Happy Friday! Oman Air is officially the first airline to get long-haul in-flight WiFi up and running on one of its planes (Lufthansa's abandoned FlyNet of years ago doesn't really count).

Oman Air, which is already known for having some of the poshest airplane bathrooms, has just added to their in-flight amenities with all sorts of fun connectivity. The excellent announcements comes after a successful first flight with the WiFi onboard an Airbus A330 between Muscat and London-Heathrow. It might not be a super long-haul, 13+hour flight, but it's better than nothing.

The service is from OnAir, a company that hasn't worked to supply any US carrier with in-flight WiFi, although maybe they should think about it. Plus, the WiFi is joined by Oman Air's GSM/GPRS abilty, which allows passengers with the proper GSM/GPRS phones to make phone calls and even text message from 35,000 feet up. SWEEET.

Related Stories:
· Mobile and WiFi Internet Access on Oman Air [AsiaTravelTips]
· Phone Home from Oman Air, as They Allow In-Flight Cell Phones and Texting [Jaunted]
· In-Flight WiFi [Jaunted]

[Photo: drewski2112]]]> JetSetCD 2010-03-05T09:35:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/29/81640/7920

Oman Air first impressed us with their unnecessarily nice bathrooms, but now they are moving forward to ruin the entire flight experience—maybe. They are launching full mobile capabilities for first class, business, and economy customers. That means cell phones for all up in the skies. You’ll be welcome to text, tweet, and call all of your friends from your seat. Things should be up and running by the middle of February, which is just in time to apologize to your sweetie for not being home on Valentine’s Day.

In-flight WiFi is also coming to the airline’s entire fleet of Airbus A330s, but cell phones ringing throughout the cabin has us worried. We’ve heard some awful ring tones and text message alerts, and are really hoping that passengers leave things on silent. The airline does promise that the crews will control the services, and that the mobile magic can be limited during quiet times like overnight flights. ]]> kjb 2010-01-29T08:44:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/15/82723/890

If there’s one sign that the economy is on the rebound, it’s probably not the fact that the market topped 10,000 yesterday. The true test of economic recovery comes with crazy luxurious lavatories aboard commercial airliners. Back before the bust, Emirates was all about promoting their shower for the classiest of first class flyers lucky enough to travel the world on the A380. However, now Oman Air wants a piece of the action, and they’re going to do it with their toilet.

Details are limited at this point, but we’re suckers for their trap, and we want to know more already. The airline is ordering up some new Airbus A330-300 aircraft and they’re planning to install the swanky bathrooms aboard the new planes. Only the pilot and first class customers will have access to the lavatory that sits right behind the cockpit. Besides the toilet there will be a bidet, Amouage products, and plenty of other lotions, colognes, and perfumes to keep passengers so fresh and so clean. ]]> kjb 2009-10-15T10:33:38-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/