A new status match opportunity has arrived with Royal Air Maroc’s Safar Flyer loyalty program.

Royal Air Maroc is a part of the Oneworld alliance, and has partnered with StatusMatch.com to provide equivalent elite status based on your status with another airline loyalty program.

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Status Match

For travellers with existing elite status (including with Air Canada’s Aeroplan Elite Status or WestJet Rewards here in Canada), Royal Air Maroc’s status match promotion can unlock useful perks such as priority boarding and premium lounge access when flying with Oneworld airlines through the upcoming year.

There is a fee of €49 required to apply for the status match, which may or may not be worthwhile depending on how much value you anticipate getting out of the resulting Oneworld status.

The status match opportunity will be available until May 31, 2022, with a limited number of matches available. Once approved, the status match upgrade is valid until March 31, 2023.

To submit your status match request, head to safarflyerstatusmatch.com and follow the instructions.

You’ll need a Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer membership number to get started, and there are reports that the Safar Flyer signup process is inundated with new applications at the moment, so you might need to be patient while setting up your account.

Status Match from Air Canada or WestJet

Royal Air Maroc is offering status matches to a very wide range of Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and non-alliance airlines, as listed below:

Canada’s Air Canada and WestJet are both on the list, so if you’re an existing elite member, you can submit a status match to Safar Flyer as follows:

• Aeroplan 25K status or WestJet Silver status: Match to Safar Flyer Silver (Oneworld Ruby)
• Aeroplan 35K, 50K, 75K, Super Elite status or WestJet Gold status: Match to Safar Flyer Gold (Oneworld Sapphire)

It’s pretty reasonable to see Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Super Elite status (all of which correspond to Star Alliance Gold status, the counterpart of Oneworld Sapphire) – but it’s somewhat surprising that Aeroplan 35K status may also get matched to Safar Flyer Gold!

(Note that these represent “the highest tier that Royal Air Maroc is likely to offer you at this time”, as per StatusMatch.com. While I’d expect that the status match will come through as indicated, we’ll need to await some applicants’ real-life experiences for full confirmation.) 

Should You Match to Oneworld Status for €49?

In my view, the most significant benefit here is for current Aeroplan 35K or higher members or WestJet Gold members. If you currently hold one of these statuses, it’s certainly worth weighing up whether to pursue a status match to Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Gold status for a nominal €49 fee.

By earning Safar Flyer Gold status, and in turn Oneworld Sapphire status, you’ll enjoy meaningful benefits like complimentary lounge access, priority perks, and extra baggage allowances when flying with Oneworld airlines.

For example, if you take the occasional domestic US flight in economy class with American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, then having Oneworld Sapphire status can significantly elevate a rather dreary experience by giving you access to American Airlines Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges or Alaska Airlines lounges prior to departure.

The same idea applies to any other Oneworld carrier around the world that you might fly with on the occasional cheap economy class fare – British Airways on a cheap fare in Europe, Malaysia Airlines on a cheap fare in South East Asia, etc.

If you anticipate visiting even a small handful of Oneworld lounges using your one year of Oneworld Sapphire status, then I’d say the €49 status match fee is worth the cost.

Plus, who knows what other status-matching opportunities there might be in the future to match your Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer Gold status back to.

However, suppose you’re a current Aeroplan 25K member, and therefore can only match to Safar Flyer Silver status (which corresponds to the entry-level Oneworld Ruby status).

In that case, I don’t think the limited benefits – priority check-in, waitlist, and preferred seating – are quite worthwhile compared to the €49 fee.

Conclusion

The new status match promotion by Royal Air Maroc opens up the possibility for existing Aeroplan 35K members or higher, as well as WestJet Gold members, to earn one year of Oneworld Sapphire status for a very reasonable €49 fee.

The promotion is available until May 31, 2022, and once approved, the Safar Gold status is valid until March 31, 2023. Although the exact amount was not specified, there is indeed a limit on how many status matches are available, so I’d recommend taking advantage sooner than later.