Oman Air rebrands premium cabin, says Oneworld membership delayed but on track

Oman Air hopes to finalize its membership in the global airline alliance, Oneworld, sometime in the second quarter of next year, CEO Con Korfiatis said.

The timeline represents a multi-month delay to the years-long membership process for the Muscat, Oman-based carrier. Oman Air first unveiled plans to join Oneworld and its 13 member airlines in 2022; at the time, the airline said it would complete the process this year. The alliance reaffirmed the timing as recently as June when it announced that Fiji Airlines would also become a member.

While speaking at the Routes World conference in Bahrain Oct. 7, Korfiatis — who only stepped into the CEO role at Oman Air in May — did not say why the airline's Oneworld membership is taking longer than planned. Instead, he focused on what it means for the carrier's reach.

"The alliance allows you to get a significant expansion" without using Oman Air's own aircraft, he said.

Oman Air's network extends from London in the west to Manila, Philippines, in the east; it also incldues Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania.

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The airline operates 33 aircraft, including 23 Boeing 737s and 10 Boeing 787s, according to fleet data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. It has another three 737 MAXes and eight 787s on order.

When asked if Oman Air was considering U.S. flights, Korfiatis said not at this time.

First Class now 'Business Studio'

While Oneworld membership is top of Oman Air's to-do list, the airline recently made a significant shift with its onboard product. The airline stopped selling first-class tickets in August and instead rebranded the cabin as its new "Business Studio."

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Gone are top-shelf Champagnes and caviar with the shift to Business Studio. Instead, the airline is offering an expanded business-class service in the same lie-flat suites that were previously branded as first class.

Korfiatis said the decision was based on low demand for first class and feedback from business travelers who were unable to book the suites owing to corporate travel policies that bar first-class travel. Since the cabin was rebranded and fares were lowered, bookings for the seats have increased by 50%, he added.

"We looked at whether it made sense to rip it off and just have the aircraft in the same configuration as the rest of the 787-9 fleet," Korfiatis said. "It was $20, $25 million, so it didn't make sense ripping it out."

Oman Air's Business Studios are currently only available on two of the airline's 787s that operate flights from Muscat to Bangkok and London, he added.

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