A perfectly satisfactory airline. Review on Royal Air Maroc

I flew from Ouarzazate via Casablanca, though my return was from Marrakesh. I paid £300 for these flights, quite expensive, and was a little nervous about the generally negative this airline had received here and on other sites.

I need not have been; check in at Heathrow was a breeze and I was soon in the departure lounge. Boarding commenced in good time for a prompt departure of the 737-800, possibly aided by the fact it was only a third full at the most.

Food on the flight was acceptable, a tiny slice of smoked salmon in a air tight plastic bag to start, a choice of beef or fish for the main, and a desert which I did not eat for dietary reasons. I was also served plenty of Moroccan red wine(3 bottles without asking) and a cup of above average coffee(Beer was available too though I do not think they had spirits).

Entertainment was also OK, provided by a number of screens that dropped down, but without sound - though the selection was sensitive to this fact  in that they could be viewed silently(pink panther cartoons and the like).

The cabin crew were smart and professional as well as quickly responsive to the extraordinary number of people who set off their attendant call buttons, mostly I suspect in error as the configuration between those and the light switches was possibly confusing.

We arrived in Casablanca early after a flight of just over 3 hours. The connection time here was a little long and for Ouarzazate, over 3 hours, but had I gone to Marrakesh(potentially much cheaper) and tried to get a bus I would have struggled as snow turned out to be blocking the main route. Casablanca airport offers the basic comforts, but nothing more, however it is confusing in so far as you do not have to pass Immigration until reaching the final destination. Signage and advice from the carrier was not the best.

The connecting flight boarded and departed a few minutes early. It was only 45 minutes, again on a 737-800 and again, less than a third full. A drink service was offered. Ouarzazate is a very basic airport where the runway lights only go on for planes arriving or departing. There are few facilities, but being the only plane there meant the luggage came through quick.

Returning from Marrakesh check in was a little disorganised with people queue jumping, but I have encountered far worse. The short flight to Casablanca took around 30 minutes, the flight was packed with Americans connecting to New York and there was no in flight service. I think the plane was a 737-500.

Thinking I knew the formalities in Casablanca, I found my way through the transit zone to the lounge. Again, the connection was a good 2.5 hours wait. Then, when boarding the plane a very unpleasant security official took away my torch batteries. I was warned by friends who travelled to Mali via Royal Air Maroc that this kind of thing happened, but as there was no problem on the way out, I was less guarded on the return. Still, it is not the fault of the airline, just a factor in using them with a change in Casablanca.

The London flight, as all others, left on time. A 737-800 carried us on the final leg, though it was an older model than the outbound one from London, with screens fixed at intervals in the roof of the cabin and less easy to view. Food was almost identical, but for the starter and beer was my drink of choice this time, the Moroccan beer is surprisingly pleasant.

Overall I cannot see any problem with the airline, the planes were all clean and reasonably comfortable(more so as I had three seats to myself on 3 of the 4 flights) and the crew seem better than many I have encountered on shorter flights, including a good percentage of those in British Airways Club Europe, with which I fly regularly.

I noted the business section on the Royal Air Maroc planes used comprised 12 seats in a 2-2 configuration, which is certainly one up on most Western European carriers.

In conclusion, I would use the airline again and recommend it to others, but watch out if transiting Casablanca, both in terms of the potential for confusion and the security personnel.