I flew down from Casablanca to Marakesh in Royal Air Maroc on an ATR 72-600 in business class and found the 124-mile flight was quite a (sweet) treat.
Royal Air Maroc ATR 72-600 Business Class Review (CMN-RAK)
After arriving from New York, I had a long layover in Casablanca, which I spent in Royal Air Maroc’s domestic La Médina Lounge.
Boarding for my short domestic flight was set to begin at 11:15 am (45 minutes before departure) according to my boarding pass and did indeed begin at that time.
The domestic terminal has only a few gates in which you walk out and board a bus to your aircraft.
Business Class Van
Business class passengers were invited to board a dedicated van rather than a bus, which included a luggage storage area on the right side and was air-conditioned.
However, the seat I sat down in was broken…it reminded me of an American Airlines A321T! 😉
After pulling up to the aircraft, we were invited to board.
Royal Air Maroc 201
Casablanca (CMN) – Marrakesh (RAK)
Sunday, July 21
Depart: 12:00 PM
Arrive: 1:05 PM
Duration: 1 hr, 05 min
Distance: 124 miles
Aircraft: ATR 72-600
Seat: 2C (Business Class)
The ATR 72 boards from the rear of the aircraft and business class is in the first three rows (some carriers have business class in the rear as well so business class passengers can be first off).
Seats
Business class includes 12 Geven Neo Prestige slimline seats in a 2-2 configuration (the same seats as in economy class). There is no seat blocking, so you will have a neighbor if the flight is full.
Seat pich is 32 inches, which is two inches more than economy class. The seats are 18 inches wide and recline two inches. There are no power outlets.
Economy class:
Business class:
There are individual air vents, which were particularly appreciated because it was an extremely hot day and there was no a/c running onboard (no APU?).
The cabin was not in great shape…
The flight deck crew powered up the turboprop (those propellers are loud!) and we soon took off.
Food + Drink
I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the food on domestic RAM flights, but I have to admit I really liked the service…and it was only a 124-mile flight after all.
Before takeoff, a lemon-mint juice was offered, which I found refreshing.
Once we were in the air, cookies and tea were served…a simple but satisfying snack. The cookies were delicious (my usual diet does not have cookie allowances), especially the pink one with rosewater, and the tea was good too…I liked it. Other beverages were not offered but appeared to be available on request.
As an aside, it looked like there was no food or beverages offered in economy class.
Service
The flight attendants were lovely and the one working business class hustled to serve the cabin on a flight that was only in the air for 30 minutes and also offered tea refills.
Lavatory
The ATR 72-600 has one lavatory in the back and it was tiny! But it was clean.
CONCLUSION
We landed early at Marrakesh Menara Airport and after clearing passport control (yes, I did not do it in Casablanca), I was on my way to the Park Hyatt Marrakesh.
I enjoyed the simple snack and kind service on this flight and appreciate the effort of Royal Air Maroc to offer a differentiated business class product, even on short national flights.
We will be doing a similar trip later this year. AF ORD-CDG-CMN in Business but are planning to connect to a train in Casablanca.
I don’t love ATR-72s and the train is just 2 hours vs flight time of an hour. A little bit of a hustle to transfer to Casa Voyageurs station, but I like the idea of seeing some of the countryside on the way to Marrakech and the fare in First Class is just $40.
Two hours is a bit optimistic and it’s a pity that CMN is served off a branch line rather than being on the main line to Marrakech,
Yeah, you’re probably right, more like 2 1/2. But flight frequency means a long-ish connection for us in CMN, so train winds up arriving just an hour later than the ATR. A tradeoff I’m happy to make.
What was the situation with bags and overhead bins? Did you have your bags gate checked?
That’s a good question. They are gate-checked and placed in the front of the plane, then retrieved on arrival.
Didn’t you usually blur the faces, also the fa faces?
How does the customs clearance work if it’s a domestic flight? I.e. How do they know who’s domestic and who’s international?
Wow, for 2″ of pitch, some cookies, and last off the plane, I think I’d pay an extra dozen dirham to upgrade to J.
LOL cute
“However, the seat I sat down in was broken…it reminded me of an American Airlines A321T! ” Sums up my life.
While I’m glad your experience was good, our was not. We flew from Cairo to Casablanca on Air Maroc business class. The service was not only non existant, but when we not getting checked on by the flight attendants after the meal service, we found them asleep in the gallery for the rest of the trip. It was unconscionable to see this behavior. I did try to report this to the airline but was unsuccessful. I would never consider flying with them again.
Happy that you enjoyed your flight with Royal Air Maroc.
I flew with them many years ago and it always brings back pleasant memories.