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Royal Air Maroc is out with a new status match offer, giving prospective Safar Flyer members a chance to earn Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status. While the Morocco-based carrier's frequent flyer program won't serve much utility for many travelers, the Oneworld benefits might be enough of a reason to jump on this offer despite the high price tag. But as always, this offer won't make sense for everyone.
Here's all you need to know about Royal Air Maroc's status match offer.
Status Match to Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer for Oneworld Benefits
You can match your status to Royal Air Maroc's Safar Flyer program if you're an elite member of one of 16 airline programs or eight hotel groups. But like most other status match offers, this match has a price tag. Royal Air Maroc will charge you between $150 and $1,500 as an application fee for this status match — depending on the tier you match to. If you're interested in matching to Safar Flyer, pay a visit to Royal Air Maroc's status match website here.
The match now grants Safar Flyer elite status until June 30, 2024. You can extend your status validity to December 31, 2024 if you:
- Fly on an eligible Royal Air Maroc flight and earn at least one status mile from that flight by June 30, 2024 OR
- Have at least one eligible Royal Air Maroc booking linked to your Safar Flyer membership number by June 30, 2024
The Safar Flyer elite status tier you'll get from this status match depends on your current airline status. Of particular interest are the status tiers that match to Safar Flyer Gold and Platinum, which grant Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status, respectively.
Here's a chart that shows all the different airline matches:
| Airline | Safar Flyer Silver | Safar Flyer Gold | Safar Flyer Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Prestige 25K | Elite 35K Elite 50K | Elite 75K Super Elite 100K |
| Air Europa SUMA | Silver | Gold Platinum | N/A |
| Air France Flying Blue | Silver | Gold | Platinum Platinum Ultimate |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | SIlver Medallion | Delta 360 Diamond Medallion Gold Medallion Platinum Medallion | N/A |
| Egyptair Plus | Silver | Elite Gold Platinum | N/A |
| Emirates Skywards | Silver | Gold iO Platinum | N/A |
| Etihad Guest | Silver | Gold Platinum | N/A |
| Gulf Air Falconflyer | Silver | Black Gold | N/A |
| KLM Flying Blue | Silver | Gold | Platinum Platinum Ultimate |
| Lufthansa Miles & More | Frequent Traveller | Senator | Hon Circle |
| Saudia Alfursan | Silver | Gold | N/A |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles & Go | Silver | Gold | N/A |
| Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | Classic Plus | Elite | Elite Plus |
| United Airlines MileagePlus | Premier Silver | Global Services Premier 1K Premier Gold Premier Platinum | N/A |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Silver | Gold | N/A |
| WestJet WestJet Rewards | Silver | Gold Platinum | N/A |
And another chart for the hotel matches:
| Hotel | Safar Flyer Silver | Safar Flyer Gold | Safar Flyer Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless (ALL) | Diamond Gold Platinum Silver | N/A | N/A |
| GHA Discovery | Gold Platinum Titanium | N/A | N/A |
| Hilton Honors | Diamond Gold Silver | N/A | N/A |
| IHG One Rewards | Diamond Elite Gold Elite Platinum Elite Royal Ambassador Silver Elite | N/A | N/A |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Ambassador Elite Gold Elite Platinum Elite Silver Elite Titanium Elite | N/A | N/A |
| Radisson Rewards | Premium VIP | N/A | N/A |
| World of Hyatt | Discoverist Explorist Globalist | N/A | N/A |
| Wyndham Rewards | Diamond Gold Platinum | N/A | N/A |
The fees associated with matching to each tier look like this:
- $150 for Silver (Oneworld Ruby)
- $450 for Gold (Oneworld Sapphire)
- $1,000 for Platinum Lite (Oneworld Emerald)
- $1,500 for Platinum Standard (Oneworld Emerald)
The difference between Platinum Lite and Platinum Standard is that the latter comes with three complimentary business-class upgrade vouchers. Both statuses, however, carry identical Oneworld Emerald benefits.
Once your status match has been approved, the application fees are non-refundable.
Related: Shortcuts to Airline Elite Status With Status Match or Fast Track Opportunities
Safar Flyer Elite Status and Oneworld Benefits
With a steep price tag, you should expect quality benefits to follow. Let's take a look at the benefits you'll enjoy on Royal Air Maroc and on other Oneworld carriers:
As the chart shows, Safar Flyer Silver status yields nothing to write home about. Gold and Platinum, on the other hand, are compelling, courtesy of the access both tiers offer to business-class lounges.
Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can access lounges like Admirals Clubs, even when traveling on a Oneworld carrier other than Royal Air Maroc. This is a great way to make domestic travel much more comfortable — especially in the United States.
Oneworld Emerald via Safar Flyer Platinum is a tad more lucrative, given the access to business- and first-class lounges worldwide. There are some incredible first-class lounges out there, such as those in Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND), Sydney (SYD), and London (LHR).
You'll also have access to extra baggage, priority boarding, and fast-track security. But note that the rubber really meets the road when it comes to lounge access; the primary reason it's worth targeting Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald via status match.
Is It Worth Matching Status to Royal Air Maroc?
On balance, it makes the most sense to match to Royal Air Maroc's Safar Flyer program if you're targeting the benefits of Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status. Chasing Oneworld Ruby via Safar Flyer Silver has little to no merit.
But with a starting price of $450, does it make sense to status match to Royal Air Maroc? Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
There's a net benefit to having a Oneworld-equivalent status tier that affords lounge access — even when you're flying a Oneworld airline other than Royal Air Maroc. In personal experience, there's not much better than booking a cheap economy fare on American Airlines and visiting an Admirals Club on a layover, courtesy of a benefit offered by a foreign airline.
But with this offer, there is a tradeoff. You'll likely have to tie your Royal Air Maroc frequent flyer number to your reservation to take advantage of the Oneworld benefits. Thus, you'll enjoy the lounges and the slew of other benefits courtesy of your status, but you'll rack up Safar Flyer miles in the process. If you don't have a solid use for these miles, you're foregoing an opportunity to earn miles that you'll actually use.
Additionally, the status is only valid for six months. Paying $450–$1,500 for a six-month trial of elite status is a relatively expensive proposition. Keeping it would require flying Royal Air Maroc at least once — or making a reservation before the end of the trial period. That shouldn't be too cumbersome for most people.
Suffice it to say, this status match offer won't be for everyone. Personally, this isn't an offer I'd go out of my way to apply for.
Before deciding on whether or not you'll apply for the status match, consider the flying you'll do in the next six months and the number of chances you'll have to use the benefits. Having status isn't worth it if you can't justify the cost of getting it or regularly enjoy what it affords.
Final Thoughts
Royal Air Maroc is running a status match offer; there's an opportunity to match to the upper ranks of Safar Flyer status, but it comes at a high cost. If you match to Safar Flyer Gold or Platinum, you can take advantage of the Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald benefits. Before you apply, it's worth crunching the numbers to see if this offer makes sense for you.
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