Kuwait Airways review - by Fabio Sabatini

22 September 2005

Rome to Jakarta, via Kuwait City, August 2005. In Rome, my flight was delayed for about four hours. The ground staff at the airport of Rome Fiumicino was quite rude, avoiding to provide explanations for such a delay. They were unable to predict what would have been happened in case of loosing the connection in Kuwait City. Arrived in Kuwait City with five hours delay, around midnight, I lost the connection to Jakarta and, consequently, the other flight I booked from Jakarta to Bali (with a different company). The ground staff was surprising bad-mannered. Without making any apologize, they provided passengers an accomodation in Kuwait City, predicting a new departure the day after, approximately 24 hour later, with a new flight to Bangkok and a connection from Bangkok to Jakarta (with Lufthansa). In a first moment, the staff rudely refused to assist me in arranging a new connection to Bali, sustaining it was not their duty. After many discussions, a member of the staff promised to arrange such a connection, assuring that it would have been organized within the new departure. In Kuwait City, the Sheraton's staff surprisingly explained that everyday hundreds of KA's passengers were forced to spend at least 24 hours in the hotel. Indeed, the hotel was full of passengers of delayed and/or cancelled Kuwait Ayrways' flights. The day after, the flight from to Kuwait City was delayed again for other five hours, and the staff had not provided the promised connection to Bali! In the meantime, I had not arranged it by myself because of their promise to do it. My protests have been useless and the ground staff rudely refused to face up any responsibility. I asked to talk with a manager, but they refused to call her/him. Furthermore, it was now too late to provide the connection by myself. After five hours delay, we left to Bangkok. In Bangkok, the Lufthansa flight we were supposed to take for arriving in Jakarta has been cancelled. Lufthansa embarked its passengers on an Emirates flight, which left four hours later. I arrived in Jakarta after midnight and I was forced to spend the night there, since there were no night flights to Bali. I have to acknowledge that Lufthansa staff was very kind, both in assisting me then in Bangkok, and in providing me an accodation once in Jakarta. On my return to Rome, two weeks after, I took two Kuwait flights from Jakarta to Kuwait City and from Kuwait City to Rome (just because I booked them some months before). In both the flights, the entertainment system didn't work for most the seats. Seats were worn and quite dirty. The cabine crew was impatient and sometimes unkind. In the flight to Rome, the air conditioning system had some troubles and the cabin temperature was irritatingly hot. Conclusion: never again with Kuwait Airways! Particularly, I recommend all forum participants to avoid flights including a connection in Kuwait City: spending a day in the local Sheraton seems to be the rule rather than the exception.

Kuwait Airways review - by Paul Darch

2 August 2005

LHR to JFK return. Booked for the whole family, the money I saved on the three tickets paid for the car hire for two weeks. Return flight 3.5 hours late, unfortunately this allowed sufficient time for a couple of passengers to get so drunk that the airline declined to let one passenger fly! One seat tv didnt work, the outbound (mostly female) cabin crew were pretty rude to a couple of passengers. On the return, the all male crew were spot on. I would fly with them again - good value.

Kuwait Airways review - by Paul Atkin

22 July 2005

Kuwait Airlines to New York from London Heathrow, July 2005. Our baggage was lost, which may not have been Kuwait's fault as joined in London via a connecting flight. The ground staff at JFK gave me a number to call - I did, every day, and never spoke to a person once. Most of the time it was "this mailbox is full, you cannot leave a message". My requests for an update were ignored. A Kuwait rep called on Thursday (5 days after we lost the baggage) and said it had arrived at JFK on Tuesday. When I asked why we didn't get it Tuesday he said "we don't work Wednesdays"! He also asked for all the hotel details which I had left on the answerphone. On both flights my TV system was not working. This happened to other passengers too.

Kuwait Airways review - by Delan Silva

14 July 2005

Kuwait Airways from Dubai to JFK and upon transiting in Kuwait, my flight was delayed for about 12 hours. Taken to a hotel where Kuwait Airways tries to force me to share a room with another passenger (no airline has the right to force you to share a room with a stranger) and protesting this shoddy treatment, I’m told quite rudely by Kuwait Airways staff at the airport that I can share or come back and sleep at the airport. After assurances from their ground staff in Kuwait City that their staff at JFK would arrange for my onward connections (she even gives me copies of the telexes that she said she sent to them) I reach JFK to find their staff there refusing to help me in any way at all - insisting that since I had not booked my onward connections through Kuwait Airways, they were not liable in any way for anything except getting me to New York. On my return leg I found that my flight had again been delayed this time for 24 hours - and they put us in the hotel only to pull us out at 13:30 - presumably so they wouldn’t have to pay a second days rate at the hotel. Hotel staff told us Kuwait Airways wanted us at the airport at 14:00 sharp, but their staff didn’t even begin to arrive until after that time. Now I discover that my flight has been cancelled and they finally put me on Emirates for my return back to Dubai. The difference between the 2 carriers is like night and day. Kuwait Airways is without a doubt the worst airline I have flown. For those of you with no option but to travel on this joke of an airline, spare yourself the trouble and stay home.

Kuwait Airways review -by Steve Austin

1 July 2005

We flew as a family of 4 from Kuwait to Chicago via Geneva. The flight was sold out upto Geneva and every PTV was working on the A 340-300. GVA-ORD was around 65% full. The standard of inflight cabin crew service was exceptionally good and courteous. Our tickets were cheaper than the competition such as BA, Lufthansa and KLM etc. Unfortunately, Kuwait Airways will be terminating all of its Chicago bound flights from this November but will add a 6th weekly JFK flight (3 nonstop + 3 via London Heathrow) .

Kuwait Airways review -by Scot Reid

29 June 2005

We recently travelled from LHR - JFK 1st class and the service was fantastic, yes you would think well it would be if you travel 1st but wait the return trip cost £1200 each!!! compare that to BA £3200 and you will understand. The food was very very good, service excellent and the seats were very comfortable. No they were not flat beds but I guess just as good and because there were only 5 people in 1st the personal attention was second to none. If you ever get the chance and want real luxury (at a much lower cost) then try them.

Kuwait Airways review -by Maria Anerak

30 April 2005

I used to work in Kuwait Airways for 3 years as a flight attendant on A 340 and B777. When I was reading the comments above I felt really concerned with the poor passengers. Actually the management is who is guilty for the bad service. The flying crew suffers because of the delays and bad services the airline offers to it`s passenger. I was flying 3 years under great pressure and stress till I finally quit.

Kuwait Airways review -by Yosuf Kadri

21 April 2005

JFK-KWI-KHI-KWI-JFK. Ground staff at JFK can use a tuning manners when dealing with customers. Flight left on time though. Aircraft was an A340-300, boarding procedure was very organized suprisingly. Economy was very clean, PTVs in every seat. FAs very professional and helpful. KWI-KHI on an A321. Once again had PTVs, legroom on all sectors was plentiful. FAs on this sector were also very proper and professional. Return leg was same. Food for all segments was OK, not to many choices. Everything had meat with it, so if your a vegetarian order a special meal or bring your own. All in all a very pleasant experiance.

Kuwait Airways review -by N Churchill

8 April 2005

We have recently returned from a trip to India using Kuwait Airways, travelling on Airbus 310 & 300s. For economy class travellers the flights were generally very well organised and managed by the ground and cabin staff. Food was quite tasty and plenty of soft drinks, tea, coffe and water were on offer. 2 serious medivac cases on one flight caused no significant problems for other passengers. My major concern derives from the shambolic nature of the video entertainment system, with sets either not working or working poorly. Which channel could be viewed in which seat seemed to be a matter of random selection. The start and showing of the safety video on one flight was a shambles with the overhead video monitor popping up and down until somehow it was ready to run. If the airline has difficulty maintaining and running a video system, it gives one very really worries about the management of computer and other complex systems vital to the safe operation of the aircraft. And on long-haul flights, good entertainment is vital to reducing the general misery of the whole experience.

Kuwait Airways review -by Leighton Cheal

9 March 2005

LHR-KWI-TRV and return in Business. Overall an enjoyable experience. The food was good and staff accomodating. Strangely the LHR-KWI flights have a smaller seat than the KWI-India route - despite being longer by 2 hours. On the return to London (very full flight) and a very early check in, this was particularly galling. Seating approx equivalent to BA/Virgin Premium seat on this flight. Kuwait airport is not large, but comfy if you have a lounge invite - though not for more than 2-3 hours. Given the cost of a business class ticket, they offer good value, particularly if there is no direct flight to your destination anyway.

Kuwait Airways review -by Paul Shibu

28 January 2005

I had a poor expectation based on comments from friends. I was forced to travel as my travel plan was a last minute one .I flew LHR-KWI-TRV. LHR-KWI was on time contrary to expectation. The next one was a joke. The flight was rescheduled by 4 hours and this was after a 2.5 wait for a connection flight. I went to the reservation desk to ask for a meal/snack coupon and they refused to give one. I was told to go to the boarding gate at a specified time to get some food. The crew from in flight staff to reservation desk treat customers in the worst possible way. Their attitude makes me feel I am flying free at their mercy. Food is bad and the in flight entertainment never works. So try and keep away from this airline.

Kuwait Airways review -by James Paterson

25 January 2005

LHR-KWI-BKK rtn December 2004 in economy and found Kuwait Airways service poor. I wish we'd spent 10% more and flown with a decent European operator. The aircraft (A340) had good legroom but the seats were falling apart, the entertainment system was a joke, what did work was sporadic. The inflight meals were designed in the 1970's, expect tinned fruit salad and inedible main courses. Worst of all were the inflight crew; our flights were busy but they took forever to deliver the meal and then took over an hour to collect the empty trays -  the attitude of some staff was at times quite hostile towards the passengers. Our arrival at LHR was chaotic, the cabin staff totally lost control of the passengers onboard who were standing and getting hand luggage down just seconds after pulling off the runway - makes you think what would they be like in an emergency. Transit in Kuwait airport - be warned! The good part, its air conditioned and the floors are swept every half hour. The bad - 6 hour layover, squat toilets, extremely limited catering, limited shopping airside, no alcohol, uncomfortable and nothing to do. Kuwait is one of the richest nations on earth but expect to be underwelmed at KWI. We won't be travelling Kuwait Airways ever again!

Kuwait Airways review -by Geoff Cripps

11 January 2005

It is interesting to try to join the OASIS Club. The membership form needs an application form to be sent to you after being requested by email. All email links as shown on the web site bounce. A paper application over two months prior was not responded to. Why try to build client loyalty when the technology fails? I fly with the airline weekly on DXB/KW/DXB leg and find the food to be OK and the service and punctuality OK.

Kuwait Airways review -by Eileen Keogh

28 November 2004

I travelled on a Kuwait Airways flight from LHR to Kuwait on August 15th 2004 and fell prey to a new con trick sweeping the world. Male cabin crew preying on females travelling alone. Paying them special attention, eventually getting personal details from them, and continuing to communicate with them after the flight. There's usually a 'sad' story involved about lack of money (which I myself fell for) and their well-practiced con/deceit leaves you ending up out of pocket (me to the tune of £2,000). They use their 'flying' excuse to let you make the international calls, to meet them at their airport hotel etc. etcc. Ladies please be warned. Don't fall for this new con aimed at women in the over 30's age bracket travelling alone. You'll be left poorer in pocket and spirit.

Kuwait Airways review -by Simon Loh

14 September 2004

Disappointed to hear that some of the PTVs onboard the A343 are 'still' not working, as I experienced it some 4 years ago on SIN-KWI (upgraded to business class, but LCD screen failed), and KWI-SIN economy (same problem, no choice but to change to other seat). Seems like KU are not interested to rectify their IFE problem, and the unlucky one would have to endure hours of silence.

Kuwait Airways review -by F Jeffrey

5 August 2004

I flew with Kuwait Airways from Frankfurt to Trivandrum through Kuwait. The flight was good with LCD screens behind each seat, but half of them didn't work. A 4.5 hour trip with nothing to watch or hear was quite boring. The non vegetarian meal was just okay. The staff were really unfriendly. Delayed service and they even seemed to "forget" our requests. The second flight from KWI to TRV was even worse. The staff have totally no respect for Indians, even though more than 90% passengers were Indians. The Kuwait Airport is more damned with silly shops and half of them closed. I will never again fly KU unless its an emergency and I have no other choice left.

Kuwait Airways review -by Faruque Abu Sayeed

18 May 2004

Cairo - Kuwait: It was my first travel on an Airbus 340 and at the altitude of 37000 Feet. Although I was on the tail, the flight seemed to me very peaceful and stable. The service was "average"! The entertainment was poor (not very!). There was video on every seat, but it started very late, the picture was poor and the switches were confusing. The girl seating beside me on 34A couldn't watch anything because her video was out of order and the switches were broken! My flight from Cairo to Kuwait (Two hours and 45 Minutes) was more than one hour late in Cairo International Airport - Terminal Two. Although A340 is a new generation aircraft, when you are inside this plane you would feel that it's old enough! But Kuwait Airways offer the cheapest fare from Cairo to South Asia.

Kuwait Airways review -by Susie Chan

28 April 2004

A totally incompetent airline ! I flew from Bangkok to London Heathrow recently (April 2004) via Kuwait with Kuwait Airways. However, there were problems with Kuwait Airways customer service even before I boarded the plane. I arrived at the airport in Bangkok with plenty of time to spare, only to find that the flight was delayed by a whole day. What were the passengers to do? Particularly those who were in transit or those who had scheduled business meetings to attend? Even those who had checked out of their hotels? The airline staff failed to give any form of compensation to any of the passengers at the airport that night - not even a hotel to stay. This is total incompetence and extremely bad service that does not show any signs of a quality airline. I was very disappointed and angry that the staff made no attempt to get me on another flight. Consequently, I came back to the airport the next day at the scheduled (delayed) time, only to find out that aIl passengers were required to stay overnight in Kuwait. As a result, I was delayed yet again. Consequently, I had missed my domestic flight in UK and Kuwait Airways had made no attempt to help me get another seat on a flight to my home in UK. This meant that I had to stay overnight in London... 3 days travel, which is a long time for one to travel, particularly when it should only have been a 20 hour journey in total. I was not the only passenger who felt cheated and robbed of the quality service that Kuwait Airways claimed to offer. I was terribly disappointed that the staff made no attempt to help me get an earlier flight to my home in UK. Now I am on holiday in UK and I fear that the return part of the journey will be just as disorganised. Nothing can compensate for the time and energy and effort lost on this journey so far. All who read this, please be warned.

Kuwait Airways review -by Mohan Samuel

4 April 2004

Kuwait Airways needs a lot of fine tuning on customer service and unless that is done, people are going to go away from the airline. I have had bad experiences on the two times I was a passenger on that airline and I will take this airline only as a last resort. The customer service people are rude and they have scant respect for passenger feelings. They treat people from the Indian subcontinent with no respect. I don't know what makes the people of Kuwait so special. My brother boarded a KU flight from Chicago and I boarded a KU flight from New York on the same day and we were supposed to meet in Kuwait to go on the same flight to Madras for our father's funeral. His flight arrived about half hour late and Kuwait Airways refused to allow him to board the Madras flight saying it was full when we were on the Madras bound flight with several seats empty. My brother told KU that we were keeping my dad's body for his arrival and KU had no sympathy. There was an Indian Airlines flight to Madras the next morning and KU did not bother to send him on that flight despite the urgency of the situation. He finally ended up in Madras after my dad's body was lowered into the grave. He didn't even have a chance to see my dad's face one last time. Another time KU left me stranded in London when I was traveling with my infant child and there was another 45 minutes before the flight took off. KU really needs to be more responsive to people's feelings. I would never recommend anyone to go on KU, unless it is the last resort.

Kuwait Airways review -by Nora Dahmane

28 November 2003

Been flying with Kuwait airways for many years from Rome to Paris up and down. A special thank goes to the cabin attendants of Kuwait airways , who are always smiley and ready to provide anything you need with kindness on board - this is also available for the customer service in Paris.

Kuwait Airways review -by Clifford Smith

27 November 2003

My wife and I flew London to Manila via Kuwait and return Business Class Due to the very competitive price - Oasis Lounges very good in Manila and Kuwait but LHR lounge in desperate need of updating. Staff were very attentive in all areas. I was very pleased with business class seats food and service  - upgraded to 1st class for flight to Manila and return Manila to Kuwait  - a pleasant bonus. I will use Kuwait Airways again when the need arises.

Kuwait Airways review -by Behramjee Ghadially

22 August 2003

Kuwait Airways on Aug 14th Karachi-Kuwait on an Airbus A 320 and then onwards on their Airbus A 340-300 to Amsterdam and Chicago. The seats on both aircraft were very comfortable (34inch pitch) and the head rests were very nice and soft. All seats of the A 340 had tvs with the latest movies but the A 320s didn't. Service standard on both flights was exceptionally good with very attentive and friendly cabin crew.

Kuwait Airways review -by Mona Naz

28 July 2003

I flew Kuwait Airways last week, Kuwait-Bombay. It was an Airbus 300 and a full flight. A major disappointment was the video system wasn't functioning for some seats. I pay a full fare for my seat and I have to sit in silence for 3hrs without anything to watch. I ask KU what is the use of providing a booklet showing the various movies on board, if you cant well fix your video system on the aircraft. Above all, I'd like this to be a warning to all you vegetarians out there. If you are a Vegetarian and flying KU - better carry your own stock of bread and other such survival food because most of the time, your name doesn't appear on their passenger information list and hence you get the curt reply that 'your name isn't on the list, hence you dont get your vegetarian meal'!! The crew are so arrogant about this fact that they don't even bother to fix us an instant veg meal which they  have in their storage. Most importantly, they do not realize the meaning of being a vegetarian Indian - that implies you are forbidden from consuming meat products since your religion says so. So next time, ensure and stand firm by your right that you have paid a full fare ticket inclusive of your vegetarian meal.

Kuwait Airways review -by B Ghadially

25 May 2003

Kuwait Airways from Chicago to Karachi via Amsterdam and Kuwait. The plane was an Airbus A 340-300 with 34 inch seat pitch in economy class which has been increased from the previous 30 inch seat pitch as stated in their inflight magazine. On board, the cabin crew were very friendly and helpful, in-flight entertainment was outstanding with all the latest English and Indian movies showing which helped in passing the time. However on this ORD-AMS-KWI sector, we weren't allowed to leave the plane at AMS to sit in the transit lounge for an hour as we are on the outbound sector. As for the food, it was pretty good and tasty. Kuwait-Karachi an Airbus A 320 which was very pleasant. Currently, this airline is the cheapest price-wise to fly from USA and Canada to the Middle East, India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka and to Bangkok and SIN. Fare was US $ 220 cheaper than Emirates, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air.

Kuwait Airways review -by Guatham Thadathil

19 May 2003

Chicago to Cochin, India via Amsterdam and Kuwait City and back. The main reason was the price, very cheap for economy. It had very fast connections for the onward journey. But on the way back I had stay overnight in Kuwait. Not a big deal if you have time to kill! Friendly stewardesses, mostly Europeans. The food was good, maybe not for vegetarians. Seats were alright, although the leg-room was cramped. Worst thing was that alcohol was prohibited. Overall, a bargain airline to fly from the US to India considering the price.

Kuwait Airways review -by K Chacko

11 March 2003

I flew Kuwait airways frequently. Flights on time, staff in the plane well behaved. The food was excellent. But the ground staff at the Kuwait airport ticketing and check in areas is very bad. 

Kuwait Airways review -by W Bell

14 February 2003

We flew via Kuwait city to Bombay - booked Kuwait because they were cheap and had seat at the time we wanted - we are pretty relaxed about delays and standards (well sometimes you have to be!) but nothing would persuade us to fly Kuwait again. Smoking is still permitted on flights and efforts to sit away from the smokers were thwarted, seats service and food was poor. The worst bit was a delay at Kuwait city - there were few facilities open, the total lack of information caused some pretty grumpy passengers, and I was told by one of the Kuwait Airways staff as he declined to give any information, "I don't work for you, I work for Kuwait Airways".

Kuwait Airways review -by John Thompson

16 January 2003

I travelled from Chicago to Amsterdam on a Kuwait Airways Flight in December 2002. I found the Kuwait Airways employees at the airport to be unruly rude and noisy. Two hours into the flight the toilets were blocked and sewage water spilled out on the plane. Passengers and crew had to suffer for the next five hours all the stench and unclean environment. The flight attendants said this is a routine affair on this flight. It seems Kuwait Airways don't care about passenger comfort as long they are able to attract people by providing a lot of oily food and cheap movies. Never again on a KU flight!

Kuwait Airways review -by Behramjee Ghadially

29 October 2002

In August, I flew Kuwait Airways one way Karachi-Chicago via Kuwait and Amsterdam on their Airbus A 340-300. This aircraft was very nice and seats were comfortable and the inflight entertainment especially the movies were too good. They had the latest movies for both long haul flights out of KWI and AMS. I highly recommend the airline to fly from the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent to USA and Europe especially to USA.

Kuwait Airways review -by R Alhamad

17 January 2002

Flew with Kuwait Airways on the KWI-DXB-KWI route at the begining of 2002. Both sectors on Business Class. The outbound flight (A.310) was of good standard. Seats had good recline with leg rests, in-flight entertainment was of good standard (8 channels including a childern's cartoon channel, and The Comedy Channel for the rest of us). 4 course meal and a gift (KAC medallion key-chain) were all given during this 1 hour 15 min inter-Gulf flight. Crew were quick, efficient and helpful with 2 passes of tea/coffee. I liked the fact that fresh milk was on their tray as they walked around. The inbound flight (DXB-KWI) was of lesser standard on this A.300. Seats were old, out-dated and lacked a leg-rest (just foot rests, under the seat in front of you). Although seats were basic and out-dated, the service was good. Menu's handed out, gifts given again (although it was the SAME one as on our outbound flight!!!). However, the crew were also charming and quick to serve and kept walking around the small cabin (roughly 18 seats in Business). Overall - a good flight and great entertainment if only let down by the poor seats (in Business) on the A.300 (steer clear of this aircraft type)!