My husband and I traveled to Marrakech, Morocco over the Christmas holiday. Even though Moroccans don’t celebrate Christmas, December is still the busies time of the year to travel to Morocco. We booked two business class tickets to fly Royal Air Morac.
Royal Air Morac departures from two US destinations, Washington, D.C. (IAD) and New York City (JFK) and fly's a 7 hour nonstop flight to it's hub Casablanca, Morocco. Soon you'll be able to depart from Boston (BOS) and Miami (MIA). Unfortunately you can no longer fly to Marrakech on the same itinerary. If you wish to go to Marrakech or another part of Africa, you'll have to book a separate ticket.
Booking
Royal Air Maroc announced they will soon join the Oneworld alliance the later part of 2020. This is great news because American Airline miles and British Airways Avios can be used and are easy to collect with credit card offers.
If you need to make a redemption before then, your best option is to transfer points to Etihad Airways. This is the cheapest option to book business class from the US to Morocco. I transferred 44,000 American Express Membership Reward points per person to Etihad Airways to book on Royal Air Morac plus paid $207 in taxes. If you don't have AMEX points, you can also transfer Capital One points (at 2:1.5 transfer ratio) or Citi ThankYou points (at 1:1 transfer ratio) to Etihad Airways. This is a no-brainer considering most of the other major mileage programs charge around 75,000 miles one-way for business-class flights to Africa.
Airport Lounge 4*
Our flight departed out of Washington, D.C. (IAD). Royal Air Morac doesn't have a lounge of it's own in D.C. so we had access to the Etihad Airways lounge. The lounge expanded over 2 stories and offered many private seating areas. You can only gain access 2 hours prior to your flight so this controls the lounge not getting overly crowded.
There was a full bar with a bartender to provide top shelf liquor. The self served food options included Moroccan style vegetables, lamp, beef, and chicken to serve over rice. The chicken was pretty tasty. We didn't overindulge because we knew we would be served dinner on our flight.
Seat 5*
After our 2 hour layover, we were finally able to board the new Boeing 787-9. My initial thought was, "wow, this looks like a brand new plane". The seat lay out was 1-2-1. If you are flying solo, it's best to reserve a window seat. If you are flying with someone, book the middle seats as they are closer together. There were 4 different storage compartments for your personal items. Most airlines don't have half this amount of storage space. For my tall folks, you'll be able to comfortably stretch your legs when the seats are fully reclined. With the seats able to lay flat 180 degrees, you'll be guaranteed a full nights rest.
On-board Food 4*
Upon arrival, you are offer a welcome beverage of champagne, water, or juice. Mr. O and I always enjoy a glass of bubbly together before takeoff. Once we were at a safe cruising altitude, we were offered the first course canopy. This consisted of turkey and hummus. We weren't offered a menu so I had to keep asking what was in each dish. The 2nd course was smoked salmon and mozzarella topped with capers and a salad. The salmon was really salty so be mindful of your salt intake on a long haul flight. The 3rd course was the dinner entree. You could choose from beef, fish, or chicken all served with curry sauce and rice. I choose the fish and it was bland but was a large portion. Once completed you are offered a selection of cheese and cold cuts then Morracan dessert. Overall I'll give the food 4 stars. The main course didn't have much seasoning and without a menu, you don't know exactly what to order. Once dinner was complete, they came around to provide a blanket and pillow for resting.
Service 5*
The overall service was great! The staff was more than accommodating with me filming and taking pictures. Some airlines are pretty strict about this. After each course they swiftly came around to clear our plates.
Overall 5*
Overall I'd give this business class flight 5 stars. You can't beat paying 44,000 miles each way, for business class, for a new upgraded plane. We were well rested after the 7 hour flight landing in Casablanca, Morocco. The amenity kit provided and slippers were useful to fill refreshed.
Have you flown Royal Air Morac in business or first class? What was your experience?
