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Mere days after confirming the timeline for Oman Air joining Oneworld, which should happen by the end of 2024, Oneworld's next airline has gone and partnered with founding members of the rival SkyTeam alliance. That's interesting, to say the least.
That's good news for those who love additional options for earning and redeeming their miles, though. And the fact the partnership comes with one of the easiest programs in which to accrue miles should make you especially happy.
Here's what you need to know about the new partnership between Oman Air and Flying Blue, the joint program of Air France and KLM.
Oman Air Partners With Air France–KLM Flying Blue
The partner page here outlines key benefits like earning Flying Blue miles on all Oman Air travel classes: economy, business, and first. You'll earn Flying Blue miles based on flight distance and class of travel. The earning rates are as follows:
| Class of Service | Booking Classes | Earning Rate (% of distance flown) |
|---|---|---|
| First class | P, F | 275% |
| Business class | J, C, D | 175% |
| Business class | R | 150% |
| Economy class | Y, H, M, B | 100% |
| Economy class | K, I, Q, T | 50% |
| Economy class | G, L, N, U, O | 25% |
| Economy class | E | 10% |
It's worth noting that Oman Air applies a minimum distance of 500 miles on domestic flights and 750 miles on international flights. Remember that crediting Oman Air flights to Flying Blue won't earn XP toward status after that feature was eliminated for non-SkyTeam partners.
On top of earning Flying Blue miles on paid Oman Air flights, you can now redeem miles on Oman Air flights. And while the partner page says you can't redeem for Oman Air first class, there is availability on flights between Muscat and Bangkok, but not on any other Oman Air first class routes.
How's the pricing from this partnership? Traveling from Oman Air's hub in Muscat (MCT) to Malé, Maldives (MLE) costs 18,500 miles + $103 in economy and 39,300 miles + $251.
For a nonstop flight from Paris (CDG) to MCT, you'll pay 25,500 miles + $233.50 in economy and 52,100 Flying Blue miles + $462 in business.
Those prices are higher than what Oman Air's Sindbad program charges:
- MCT to MLE
- Economy: 14,000 miles per passenger
- Business: 24,000 miles
- CDG to MCT
- Economy: 24,000 miles
- Business: 46,000 miles
However, the difficulty of accruing Sindbad miles changes the logic here, given that accruing Flying Blue miles is super easy.
Oman Air Route Network
Oman Air doesn't operate any flights to the Americas. However, it has a solid route network throughout the Middle East, several cities in Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and a few cities in Southeast Asia. There's even one country in Africa on this map: Tanzania.
Bottom Line
This is an interesting new partnership, allowing you to earn and redeem Flying Blue miles on Oman Air flights. If you're interested in trying Oman Air's much-praised first class, you sadly can't book it with your Air France or KLM miles. However, more options for earning and redeeming is good news.
However, it comes with some caveats. While you can earn Flying Blue miles on Oman Air flights, you won't earn XP toward Flying Blue elite status. Moreover, the taxes and fees on these awards are higher than average, and there may be better options for pricing. It's worth checking your options before making a redemption.
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