Flying using Avios? now Oman Air is a very attractive solution (and Rome is cheaper than Milan)

In early June, with a considerable delay, Oman Air has officially joined the oneworld alliance.. The same partnership that links British, Qatar, Qantas, JAL and many other airlines.

For us Italians, but in general for those leaving from the old continent, this news, as we had had the opportunity to write several times, is great news.

Oman Air in the oneworld family

To go from being a company like Emirates or Etihad, that is, untied from any alliance, to joining oneworld is like changing from day to night. Not only because now flights with the Omani national airline can be credited on all cards oneworld, but because points from all these companies can be used to book flights aboard WY.

There are then rumors that, within a short time, Oman Air may abandon his loyalty program, or at least the currency of his Sindbad, to join the family Avios along with QR, BA, IB and AY, but at present there is no official confirmation.

Using Avios to fly with Oman Air

In recent days I helped a reader book tickets for a tour of Southeast Asia, and the solution identified was just to go through Muscat saving Avios and euros compared to a QR ticket, flying on a cabin that is not QSuite, but is no match for the best business class in the world.

When using British Airways Avios to book itineraries with multiple routes, there is no "zone" award table to take advantage of. The calculation is simple: you add up the number of Avios required for each individual flight, based on the distance traveled.

This approach generally makes long-haul flights-such as those from Asia to Europe-uneconomical. With Oman Air, however, there are certain combinations in which each route falls within the cheapest premium bands, allowing for a decidedly advantageous overall cost. And Italy is just a classic example: leaving from Rome is much cheaper than leaving from Milan, the reason? The distance from Muscat. Rome falls in band 4, while MXP, like CDG or LHR, is in band 5.

In a nutshell, the same business class ticket from Rome or Milan, via Muscat, with final destination Bangkok, costs 77,750 Avios from Rome or 100,750 Avios from Milan. In contrast, you save about 15 euros if you depart from Malpensa in terms of taxes and surcharges. Obviously there is also a difference in economy, with the flight from Rome costing 26,000 Avios while 33,750 Avios in total must be used to depart from Malpensa.

Where Oman Air flies

Oman Air does not have a widespread network: in addition to short-haul routes in M.O., it flies to Europe, many Indian destinations, and Southeast Asia: Bangkok, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Jakarta. The destinations are not many, but they are perfect for many Italian travelers, since they allow you to arrive in your favorite locations or, in any case, very close to hot destinations such as Bali, Medan or the whole Asian area.

Oman Air's fleet consists mainly of 787s set up in 2 classes: business and economy. The business chair is one of the most comfortable and beautiful ones on the market today, sure the configuration might be scary, but the Apex Suite is a really top product. Muscat Airport is very nice, the two lounges present both that of Oman Air, that the Primeclass are among the best in the world, especially the second one that For me it is in the world top3.

In conclusion

We'll see if it joins the Avios family, but in the meantime it's one more solution to fly to Asia, or the M.O. by booking with points via British Airways or Qatar.

• Avios