Oman Air has achieved second place in American Express Executive Travel's 2014 Top 12 list of the Best Airlines for Business Class. In announcing the accolade, which was also published by CNN, Executive Travel praised Oman Air's exemplary service, as well as its Business Class cabins and seats. Oman Air was beaten only by Singapore Airlines.
In compiling their list, Executive Travel established a number of baseline criteria, such as fully lie-flat beds, the amount of space between seats and easy access for passengers to the aisle. In addition, the magazine consulted a range of industry experts, including SeatGuru.com and Skytrax, which operates the World Airline Awards, a benchmark of airline excellence based on global surveys of millions of air travellers. The views of travellers, industry insiders, experienced flight attendants and travel bloggers also informed the decision-making process.
Salim Mohammed Al Kindy, Chief Technical Officer and the Acting CEO of Oman welcomed Executive Traveller's announcement, commenting:
"Oman Air is honoured to have achieved second place in Executive Traveler's Top 12 list of Best Airlines for Business Class. We introduced our current Business Class service in 2009, to much acclaim, and being ranked as No.2 in the world in this latest list shows just how far ahead of the game Oman Air remains.
"One of the keys to our success has been that we constantly review our product, listen to our customers and search for new ways to make our Business Class passenger experience even more special.
"That is why we were the first airline in the world to introduce complete inflight mobile phone and Wi-Fi connectivity in 2010, and why we have unveiled luxurious new Business Class lounges at Muscat and Bangkok airports, refined and elegant premium check-in facilities at Muscat, and complimentary chauffeur-driven airport transfers for Business Class passengers at many of our international destinations.
"Oman Air will continue to innovate and push the standards of Business Class travel ever-upward, and we look forward to delighting even more customers as our long haul fleet expands following the arrival later this year of the first of the 20 aircraft we currently have on order.
"In the meantime, we would like to thank all those customers and industry experts whose views have led to Oman Air receiving this wonderful and much-appreciated accolade."
Oman Air's Airbus A330 aircraft each offers 20 Business Class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration which ensures that every passenger enjoys direct aisle access. Every seat in the cabin converts to a fully lie-flat, 77-inch long bed and is accompanied by an ottoman, which enables face-to-face meetings and dining with fellow passengers. Furthermore, every Business Class passenger is able to enjoy Oman Air's extensive range of inflight entertainment options via a 17-inch personal inflight entertainment monitor, which can also be used to access the internet, check emails and view personal electronic devices. Meanwhile, flight attendants offer the highest standards of service and a la carte dining puts Oman Air at the forefront of inflight fine dining.
Oman Air's Business Class seat was named the best in the World by Skytrax, at the World Airline Awards, in 2011 and 2012, and came third in 2013, whilst the overall cabin came second in 2013.
