It’s now possible to earn Qantas points & status credits, and to redeem Qantas points, for Royal Air Maroc flights as the Moroccan airline officially becomes a member of the Oneworld alliance!
Royal Air Maroc operates flights across Europe and northern Africa from its hub in Casablanca. It also operates long-haul flights to Brazil, the United States, Canada, the Middle East and China.
Royal Air Maroc joins Oneworld
Royal Air Maroc’s entry into Oneworld on 1 April 2020 comes 16 months after the Moroccan carrier first announced it would join the alliance.
Royal Air Maroc is the first African airline to join the Oneworld alliance. Although Royal Air Maroc does not fly to Australia, it does fly to Oneworld hubs including London, Madrid, Doha, New York and São Paulo. It’s the first Oneworld member based on the African continent, so it fills an important gap in the Oneworld route network.
With Royal Air Maroc now in the Oneworld alliance, you can now include flights with Royal Air Maroc as part of a Oneworld Classic Flight Reward booked with Qantas points. You can also use the airline as part of a Oneworld Explorer round-the-world ticket.
Alaska Airlines has also announced its intention to join the Oneworld alliance in mid-2021. In the meantime, LATAM Airlines is preparing to leave Oneworld at the beginning of next month.
Earning Qantas points & status credits for Royal Air Maroc flights
As a Qantas Frequent Flyer member, you can now earn points and status credits on Royal Air Maroc flights. However, Qantas has not yet updated its website with information on which fare classes will be eligible for earning.
Most Royal Air Maroc routes do not fall into a specific zone in the Qantas Frequent Flyer earning charts for partner marketed flights. So, most flights will earn Qantas points and status credits as per the “all other flights” chart:
The Doha-Casablanca route, which is also served by Qatar Airways, is an exception. Morocco is part of the Northern Africa zone, so it falls into the “Dubai & Doha to Southeast Asia or Northern Africa” category:
All Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald members, including Qantas Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers, now have access to reciprocal Oneworld status benefits when flying with Royal Air Maroc. This includes access to The Casablanca Lounge at Royal Air Maroc’s home airport for Qantas Gold members and higher.
See the Qantas website for a full list of tier benefits.
Redeeming Qantas points with Royal Air Maroc
It’s now possible to book Qantas Classic Flight Rewards for travel on Royal Air Maroc on the Qantas website. Economy class award availability appears to be very good on most routes, however we have not yet seen Business class award availability on any Royal Air Maroc route.
Royal Air Maroc does have fuel surcharges, but they are not too unreasonable. For example, an Economy class flight from Amsterdam to Casablanca will cost 20,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points plus €69.87 (~$125) in fees. This amount includes €42 (~$75) in carrier-imposed charges.
As another example, there is plenty of Economy class award availability on Royal Air Maroc’s flights from New York to Casablanca. An Economy class seat on this route would cost 30,200 Qantas points + USD125.60 (~$206). Of this, USD120 (~$197) is carrier charges.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to book Classic Flight Rewards departing from Morocco – or many other countries, including Qatar and Sri Lanka – on the Qantas website. For some reason, it is also not possible to book one-way or return award flights from Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo to Casablanca on the Qantas website. In these instances, you may need to call Qantas to make a booking using Qantas points.
Royal Air Maroc releases award availability up to 360 days before departure.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Royal Air Maroc to join OneWorld? [CONFIRMED]
