Airline: Royal Air Maroc
Route: YUL-CMN
Flight: AT209
Class: J
Aircraft: 747-400 (CN-RGA)
Duration: 6 hours
Seat: 1K
BackgroundWith the 747 on the verge of extinction, I like flying them when possible. I recently had the opportunity to fly a 747, and not just any 747, but the one which is perhaps the most unique. I say the most unique because Royal Air Maroc had all of 1 (now retired) 747 which they flew between Casablanca and Montreal in the summer, and Casablanca and Nice in the winter. This aircraft also doubled as the presidential aircraft used to transport the president when needed, which is why you’d occasionally see the flight substituted with a 787 or 767.
The AircraftApart from the 16 angle-flat business class seats in the nose, the entire aircraft was in an all-economy class configuration. Booking this flight was easy enough and cost just 44,000 Etihad Guest miles (transferred from American Express MR).
The age of the aircraft and lack of upkeep was evident. The plane was bathed in a dim aging fluorescent yellow light and the seat fabric was frayed and peeling. Out of the 16 seats in the business class cabin, I doubt there was 1 seat in perfect working order. The bathroom was small and not the cleanest. It seemed like the faucets ran out of water towards the end of the flight as by time I went to the bathroom the water was coming out in drips.
Upon entering the business class cabin, I started taking pictures of the cabin but immediately the purser came rushing over waving her hands and said pictures are not permitted. Truth be told, if I ran an airline, and my aircraft was in such a condition, I’d also not want pictures to be taken!
The FlightThe flight departed early and after a quick taxi we were airborne. I’d like to mention here that all PA’s, including the safety demonstration, were only made in French and Arabic which is quite disconcerting. As an English speaker, I had no idea that smoking was prohibited, nor what that weird buckle sign above my head meant
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Something I was not prepared for was the loud grinding noise the nose gear makes as it is being retracted, but once it was fully retracted the cabin was quiet. The flight was a short 6-hour red eye, however, dinner took almost an hour and half, and breakfast was served 90 minutes prior to landing, so that left only 3 hours of rest. Although, being the seats were angle-flat, and not the most comfortable, I was only able to get about an hour-and-a-half of sleep anyway.
For the most part, the flight was smooth but the seatbelts were turned on for a bit during the flight. The views of Morocco upon descent were spectacular!
The Food and ServiceUpon settling in, the flight attendant came around with a selection of drinks (I selected fruit juice) followed by an amenity kit and slippers. Once we reached cruising altitude, the crew commenced service.
After confirming they had a kosher meal on board, the flight attendant proceeded with giving me the non-kosher appetizer. Weird! She removed it they brought the kosher meal which was catered by Montreal Kosher. The meal was… ok. Nothing special, but edible. The starter was some fish in a mustard sauce and a chick pea and corn salad. The main course consisted of meat in a tomato sauce with noodles. Dessert was piece of cake.
Breakfast was served about 90 minutes out of Casablanca and commenced with a hot-towel. The breakfast was an omelet with sautéed potatoes and tomato sauce. It was accompanied by some tinned pineapple, a croissant and a bread roll. Again, nothing spectacular.
While the service wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t good. If felt like the crew was “going through the motions” – not unlike what you’d receive on American or United.
Final ThoughtsWhen ranking the world best business classes, Royal Air Maroc is most certainly not ranking anywhere near the top. Their hard and soft products were both lacking; however, I am still grateful I flew this unique (now extinct) product.
Non-kosher Amuse-bouche
