Flying from Muscat in 2026? This guide puts SalamAir and Oman Air side by side: every fare and what it includes, cabin and checked baggage by route, change and cancellation fees, extra-bag prices, infants, Zamzam and power banks, onboard comfort — and which ticket to book for a family trip, a weekend away or a business trip.
Two airlines from Muscat, two very different tickets. On the booking screen SalamAir often looks cheaper — until you add a suitcase, a seat next to your children and a meal. Oman Air often looks more expensive — until you notice that on many India and Karachi flights its cheapest fare already includes 20 kg. Which one is really the better deal depends on your bags, your dates and how sure you are of your plans.
This guide compares every fare of both airlines in 2026: what each one includes, cabin and checked baggage by route, change and cancellation fees, extra-bag prices, special rules for infants, Zamzam water and power banks, comfort on board — and finally which ticket to book for your kind of trip. All rules come from salamair.com and omanair.com wherever the airlines publish them; where a figure comes from another source, we say so.
Checked on 11 October 2026. Airlines change fare rules and baggage prices often, and prices vary by route, date and seat availability. Always check the fare rules shown before you pay — or send us the route and we check them for you.
SalamAir vs Oman Air at a glance
- 5 kg vs 7 kg
- Cabin bag on the cheapest fare: SalamAir under-seat, Oman Air one piece
- 0 kg
- Checked bag on SalamAir Lite and Saver
- 20 kg
- Oman Air Super Saver on India, Karachi, Dhaka and other selected routes
- OMR 20 + difference
- SalamAir change fee on Lite, Saver and Value
- OMR 5 per kg
- SalamAir airport excess to India and Pakistan
- 32 kg
- Maximum for any single checked bag on both airlines
Low-cost vs full-service: the difference in one table
SalamAir is Oman’s low-cost airline: you buy a basic seat and pay for everything else — bags, seat choice, food. Oman Air is the national, full-service airline: even the cheapest ticket includes a larger cabin bag, meals on international flights and Sindbad miles. Neither model is “better”; they suit different trips.
| SalamAir (low-cost) | Oman Air (full-service) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest fare | Lite | Economy Super Saver |
| Cabin bag on cheapest fare | 5 kg under the seat | 7 kg, one piece |
| Checked bag on cheapest fare | None | None on most routes; 20 kg on selected routes |
| Meals | For sale on board; snack in Flexi | Included on international flights (Economy) |
| Seat choice | Paid on Lite; included in bundles | Paid on Super Saver and Comfort; standard seat included in Flex |
| Miles | No miles listed with the fares | Sindbad miles on every fare |
SalamAir fares explained: Lite, Saver, Value and Flexi
SalamAir sells one base fare, Lite, and three bundles on top of it. Old names such as “Light” or “Friendly” still appear on some booking sites — and with them an outdated 7 kg cabin bag. The official fares page is the one to trust.
| Fare | Cabin bag | Checked bag | Seat | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | 5 kg under the seat | None | Paid | Free online check-in |
| Saver | 5 kg + 10 kg trolley | None | Included | Priority check-in and boarding |
| Value | 5 kg under the seat | 20 kg | Standard seat included | Free airport check-in |
| Flexi | 5 kg + 10 kg trolley | 30 kg | Any seat included | Snack, priority, one free change |
- The free cabin bag is small: one piece of 5 kg that fits under the seat, at most 25 × 33 × 20 cm. A wheeled trolley (up to 10 kg, 56 × 45 × 25 cm) needs Saver, Flexi or the paid Trolley Bag service.
- Checked bags come in blocks: 10, 20 or 30 kg as one piece, or 40 kg as two pieces — bought at booking or later in Manage Booking. Allowances cannot be shared between passengers.
- The airport is the expensive place to pay: excess weight costs OMR 4 a kilo on domestic and nearby Gulf routes, OMR 5 a kilo on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh routes and OMR 7 on connecting flights, plus airport charges; an extra piece is OMR 15 plus charges (SalamAir baggage).
- Limits: no bag over 32 kg or 160 cm (length + width + height); televisions larger than 55 inches are refused.
Oman Air fares explained: Super Saver, Comfort and Flex
Oman Air has three Economy fares and three Business fares. The important twist since April 2026: on selected routes Oman Air adds 10 kg to every Economy fare, so even Super Saver includes 20 kg. The official fare page lists Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Goa, Karachi, Dhaka, Manila, Cairo, Baghdad, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Gulf and Salalah flights are not on the list.
| Fare | Cabin bag | Checked — most routes | Checked — selected routes | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Super Saver | 7 kg | None | 20 kg | Paid |
| Economy Comfort | 7 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | Paid |
| Economy Flex | 7 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg | Standard seat included |
| Business Comfort | 2 × 7 kg | 40 kg | 40 kg | Included |
| Business Flex | 2 × 7 kg | 50 kg | 50 kg | Included |
| Business Studio | 2 × 7 kg | 60 kg | 60 kg | Included |
- Weight, not pieces: on most routes the checked allowance is a total in kilos, split over as many bags as you like — but no bag over 32 kg or 158 cm. Some long-haul routes (for example India–Canada) use a piece system instead.
- Cabin bag: one piece up to 7 kg and 115 cm in Economy; two pieces in Business.
- Seats: standard seats are free to choose at check-in; Choice and Extra Legroom seats start from OMR 1 and are not refundable (seat selection).
- Miles: every fare earns Sindbad miles, but only Flex (and Business) can be upgraded with miles.
- Extra bags: sold online, at Oman Air offices and through travel agencies; prices are published by region and are higher at the airport.
Baggage allowance side by side
| Level | SalamAir | Oman Air — Gulf, Salalah, most routes | Oman Air — India, Karachi, Dhaka and other selected routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | Lite: 5 kg cabin, 0 kg checked | Super Saver: 7 kg cabin, 0 kg checked | Super Saver: 7 kg cabin, 20 kg checked |
| Middle | Value: 5 kg cabin, 20 kg checked | Comfort: 7 kg cabin, 20 kg checked | Comfort: 7 kg cabin, 30 kg checked |
| Top | Flexi: 5 + 10 kg cabin, 30 kg checked | Flex: 7 kg cabin, 30 kg checked | Flex: 7 kg cabin, 40 kg checked |
Two practical points. First, SalamAir’s 20 and 30 kg allowances are one piece, so a family with two medium suitcases needs the 40 kg (two-piece) option or a second bag. Oman Air’s weight system lets you split the kilos. Second, Oman Air’s Islamabad and Lahore tickets are mostly connections or codeshares, so the selected-route bonus may not apply — check the baggage line on the e-ticket. For routes, see our Muscat to India and Muscat to Pakistan guides.
The real price: why a “cheap” fare can cost more
The headline price is only the start. To compare honestly, build the same trip on both airlines: fare + checked bag + seat + food. Here is what you must add to the cheapest fare on a Muscat–India flight, where Oman Air’s Super Saver includes 20 kg:
| To travel with… | SalamAir Lite | Oman Air Super Saver (selected route) |
|---|---|---|
| A 20 kg suitcase | Buy a 20 kg bag online (price shown at booking) — or about OMR 100 + charges at the airport | Included |
| A 7 kg wheeled cabin bag | Saver bundle or paid Trolley Bag | Included |
| Seats together | Paid, or a bundle | Paid (from OMR 1), or free standard seat at check-in |
| A meal | Buy on board or pre-order | Included |
| A date change | OMR 20 + fare difference | Highest change fee + fare difference |
Rule of thumb: carry-on only, short flight, fixed dates — SalamAir Lite is usually hard to beat. One or more suitcases on an India or Karachi route — Oman Air Super Saver is often the same or cheaper once the bag is added. On Gulf and Salalah routes neither cheapest fare includes a bag, so compare SalamAir Value with Oman Air Comfort.
Changes, cancellations and refunds
| Fare | Change | Cancel | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| SalamAir Lite, Saver, Value | OMR 20 + fare difference | OMR 25 fee | Up to 48 hours before departure |
| SalamAir Flexi | One free change, then OMR 10 + difference | OMR 25 fee | Up to 24 hours before |
| Oman Air Super Saver | Allowed, highest fee + difference | Not refundable | Fee shown when you change |
| Oman Air Comfort | Lower fee + difference | Refund minus a fee | Fee shown when you change |
| Oman Air Flex | No fee, fare difference only | Refund minus a fee | Before departure |
SalamAir publishes fixed fees per passenger and per flight; Oman Air shows the exact amount only when you start a change, because it depends on the route. Both airlines charge any fare difference on top. A no-show usually means you lose the fare, so if plans change, act before the deadline. Seats and extra bags you bought are generally not refunded.
Comfort on board, punctuality and networks
| SalamAir | Oman Air | |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Airbus A320neo and A321neo | Boeing 737 and 787 Dreamliner |
| Seat pitch | About 29–31 inches (third-party figure) | 30 inches on 737 MAX, 31 on 787-8 (airline spec) |
| Screens | No seatback screens | Seatback screens on 737 MAX and 787 |
| Wi-Fi | None reported | On the 787 only |
| Meals | For sale; snack in Flexi | Included on international flights |
| Lounge | Not part of the fares | Included in Business; paid in Economy |
On a one-hour hop to Dubai or Salalah, the difference hardly matters. On a three- or four-hour flight to Kerala or Dhaka with children, a meal and a screen do. Punctuality: SalamAir reports its own on-time departures — 76% in the third quarter of 2026 and 80% in the second (SalamAir press). We found no comparable 2026 figure for Oman Air, which was the most punctual airline in the Middle East in Cirium’s older reviews.
Where both fly: both serve Salalah, the Gulf and the main Indian cities from Muscat. SalamAir has the wider Pakistan network (Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Sialkot); Oman Air flies non-stop only to Karachi in Pakistan but to more cities in southern India. The two airlines also codeshare, so check which one actually operates your flight. See our Muscat to Salalah guide.
Infants, students, Zamzam, sports kit and power banks
- Infants: Oman Air gives 10 kg extra for an infant on every fare except the cheapest Economy fare; strollers and carry cots go free. SalamAir publishes no separate infant allowance — book a bag for the baby’s things.
- Students: we found no general student baggage offer on either airline. Oman Air mentions extra baggage for Omani students on some fares, bought at its offices — ask us before booking.
- Zamzam water: Oman Air accepts up to 5 litres from Jeddah, Madinah or Taif as checked baggage on top of your allowance, sealed in official packaging. SalamAir’s pages give no Zamzam rule, so confirm before you fly. More in our Umrah from Oman guide.
- Sports equipment: on Oman Air it counts within your normal allowance; on SalamAir golf bags, surfboards and bicycles must be pre-booked and carry handling fees.
- Power banks: both airlines allow up to two, each up to 100 Wh, in the cabin only — never in checked bags, never charged or used in flight, and not in the overhead lockers.
Power bank rating must be visible. SalamAir may refuse a power bank with no Wh rating printed on it, and recommends keeping it below 25% charge. Oman Air accepts spare batteries between 100 and 160 Wh only with approval at check-in.
Which ticket should I book?
| Traveller | Usually best | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Family flying home to India or Karachi with suitcases | Oman Air Super Saver or Comfort | 20–30 kg included, weight split over bags, meals |
| Weekend trip, carry-on only | SalamAir Lite or Saver | Lowest fare if 5 or 10 kg is enough |
| Business traveller | Oman Air Flex | Free changes, standard seat, miles upgrade |
| Student moving with heavy bags | Oman Air Flex or SalamAir Flexi | Big allowance; pre-buy extra online |
| Parent with an infant | Oman Air Comfort | 10 kg infant allowance and meals |
| Short Gulf or Salalah hop with one bag | SalamAir Value vs Oman Air Comfort | Both 20 kg — pick the cheaper |
If your dates may move — a visa still pending, a family event not yet fixed — a flexible fare often pays for itself after one change. If you are certain of the dates and travel light, the cheapest fare of either airline is fine.
Before you pay: baggage checklist
Check these six things
0 of 6 readyHow SKY LINE TRAVEL helps
- We compare airlines and fares with bags included, so you see the real total, not the headline price.
- Same-day e-ticket on WhatsApp or email, with your booking reference (PNR).
- Extra baggage added before you fly, at the online price.
- Date changes and refunds handled with the airline for you.
- Group and family bookings on one reservation.
SalamAir vs Oman Air: frequently asked questions
How many kilos can I take on SalamAir?
Every fare includes a 5 kg under-seat bag. Lite and Saver have no checked bag; Value includes 20 kg and Flexi 30 kg, each as one piece. You can buy 10, 20, 30 or 40 kg online.
Does Oman Air Super Saver include a checked bag?
Only on selected routes — such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Karachi and Dhaka — where it includes 20 kg. On Gulf, Salalah and most other routes it is cabin bag only (7 kg).
Is SalamAir’s cabin bag 7 kg?
No. The free cabin bag is 5 kg and must fit under the seat (25 × 33 × 20 cm). A 10 kg trolley comes with Saver and Flexi or as a paid add-on.
How much is extra baggage at the airport on SalamAir?
OMR 5 per kilo on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh routes, OMR 4 on domestic and nearby Gulf routes and OMR 7 on connecting flights, plus airport charges. Buying online in advance is cheaper.
Can I change my SalamAir ticket?
Yes: OMR 20 plus any fare difference up to 48 hours before departure on Lite, Saver and Value. Flexi includes one free change up to 24 hours before.
Which airline is better with a baby?
Oman Air gives an extra 10 kg for an infant on all fares except the cheapest Economy fare, plus meals. On SalamAir you buy a bag for the baby’s things.
Can I carry a power bank?
Yes, up to two of 100 Wh or less on both airlines, in your cabin bag only. You cannot use or charge them during the flight.
Can SKY LINE TRAVEL book either airline?
Yes. Send your route and bags on WhatsApp +968 7411 6797 or through our contact page. We compare fares with bags included and issue the e-ticket the same day. Create a free account to keep your trips in one place.
