KENYA AIRWAYS Customer Reviews and Passenger Trip Reports

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KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 25 January 2009 : by Fred Hodgson

Customer Rating : 4/5

AMS-NBO and on to EBB. both were fine and reflected well against the KLM return from EBB-AMS. Departure was on time and the plane clean and comfortable. FAs were well above the plastic grins of some other airlines. These were willing "African smiles." Service was very good and friendly. Food was well above average too. NBO on 737 was interesting where you wander the Apron heading for several 737s and hope you actually get on the correct one. We did and it was fine and pleasant. Definitely using them again.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 15 January 2009 : by J Onwuka

Customer Rating : 4/5

London - Nairobi - Lagos (took KLM return from Lagos). Check-in efficient and easy. I found seating comfortable though they had to re-start the entertainment system twice. The music option was very good and they had a few current movies. Staff were attentive, polite and friendly. Food was to my liking. On arrival in Nairobi, they were quite good at directing me to the correct departure area for my Lagos flight though it was probably a bit tight, that layover. The terminal wasn't new or beautiful (nor was the plane, come to think of it) but it was clean and toilets were clean. They should think of offering ground transportation in Lagos to the domestic terminal. The price for the transfer via taxi is extortionate (N1000) and Virgin offer a free transfer service for its passengers (but to be fair, only when it feels like it).

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 13 January 2009 : by A Ortega

Customer Rating : 1/5

Traveling with KQ from Khartoum to Cape Town. The plane from Cairo came 6 hours late in our inbound trip and obliged us to spend a sleepless night and then stay more than one day in Nairobi with my wife, one small child and a baby as we lost the connection. Apart from losing one day of our holiday and the need to call hotels, car rent office, etc and the financial loss involved, we had to go through the exhausting row of inefficient services after a long sleepless night - clearly inadequate transit desk run by stressed staff, absolutely insufficient looking at the endless queue waiting to be served, then paying the Kenyan visa, another wait at the KQ hotel service desk, picking-up our bulky luggage as we needed our children stuff, then last queue waiting for the overcrowded KQ hotel van. A last surprise awaited us for the return as our boarding passes from Cape Town to Johannesburg were not there because it was with BA (inside the KQ ticket) and KQ seemed to have not reported about the change of date in the inbound trip, cancelling our reservation. Apart from the 50 minutes stand-by at the desk for this, our seats from Johannesburg to Nairobi and from there back to Khartoum were never together due to overbooking. At the end, at least we managed to return home (this is our highest expectation so far from KQ, just to be able to move and to return). Unfortunately we have no alternative company from Khartoum if we want to travel to sub- Saharan Africa. In the KQ magazine they present the brand new KQ management team, which I hope will be able to change things, and whatever change they try, believe me, will be for the better.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 22 December 2008 : by Johanna O'Connor

Customer Rating : 2/5

Very disappointed. Most disgraceful part was waiting for 7 hours in the airport and having to pay 20 dollars into a lounge because there was nowhere clean and air conditioned to wait. This 'first class lounge' was a joke. Kenya Airways did nothing for us in the 7 hour delay. The whole set up is a bit of a slap job. 'The pride of Kenya' - Kenya is not very proud then.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 20 December 2008 : by Simon Maguire

Customer Rating : 2/5

DXB-NBO-ZNZ return. DXB-NBO was an old 767-200, we were delayed for an hour as the inbound flight was late arriving - plane was very old and worn with only a projector screen at the front. Served a drink after take off and a very poor breakfast before landing. Our connecting flight in Nairobi was cancelled and we had to wait in queue for about an hour to be put on the next flight which was 4 hours later, and was then itself delayed for a further 3 hours! NBO-ZNZ was a small Embraer jet very clean with excellent service. Return leg was the same, ZNZ-NBO was delayed by 2 hours but the ground staff provided food in the restaurant. 2 hour delay in NBO, good dinner service onboard the same dilapidated 767. Ticket was cheap we weren't expecting much from them. I find the fact that they are a flying blue partner slightly farcical.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 24 November 2008 : by L Dore

Customer Rating : 2/5

I regularly travel from Harare to Amsterdam with KQ, as this is one of the few airlines still left in Zimbabwe. In general , Amsterdam to Nairobi flight is OK. Harare to Nairobi is a different story. Nearly always delayed, and never any information or apology. It surprises me that Flying Blue still keeps KQ as a partner!

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 30 October 2008 : by Natasha Kumar

Customer Rating : 1/5

I flew Kenya airways from Nairobi to Lagos return and Nairobi to Joburg. Each experience was bad! Be prepared to carry all of your luggage onto the place by yourself, as the terminal staff have no idea what they were doing. When I went to check in for my Lagos to Nairobi flight, I was told (last minute) that due to breakdown of a plane in Accra, Ghana we would have to detour to Accra first. Therefore, when I finally arrived in Nairobi, I had missed my connecting flights back to Australia. This was despite being told by numerous KS terminal and plane staff in Lagos and Accra that there was no way that we would be delayed. It only got worse after that. There were about 50 other international travellers that had also missed their connecting flights. We all had to band together and argue with staff to connect us with new flights and provide us with accomodation. I could go on forever, the TV screens were broken in each of the flights - Kenya Airways is certainly NOT the pride of Africa.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 7 October 2008 : by R Bashir

Customer Rating : 1/5

First time travelling Kenya Airways and I already regret it. Due to not having daily flights from Lubumbashi to JNB on SAA I was forced to use KQ via NBO. Left Lubumbashi on 5th October - my travel agent ordered a Moslem meal and this was confirmed by the airline. Got into the flight and first had the experience of dealing with flight attendant with no experience. FA brought a Kosher meal to my seat before the flight take off - I was surprised first I ordered a Moslem meal and second how a FA can serve a meal while the aircraft is still taxi. I asked the FA about my choice of Moslem meal and the answer was eat this one if you wish and we cannot assist you further. NBO-JNB on the 5th October again unfriendly cabin crew - flight was delayed due to overbooking. Dinner was being served when I asked for my Moslem meal. FA just argued that no special meals were available on that flight and told me to be more clever next time and pre order special meals. I answered back that I had confirmation from Kenya Airways about my special meal and the boarding pass showed this: reply from her was eat this one or stay with no dinner. Kenya Airways needs to learn from SAA what a proud African airline is.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 4 October 2008 : by S Omutere

Customer Rating : 4/5

Kenya Airways is a big disappointment to me on 3 occasions. From Dubai it was delayed because we had to wait for the aircraft which was on its way from China - instead of leaving at 0145 we left at 0400. All these flights ware late and the last one was the most annoying - after waiting for an hour we finally were able to check-in, only to be kept waiting for another 2 hours in the waiting room. We were told to go board the aircraft but again it was stopped because they had to sort out an engine problem. They need to go for time management training and keep to that.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 1 October 2008 : by Charles Karobia

Customer Rating : 1/5

Is Kenya Airways turning into a bus service? Where they can just tell you that you cannot fly because the flight is full yet you have a ticket that is valid - KQ 463 from South Africa on 26/09 to Nairobi about 20-30 passengers are stranded at the airport and all the Station Manager could tell passengers is that the flight is full! The explanation given is unacceptable and tantamount to arrogance. Passengers take the time to re-confirm their flights, get to the check in counter at OR Tambo 2 hours before only to be told that the flight is full? I do not think you are the pride of Africa any longer! KQ needs to catch a serious wake up!

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 20 August 2008 : by John Peters

Customer Rating : 1/5

While I want to support Kenya Airways, the facts speak differently. On each of my last three travels, I have had at least one leg cancelled (Joburg-NBO, NBO-Dar, Lusaka-NBO), including two forced overnight stays at hotels and one complete re-routing. In each case, my delays amounted to at least 12 hours. I will now switch to other rooutes and operators.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 12 August 2008 : by Jean-Louis Vergaert

Customer Rating : 3/5

Bangkok – Nairobi return World Premier: now here we talk about an old, derelict B 767. At each trip, something of my seat fell apart. On the way to Nairobi, the individual monitors only showed 2 programs with fuzzy image. On the way back, there was simply no individual monitor, and the main screen shows images in white and red, like the old 3-D movies which you had to watch with special glasses. The food was perfectly inedible on both trips. On the return trip, we had to disembark from the plane after a one hour waiting due to a technical reason. Ground staff was however very efficient, and they opened the business class lounge for us. We left with a 3 hours delay, which is not a bad industry standard after all. So, even if we take into consideration the friendly service and good wines, this is a definitively inferior business class product. The seats are wonderful, although they must be 15 years old I find they far superior to some recent “lie-flat” seats, and the 2-1-2 configuration provides plenty of space - at a price of US$ 2,200 for a 9 hours flight return, we should not complain: we have space, we can sleep, we can work, we can have a good wine served with a smile, so let us not worry about the food and the pieces falling around.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 1 August 2008 : by N Rogers

Customer Rating : 2/5

Yet another flight delayed for 5 hours, Kenya to Tanzania - without apology or explanation. This is becoming more and more common.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 25 June 2008 : by A Gori

Customer Rating : 4/5

NBO-AMS return, B777. Used online check-in facility both times and a real labour saver, particularly given long lines at check-in in Nairobi. Flights on time, with good service and friendly cabin crew. IFE options however were pretty limited on both flights, a slight disappointment.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 21 June 2008 : by Mahul Shah

Customer Rating : 4/5

Johannesburg - Nairobi Business Class b777-200. Check in was quick, and then off to security and immigration. There is no fast track for premium passengers at Johannesburg Airport. We were airside within 20 minutes of clearing check in. Kenya Airways uses the Premium Services Lounge. It is a large lounge with sofas, smoking area, selection of reading material, work stations, etc. After 10:00 am they offer alcoholic beverages that include wine, sparkling wine, beer, spirits. Food included sandwiches, crisps, fresh fruit and nuts. The flight was full, 26 of the 28 J class seats were occupied. Ooboard, a tray of champagne, juice and water was taken around. Newspapers also handed out. The 777-200 has AVOD, so there was a good choice of movies and programmes. A lunch time service, there was a choice of entrée, main course and some cake for desert, followed by cheese and fresh fruit. Service lasted around one hour. It was friendly and professional. Kudos to the KQ staff. KQ have excellent Business Class seats. On arrival KQ’s famous priority tagging did not work again, so our bags took around 15 minutes after the conveyor belt started, and for the first time as far as I can remember, we were not stopped at Customs.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 19 June 2008 : by M Shah

Customer Rating : 4/5

Nairobi - Johannesburg Business Class Boeing 767-300. Having used the Kenya Airways on-line check in the night before, we turned up at the airport at 6:00am - two security lines to get into the check- in areas. We waited around half an hour to get through. Two Business Class check in counters open, and we once again waited close to twenty minutes to get served. Immigration had 6 counters open, and we waited around 20 minutes there. By the time we got up into the departure hall, it was already 7:15 am, and the flight was being called. We were one of the last passengers to board. Offered a glass of juice or water and papers. After take off, given a breakfast menu (Fruit Salad, Cereal with cold milk, Fruit Yoghurt, poached eggs with Florentine potatoes or scrambled eggs in vol-au-vont and sausage, bread and croissants, tea and coffee.). At the same time, a tray of juice was brought around. We asked for Champagne, and were told it was not chilled, and would have to wait half an hour. However two glasses were brought 5 minutes later with an ice cube in each one. I found that quite odd. Individual Video players handed out, and a choice of around 10 movies, and some TV programmes. These worked well, except when you had your food tray on the table, the video player had to be carefully balanced on the armrest. We were also asked to give an order for drinks 90 minutes prior to landing. I said that I would order a drink if I was awake, and see what mood I was in, the stewardess did not like that and replied ‘if you are sleeping, we will not wake you’. Like I want to be woken for drink! Breakfast service was prompt and efficient. The champagne kept flowing (without ice cubes). The poached egg (not eggs) were tasty, and bread fresh. KQ Business Class seats are excellent for an African carrier on the 767 and 777. They are virtually flat, and being 6 foot, I was very comfortable. They need better pillows and blankets to make it a more comfortable seat to sleep in. We landed at a remote stand, and had to wait for the bus to fill up (J only had 12 passengers, so we had to wait for Y passengers). Immigration in JNB is messy with long snaking lines (everyone just jumped under the barriers). Immigration was quick. We waited around 20 minutes for the bags to appear (priority tagging worked its wonders and our bags were among the last to come off). Customs was a breeze, and we were out into a fresh sunny Johannesburg winter day.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 3 June 2008 : by Vicky Taylor

Customer Rating : 1/5

We flew from London to Johannesburg via Nairobi in December 2007. We left the airport 1 hour late because the food service were still loading the food onto the plane! When we got to Nairobi, my 9 year old, my 7 year old and my 13 month old and I had to RUN across the runway to get to the waiting plane which was late due to us being late. We got to JHB at 1:30am to be told that our bags had all been left in Nairobi. With 3 children, no money and no formula or diapers, I was much less than impressed! On the way back, I spent 9 hours floating around the Nairobi airport waiting for the next flight after already having spent 7 hours on the plane with my 3 kids again. When it was time to board, I could not find my infant ticket and they refused me onto the plane. Even though I had a boarding pass and had already flown from JHB to Nairobi that same day! I begged them to help me and they simply refused, telling me I had to buy a second ticket. There I was, exhausted and alone with 3 children, pennyless and no one will help me! I paid a huge amount for the tickets and here they wont lift a finger. The airline was going to leave me in Nairobi rather than help me! One of the other passengers, a complete stranger, took pity on us and offered to buy my baby another ticket. He saved us - you pay the airline and they wont help you but a complete stranger will. What kind of people are they? Needless to say, it has now been 6 months and we are still waiting for a refund. I am starting to think that perhaps we will never see the refund. I dont want anyone else to suffer as I have, just because I chose to fly with an airline that doesn't care.

KENYA AIRWAYS customer review : 28 April 2008 : by Terry Wise

Customer Rating : 2/5

A word of warning to booking a seat via Kenya Airways website. Twice now I have booked Business Class seats from EBB-DAR and EBB-ZAN both via Nairobi. The first leg of both these trips were fine but on arrival at Nairobi I have been downgraded to Economy for the onward leg. Also my return journey from Nairobi to Entebbe have been in economy. Kenya Airways just tell you that either Business Class is overbooked or that I did not stipulate when booking via the internet that I wanted a Business Class seat on return. I mean, give me some credit Kenya Airways.