Perth to Zürich
via Bangkok & Muscat.
CHF 2,300 return.

CHF 2,300 return Business Class from Australia to Europe. Let that number sit for a second. That's less than some people pay for an economy ticket on the same route. It's less than a one-way business class seat from Zürich to New York. And it includes two of the best Boeing 787 Dreamliner business class products currently flying.

This was a cash fare, booked well in advance, on a routing that most Swiss travellers wouldn't think to search: Perth to Bangkok on Thai Airways, then Bangkok to Muscat to Zürich on Oman Air. Two relatively underrated carriers, one very competitive codeshare, and a journey that took me through the Middle East at a moment in early March 2026 when the words "Muscat stopover" were causing raised eyebrows from family members following the news more closely than I was.

More on that shortly.

The SilverKris Lounge, Perth.
Genuinely one of the best.

I want to start here because the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Perth Airport is consistently underrated in the global lounge conversation, and it deserves better. It's the kind of lounge where you genuinely have to remind yourself there's a flight to catch.

The food spread is outstanding — actual hot dishes, a well-stocked bar with local Western Australian craft beers, and enough variety that you could eat a full meal and still be eyeing the cheese section on the way out. It doesn't have the flashy architectural ambition of some Asian mega-lounges, but what it does better than most is feel genuinely comfortable. Good furniture, sensible lighting, not too crowded.

Access in this case was through the Thai Airways Business Class ticket — Thai is a Star Alliance member, and the lounge arrangement at Perth gives Business Class passengers on Star Alliance carriers access to the SilverKris product. If you're routing through Perth on a premium cabin ticket with a Star Alliance carrier, factor this in.

Thai Airways Business Class
Perth → Bangkok
787 Dreamliner · 6.5 hours

Thai Airways' Boeing 787-9 on the Perth–Bangkok route is one of those pleasant surprises you stumble on when you stop defaulting to the obvious carriers. The cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 layout — which means every seat has direct aisle access — with 30 Business Class seats in a reverse herringbone arrangement. Not the most cutting-edge product in the sky, but it does the basics very well and then some.

The signature detail is unmistakable: purple mood lighting and an orchid-scented cabin. It sounds gimmicky and you either love it or find it slightly overwhelming. I'm in the "love it" camp, mostly because it commits so fully to a distinctive identity at a time when most airline cabins look like they were designed by the same committee using the same shade of beige.

The bed — fully flat, about 198cm — is generously proportioned even if you're on the taller side. The 6.5-hour Perth–Bangkok sector is long enough to get a proper sleep cycle in, and the cabin temperature was well controlled throughout. Thai's flight attendants are excellent: warm, attentive, and with the particular quality of making you feel like the service is something they genuinely want to provide.

Food was solid. Multi-course service, well presented, and the Thai signature touches — the hot cloth ritual, the attention to small details — elevate what would otherwise be a competent meal service into something that feels considered. The champagne was Laurent-Perrier. The Thai milk tea served mid-flight, with jelly cubes, sounds like it shouldn't work and very much does.

We landed in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi with a couple of hours to connect. The Royal Orchid Lounge at BKK is a solid Star Alliance Gold facility — fine food, reasonable shower availability, and the particular energy of a major Asian hub at mid-afternoon. Then back on board for the second Dreamliner of the trip.

Bangkok to Muscat.
Timing is everything, apparently.

So. March 2026. The US and Israel had, as of 28 February, launched Operation Epic Fury — a large-scale military campaign targeting Iran. The region was, to use the diplomatic term, experiencing some turbulence. Dubai's airport had taken drone hits. The Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. And here I was, booked on an Oman Air flight routing directly through Muscat — which, for those without a map handy, is about 400km from the Iranian coast across the Gulf of Oman.

I want to be clear: I did not book this flight knowing any of this would happen. I booked it months earlier for the entirely boring reason that it had good timing and a very competitive fare. The fact that my Muscat stopover coincided with the most significant Middle East military escalation in years was, let's say, unplanned.

In practice: Oman Air kept flying. Muscat remained calm — Oman has spent decades cultivating its role as a diplomatic neutral party in the region, and that reputation meant it was broadly insulated from the immediate violence. Iranian airspace was closed, requiring some routing adjustments, but Muscat International was fully operational. The flight went ahead. I landed, connected, and continued to Zürich without incident.

I will note that the business class lounge at Muscat International Airport is not where you want to be checking news alerts during a regional conflict. I can confirm the Wi-Fi worked, the food was excellent, and I switched my phone to flight mode somewhat earlier than strictly necessary.

Oman Air Business Class
Muscat → Zürich
787 Dreamliner · Collins Apex Suite

Here's the thing about Oman Air that most people don't know, largely because it doesn't get talked about the way Emirates, Qatar, or Etihad do: it has one of the best business class seats in the sky. Not "best for its size" or "best considering the price." Just: one of the best, full stop.

The Collins Aerospace Apex Suite on the 787-9 is the same seat fitted on Japan Airlines and Korean Air — airlines with some of the most devoted followings in the aviation world. On paper it's a 2-2-2 configuration, which sounds underwhelming. In practice, it's brilliant.

The aisle access thing — why it actually matters

The Apex Suite is staggered. In every pair of seats, one sits slightly forward and one sits slightly back, with a small private walkway between them. Every single passenger — including those in window seats — has direct aisle access without stepping over anyone. This sounds like a small thing. It is not a small thing. Being able to get up at 3am without disturbing the person next to you, or being disturbed by them getting up, is one of the most underrated aspects of a long-haul experience.

The window seats take this further. You're tucked into the fuselage with your own private corridor, a privacy shell wrapping around your seat, and — on this routing, over the Gulf — a view that was keeping me awake well past when I should have been sleeping.

The seat · The bed · The details

Fully flat bed: 77–80 inches depending on which seat, with window suites running slightly longer. There's no footwell — the ottoman becomes part of the bed surface, which removes the "wedging your feet into a triangular box" problem that plagues so many herringbone layouts. The mattress pad is thick. The duvet is a proper duvet. I slept for about five hours on the Muscat–Zürich sector and woke up feeling significantly more human than any overnight economy flight has ever left me.

The Amouage amenity kit deserves its own paragraph. Amouage is an Omani luxury fragrance house whose products retail at a level that would make a Swiss pharmacy blink. Getting a kit with full-sized Amouage toiletries at 35,000 feet tells you something about how Oman Air thinks about what goes in front of passengers — not just ticking boxes.

The food: the main course shown above is what Oman Air considers a standard service. Proper plating, proper crockery, dine on demand timing. The mezze starter alone on this flight was more generous than main courses on some other carriers. The Omani coffee and date served on boarding is a ritual that sets the tone for what follows.

The scores.
In case there was any doubt.

How this flight
paid for the next one.

Since June 2024, Oman Air is a Flying Blue partner. This is a genuinely useful development for Swiss residents, because Flying Blue is one of the easiest miles currencies to accumulate here — via Amex transfers, Revolut, and card spending. The earning rates on Oman Air Business Class are generous: up to 275% of the distance flown in Flying Blue miles, credited when you add your Flying Blue number at booking.

On the Bangkok–Muscat–Zürich sectors, that's a meaningful chunk of miles. The Muscat–Zürich leg alone is around 5,700km. At 250% earning in Business Class, that's approximately 14,000 Flying Blue miles from a single flight — on top of the cash fare you already paid.

Those miles went directly toward a subsequent Air France Business Class flight from Zürich to Seoul via Paris, booked as a Flying Blue award. The Oman Air sectors essentially subsidised the next trip. Which is exactly how this is supposed to work: every premium cabin cash fare should, if you're crediting correctly, generate miles that reduce the cost of the next one.

Should you book
this routing?

Yes — with caveats. The Thai Airways + Oman Air combination out of Australia is a consistent sweet spot in the premium cabin fare market. The CHF 2,300 return was an advance purchase and prices vary, but this routing regularly comes in below what Emirates, Qatar, or Singapore Airlines charge for the same origin and destination.

The Muscat connection adds flight time, but the Oman Air product more than compensates. You're trading a faster routing for a materially better seat — and earning Flying Blue miles at a rate that makes the cash fare work harder toward your next trip.

On the geopolitics: Oman has maintained diplomatic neutrality through every regional crisis for decades, and Muscat International Airport continued operating normally throughout March 2026. That said, always check current travel advice before booking any Middle East transit. The Swiss FDFA at eda.admin.ch is the place to start.