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Oman Air plans city check-in service to drop off luggage before travel

Oman Air plans city check-in service to drop off luggage before travel

Times of Omana day ago
Muscat: Imagine arriving at Muscat International Airport relaxed, knowing your luggage has already been checked in with Oman Air. No more last-minute bag counts or long airport queues.
Oman's national carrier is planning to introduce its first-ever city check-in centre in Muscat, allowing passengers to drop off their bags and check in ahead of their flight.
The new service would enable travellers to skip airport check-in lines and head straight to immigration, streamlining the pre-flight process.
Speaking to Times of Oman, CEO of Oman Air, Con Korfiatis, said, 'We are actually looking to trial that, to see how it goes. We are not sure whether it will work here because it doesn't work everywhere. Some of the city offices tend to work where people travel long distances to the airport. And people may want to take trains and not be carrying five big luggages on trains. We don't really have a lot of that dynamic here. It's a small city. But having said that, we haven't decided finally, but we are looking to trial it and see how it goes. And if it works and there's big demand for it, then we can invest more in it.'
He also said, 'We will give it a shot and see what it looks like.'
When asked about the timeline of introduction of this service, he said, 'Hopefully before the end of the year.'
Recently, Oman Air has introduced a convenient city check-in service for its guests traveling from Salalah, aimed at easing travel during the busy khareef season.
Launched in partnership with Transom Handling, the 'Maraheb' service allows passengers to complete travel procedures ahead of time at Salalah Gardens Mall, avoiding airport queues and ensuring a smoother, more relaxed travel experience.
This initiative reflects Oman Air's commitment to enhancing guest comfort and operational efficiency, particularly during the khareef season when travel demand to and from Salalah peaks.
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