While I was in Amsterdam, I wanted to take a side trip to somewhere else — somewhere to where I had never been before; and somewhere which would be kind to the budget. After whittling my options down to a final three of Serbia, Tunisia and Morocco, I decided on Morocco…
Royal Air Maroc: My First Flight
…and that ultimately meant that I would travel as a passenger aboard an airplane operated by Royal Air Maroc for the first time — but unfortunately, I would not earn any frequent flier loyalty program miles unless I joined as a member of the Safar Flyer program, which I had no desire to do because those miles which I would have earned likely would expire long before I had enough to actually redeem for an award. I could also have earned miles with Iberia, Etihad or Qatar.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft arrived at the gate at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol late, which meant a late departure — but not significantly late, thankfully.
I was assigned to a seat in the economy class cabin, which admittedly looked dated and seemed due to be refreshed.
Sky RAM is the name of the in-flight entertainment service from which passengers can access movies, television shows, games and music on their own portable electronic devices.
At least the seats were of the old style and not of the seemingly wafer-thin “slimline” type of seats. Having a little cushion was nice for the flight of three hours and 35 minutes.
The leg room was good as well. I would have wanted the window seat; but I was assigned to a seat next to the aisle, which was fine by me.
Monitors were attached to the ceiling of the aircraft, rather than each seat having its own display.
Hot meals were served aboard the airplane.
The choices were beef or chicken. I ordered the chicken, which was good but somewhat bland. It came with rice, a salad of carrots and peppers, a roll with spreadable cheese, and plain yogurt. The passenger who was seated next to me ordered the beef, which did not seem to look as good.
The name Royal Air Maroc was adopted on Friday, June 28, 1957, which was 61 years ago; and Hajj flights — in service for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — were launched in 1957 as well.
Royal Air Maroc: My Second Flight
As I was not qualified to enter any lounge at Mohammed V International Airport — which serves the greater Casablanca metropolitan area — I waited at the gate area for my flight back to Amsterdam.
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This is the airplane on which I was to be a passenger for the flight back to Amsterdam.
The seats were identical to the ones aboard the airplane for the originating flight from Amsterdam to Casablanca…
…but this time, I was assigned to a middle seat. Ouch.
This airplane had monitors which popped out of the ceiling, which was a sign that this airplane was a little newer than the one used for the aforementioned originating flight…
…and the progress of the flight was displayed on these monitors. The airplane was flying north over Spain at the time this photograph was taken.
The choice of hot meals for this flight was beef or fish.
I ordered fish with assorted vegetables, a cold lentil salad, a roll with spreadable cheese, and a rolled cake. I actually enjoyed this meal.
Summary
The experience was pleasant aboard airplanes operated by Royal Air Maroc, with the members of the flight crew being cordial to the passengers and speaking Arabic, French and English. The food was good as well. I did not receive my seat assignments until I checked in for the flight at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
At a total cost of $282.40 round trip purchased via Priceline.com, I thought that the airfare was a little more expensive than I would have liked — but then again, I did purchase this ticket fairly close to the departure date. I probably would have scored a better deal had I planned this trip more time in advance.
Although nothing special or remarkable occurred during either flight, I would consider flying as a passenger aboard an airplane operated by Royal Air Maroc again.
I intend to write additional articles of my experiences in Morocco — including of my visits to Fez and Marrakech, as well as lodging, food, renting a car and driving — but here are three articles which I have already written:
- And As the Full Moon Rises Over Medina of Fes in Morocco…
- How a Toll Collector in Morocco Tried to Swindle Me Out of Money — and Failed
- Mohammed VI Bridge in Morocco
All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
