Royal Air Maroc
What an American traveler needs to know before booking.
Royal Air Maroc
Economy · Boeing 787
Royal Air Maroc is the Hawaiian Airlines of North Africa — a flag carrier that punches above its weight on hardware but reminds you it's a regional-first operation the moment something goes sideways.
The real deal
The booking page sells you on a oneworld partner with wide-body jets; what you actually get is a government airline where the planes can be genuinely good but the operational consistency, schedule reliability, and ground experience haven't caught up to the metal yet — the gap between hardware promise and service delivery is the whole story here.
Seat
Adequate on the 787, noticeably less so on the 767 — fine for a medium overnight, but a full transatlantic day flight will remind you this is economy.
Lounge
Economy passengers don't get lounge access, and you shouldn't expect an exception — plan your CMN layover accordingly.
Food
Moroccan-influenced catering sounds more interesting than it eats — portions are decent but execution is inconsistent, and the second meal is a step down from the first.
Screen
The IFE library is passable with some Arabic, French, and English content, but it's not deep enough to carry a long flight solo — download your own before boarding.
BagsChecked allowance is a genuine bright spot — more generous than you'd expect for the price point, and it won't ambush you at the counter the way US carrier bag fees do.
GotchaCasablanca CMN connections are the single biggest risk: the airport runs closer to its limits than its size suggests, transfers can be chaotic during peak season, and a short international connection here has a meaningful chance of becoming an overnight.
vs US EconomyIt's a step above a United domestic-widebody squeeze, but don't mistake decent legroom and a working screen for a premium product — this is economy, served like economy.
Secretly goodThe checked baggage allowance is genuinely generous by transatlantic standards — you won't be nickel-and-dimed on a suitcase the way you would on most US carriers or low-cost-influenced legacies.
Watch outSchedule changes and delays on Morocco-routing itineraries are common enough that you should treat your connection buffer as a serious calculation, not a formality.
Watch outOneworld status recognition is inconsistent — don't assume your elite perks will clear smoothly at check-in; confirm in advance and have documentation ready.
Watch outCustomer service recovery when things go wrong is slow and opaque by US standards — if your bag goes missing or a flight disrupts, you are in a longer, less responsive loop than you're used to dealing with American carriers.
as of 2026-06-19