Flying Royal Air Maroc within Morocco

Updated June 23, 2020.

Morocco is bigger than you might think it is! You can’t just willy-nilly get from one city to the other without a bit of planning. In fact, travel times by bus or train were long enough that we decided to see what flights would be like. As it turns out, they weren’t too expensive, and when it’s a choice between a 13 hour bus ride or three hours by plane (including one layover), it was a no-brainer! We flew from Casablanca (CMN) to Marrakech (RAK) and from Ouarzazate (OZZ) to Fes (FEZ) during our two-week trip, both times with Royal Air Maroc, so here’s our review!

Booking Tickets

To be honest, booking tickets on the Royal Air Maroc website was challenging. For both flights, we ended up having to call and book over the phone, which cost us a bit more, but it was either that or nothing. And the time savings for both legs of our journey were worth it!

Luggage Policies

Carry-on Luggage

Each passenger in every class of service is allowed one piece of carry-on luggage (referred to as “hand luggage” on the Royal Air Maroc website). It must be 10 kg (22 lbs) or less. The sum of the three dimensions of that luggage must be 115 cm (45 in) or less. A laptop may be carried separately and does not have to be included in those parameters.

We were able to carry on all our standard American carry-on luggage with no issue. No one ever weighed our bags or even gave us a second look! And even our 46 L backpacks fit easily into the overhead bins on the small aircrafts we flew.

Checked Luggage

Our tickets included one piece of checked luggage each, for each flight, up to 23 kg (50 lbs). That’s a lot! Steve and I don’t love to check our luggage, but to be able to check that much luggage for free is pretty incredible!

For more, check out the Royal Air Maroc Baggage Policy Page.

Although I will note that, while their policy states differently, Steve and I both carried full-size, 46L backpacks as our carry-ons and one smaller backpack each as our personal items. We did not have to check any of our bags. So, take that with a grain of salt, because they might start enforcing their standard website policy at any time.

Checking In

Passengers checking in online or through the Royal Air Maroc app may do so up to 48 hours in advance. We had some trouble getting our check in on the app to actually take, but eventually it did. However, we never got an electronic boarding pass to show on the app. They were e-mailed to us, but it ended up just being easier to get a paper boarding pass from a kiosk or a ticketing agent at the check in desk.

At the Airport

The first thing you need to know about Moroccan airports is that you will have to go through a metal detector and send your bags through an x-ray machine before you can enter the airport.

The next thing you need to know is that you will go through security and passport control both before and after your flights, even domestically. You may also be asked for your previous boarding pass or your onward boarding pass. Keep them handy, along with your passport!

The Seats

The seats on the Royal Air Maroc flights we took were ok. The ones in the photo below were the best. FYI, if you need the airsick bag, it’s important to note that you have to tear the top off to open it. I’ll let you imagine why I know that.

For all our tips for travel within Morocco, don’t miss What to Know Before You Visit Morocco, and check out my Morocco Page!

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