream options to book Oman Air business class with points because Oman Air doesn’t have a lot of airline partners that allow mileage redemptions.

From time to time, you might find affordable cash fares in business class — you can book these tickets using points at the Chase travel portal, AmexTravel.com, or other bank portals.

Great Oman Air Business Class Redemptions

Unfortunately, the only way to book Oman Air business class is using Etihad Guest miles.

Here’s how much it would cost to book a round-trip business class flight between Muscat (MCT) and a variety of different cities (one-way flights cost half the miles):

Here are some fantastic redemptions you can make, in light of each ticket’s typical cash price:

• Muscat (MCT) – Dar es Salaam (DAR) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$359 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$2,400 (3.4 cents per point)
• Muscat (MCT) – Frankfurt (FRA) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 78,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$606 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$3,400 (3.6 cents per point)
• Muscat (MCT) – Jakarta (CGK) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 96,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$375 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$2,100 (1.8 cents per point)
• Muscat (MCT) – London (LHR) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 88,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$826 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$4,000 (3.6 cents per point)
• Muscat (MCT) – Manila (MNL) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 102,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$370 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$3,200 (2.8 cents per point)
• Muscat (MCT) – Milan (MXP) round-trip in Oman Air business class for 76,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$548 in taxes and fees
  • Cash value: ~$2,900 (3.1 cents per point)

How To Earn Enough Miles for Oman Air Business Class

Because Etihad Guest miles can be earned in a variety of ways, that also means that you can book Oman Air business class by earning a variety of different points.

Here is what each transferable currency offers to Etihad Guest:

• Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Capital One miles transfer to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio within 36 hours.
• Citi ThankYou Rewards Points transfer to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Etihad Guest at a 3:1 ratio in 3 business days. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer all at once to Etihad Guest, you will get a bonus of 5,000 Etihad Guest miles.

Transfer bonuses to Etihad Guest are rare, but Amex and Citi generally have the highest probability of offering these transfer bonuses.

When Should You Search for Award Space

Unfortunately, there’s no way to search for award space for Oman Air business class flights online.

But, we’ve found that business class award availability is pretty easy to find, particularly on flights that don’t involve Europe.

The best advice we can offer is to pick up the phone and call Etihad Guest as soon as you have an idea of your travel plans.

What Makes Oman Air a Great Business Class Redemption

Now that we’ve talked in detail about how to book Oman Air business class using points, let’s examine why you’d believe Oman Air is a great redemption in business class.

Convenient Schedules Nonstop to Oman

Oman Air has the largest nonstop route network to Muscat from countries like Egypt, France, Indonesia, Kenya, and Malaysia.

It serves the critical role of connecting the world to the Sultanate, particularly through the capital city of Muscat (MCT).

So, the biggest reason why Oman Air is a fantastic redemption is that it can get you to Oman quickly and conveniently.

Terrific Service

Oman Air’s business class experience is decidedly premium, even when compared to other airlines. Food is served on fancy tableware, the options are refined, and the service is professional.

The cabin crew is always well-intentioned and seems genuinely happy to be there.

Presentation is everything aboard Oman Air, and the airline wants to make you feel like service is exceptional through and through.

There seems to be a culture of getting the little touches and details right, all of which come together to make a memorable experience in business class.

Final Thoughts

Oman Air is an airline offering a splendid business class product, complete with lie-flat business class seats, direct aisle access, professional service, and a great ground experience.

Ultimately, the only way to book Oman Air business class with points is by using Etihad Guest miles.

Luckily, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by transferring points from Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One miles, and even Marriott Bonvoy points!

If flying to Oman is on the top of your to-do list, you’ll definitely want to keep this guide handy.