This review is about one of those experiences you can't believe you had, although I'm not surprised…read moreit came to fruition.
I needed to travel between Portugal's OPO airport and more populous Europe. I wanted to use miles from my American Airlines account to do it, thinking their partner Iberia (of Spain) would offer up a linear enough route for a low number of miles.
That wasn't the case. Coming in at a mere 12,500 miles and about $50, another AA partner - Royal Air Maroc (RAM) - offered this trek. This wasn't an everyday trek, with an early afternoon arrival to their hub in Casablanca, having to overnight, and then continuing the following morning.
There were several incentives to do it: one can check off setting foot on the African continent, albeit Mediterranean in affect and not at all sub-Saharan, one could spend part of a day in Casablanca, the lodging cost was about a "wash," and the final leg was operated with a Boeing 787, of which RAM is justifiably proud. Also, had French not been the official second language, I would have never considered this! Are you seeing the payoff of taking French instead of Latin with insufferable debate club types while in Catholic high school?
The trip began at Porto's likeable OPO airport. RAM had a few counters open and I was able to check in 2 pieces of luggage. Out on the field was an ATR 72-600 prop instead of the expected Boeing 737! Truth be told, this strange looking prop did its job, taking off effortlessly and navigated the skies just outside the Strait of Gibraltar to this not that far away yet "exotic" place to change planes. Everything on board was perfunctory, including the service. They did feed you, which was much appreciated at about lunch time.
The next day's continuing journey would be much more involved. One had to return to Casablanca Airport (CMN) on the ONCF commuter train, which was reasonably priced and travels to and from the Casa-Port station in the center.
This time, things weren't as pleasant. The counter wanted to charge me for that second bag when my confirmation said 2 pieces. I didn't argue with them because I quickly shuffled things and carried on 2 small bags.
Once aboard the aircraft, one asks themselves what's there not to like about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner! I very much like the 787 and had a good window seat close to the front. The ambient conditions were good, the seats were comfortable, and they served lunch.
The cabin staff was a little curt and, as I walked around the cabin and took a few photos of it with the cabin dimmed, one of the flight attendants got unhinged. People might just do that to commemorate something as unique and atypical as flying on a RAM 787. On the other hand, the fact that it is Royal Air Maroc could bring about these stricter protocols.
Since there is no provision to review CMN, I'll include some observations about this airport - the airline's home. Passport control was slow and it was even slower in the security queue the following day. Both check-in and security were very bureaucratic and sort of sullen. However, once into the gate area for their larger planes for international trips, that concourse is nice enough.
Note that, as you wheel your luggage from baggage claim to the ONCF train to the city, there might be overly friendly cats who might greet you and have no qualms about climbing on top of your luggage. This could have been one of the better things about deplaning in Casablanca.
Coincidentally, a friend was flying on RAM from Montreal to Northern Italy a few days before. Without having to leave the airport at Casablanca, he reported that everything was satisfactory: the food on board was decent, the service was attentive, and they used "a real big plane" from Montreal to Casablanca. The 787 is commodious, but not exactly huge.
Royal Air Maroc does not go too far west into the U.S. - it's New York-JFK, Washington DC, Boston, and Miami. In Canada, they go to Montreal year round. This makes sense since a fair number of places in the Arab speaking world overlap with the French speaking world.
An afternoon in Casablanca is a rushed experience. I walked by Rick's Café en route to their landmark oceanside mosque. I had wanted to eat at Rick's, but, by dinnertime, I was exhausted by the sensory overload of all that had taken place earlier and would likely take place continuing the trek the following morning.
In short, Royal Air Maroc was squarely a 3-star experience. The price was right in terms of American Airlines points and they often price competitively to cart people between Europe and North America through their Casablanca hub. Their planes are pleasant, the food was fine, the baggage allowance is respectable (if they adhere to it), and the flights were fairly punctual. The on-board service is sort of staid and not engaged, and using Casablanca airport is not my idea of a picnic. I'm glad I got to tick off this box and I'll leave it at that.