Review: Royal Air Maroc ATR 72-600 Business Class

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) – Marakesh (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.