Hot on the heels of American Airlines, Air New Zealand and Turkish Airlines, Oman Air is the latest airline to ditch its first-class cabins for good.
Like many of the world’s bigger players, Oman Air is replacing First with a new Business Studio cabin. This latest product will feature predominantly on its London and Bangkok routes. The new seats are in addition to its current business class seat and will be cheaper than first class but at a premium to its standard business seats.
Oman Air’s Business Studio cabin:
Oman Air
Con Korfiatis, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air told Fortune, demand for first-class has seen a diminished demand.” Oman Air’s new Business Studio will offer an 82-inch seat pitch, privacy walls for every seat, a 23-inch personal screen, free Wi-Fi connectivity, and à la carte dining.
Oman Air’s move follows American Airlines, which announced plans to remove international first class when it refurbishes its business class cabins with the latest seats. Instead, American Airlines will offer a new Flagship Suite Preferred seat in the first row of the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 aircraft and on retrofitted Boeing 777-300 aircraft. The suites will offer more space, several storage areas, and exclusive amenities, perfect for executives looking for extra luxury when flying long distances.
Malaysian was one of the first airlines to remove its first class and add business plus seats, which currently offers its Business Studio in the old first class cabin. However, even this has been short-lived as the airline is due to retrofit its Airbus 350s with its new Collins Aviation Elevation business class suites in 2026, eliminating the Business Studios entirely. Financially, it is more lucrative to have all business class seats and business plus as you can have a small number of seats in the same cabin without needing extra staff and provide the same food and drink as business class. Passengers are really just paying for…