Nairobi Airport

Had the misfortune to have to spend 12 hours at this airport from 1300 on 23/12/09 to 01:00 on 24/12/09 due to a missed connection. There is a dire lack of facilities. Duty free shopping is OK if you are only there for an hour or so - some competitive deals on spirits - but too many shops selling the same type of item. The main problem is the lack of comfortable seating for passengers with a long stay in the terminal. No restaurant facilities just a bar and a snack bar both overcrowded. Discovered that you can pay $20 for 3 hours ( negotiate if you need longer) access to a first class lounge with comfortable seating drinks and snacks located near Gate 6. I would recommend this option!

In transit twice in two weeks. Never again. Old broken down no facilities just a buss station with lots of duty free shops selling tatty souvenirs & booze. My second transit was due to be 4 hours bout turned into a 18 hour nightmare because the runway lights went down & my flight was cancelled. Then I was left to fend for myself by Kenyan Airways which would not even provide a glass of water for passengers on this flight apparently not their problem as the fault is Kenya Airports Authority but not their problem as they did not cancel the flight. Had to try & sit on the floor because no seating available. No one on information desks had any information but there were hundreds of KQ & KAA staff and others wandering around what do they do? Stay away from this place it can be a pleasure to no one.

Arrived at NBO on night of 1 November to depart for London only to find the airport in semi- darkness. It took 90 minutes to dispose of my bag having already checked in on-line and queuing for the business class counter. Next to this line was one headed 'Fast Bag Drop' which was pretty ironic since that queue was barely moving at all. Just as I handed my passport at the immigration desk all the lights went out and this supposedly the leading airport in East Africa was plunged into complete darkness. Once the lights partially came on again I tried to proceed to the BA lounge only to find the stairs leading to it in such darkness that it was impossible to see anything at all. So went to the gate to sit on the floor like so many given the limited seating. On returning to NBO on 14 November I was interested to see that - as others have said - the immigration queue for those without visas proceeded faster than for those holding visas. But it didn't matter given the wait for luggage that was going - slowly - through a single xray machine with a resultant long delay even for baggage labelled 'priority'. This airport is truly a disaster for Kenya's tourism and is worse now than it was 15 or more years ago.

A truly awful airport and a nightmare for the disabled traveller. We passed through here with a 3hr wait to LHR at the end of October 2009 and it was the worst terminal I have ever used. Dirty smelly and hot no-where comfortable for my husband to sit beside me and no disabled toilet to be found. In the end I made my way to the tiny ladies toilet only one sink was working and the toilets needed a good clean. Terrible arrogant unhelpful staff even in the poor shops and no decent food or drink available. Porter was almost an hour late coming to push my wheelchair to the departure bay which was so full there was hardly even any standing room. I would return to Kenya but not until they do something about the airport I felt drained dirty and harrased by the time I got on my plane.

My wife and 2 year old son arrived in transit to Harare with Kenya Airways and found their connecting flight had been cancelled after a 3 hour wait. The staff were very unhelpful and would not give help retrieving a bag required for overnight stay or with immigration forms which had to be completed so as to enter Kenya for their hotel. My wife has found the whole experience very distressing as travelling with a 2 year old isn't easy at the best of times. After I made numerous phone calls to the airport from the UK she was finally given some assistance after around 5 hours. Certainly not what you would expect from a so called International Airport.

It is interesting reading the comments of passengers passing through Jomo Kennatta airport the most talked of item is the lack of seating which is true the story I heard was that the chairs were removed after the attack on Nairobi with bombs so all the chairs were removed so that nothing could be left there. I have been visiting Kenya since 1970 and in that time the only thing that has vastly improved at both Nairobi and Mombasa airports is the toilets they were for years truly a no go area at times needing far more than flip flops to even approach but now someone has really sorted that problem out and I have found the loos' to be better than most of the public ones in the UK and I would like to congratulate them on that also the shops are very modern but seats would be better appreciated. The airport is supposed to be being upgraded with another floor being added but this seems to be taking a long time. The best tip I would give to anyone who knows they will need to spend more than 3 hours at JK is to sign up for priority pass this will give you access to the lounges at airports across the world including Kenya where you will have at least a comfortable place to sit and drinks and food are included so when you think how much you can fork out for food and drink at an airport this doesn't seem like an extravagant option. Lounges in 'modern' countries are of a high standard with food to match but places like Kenya are not quite on a par sandwiches being the most common item for eats but they usually have at least one pc with internet connection and toilets with no queues and you can come and go as you please. My usual wait at Nairobi has been 8+ hours and part of that is in the check in area as my flight usually arrives 3 to 4 hours before check in opens and there is nothing in that area to aid your wait at all. Always make sure you have filled out a departure form before heading for check in they love their forms I think they all end up in the waste bin as I really can't see anyone wanting to file them but what do I know.

Jomo Kenyatta International is about what you would expect in a developing country. I usually arrive without a visa and buy one when I get there. I've found that I get through the line a lot quicker than when I had arranged a visa in advance. While friends have had bags delayed I never have and that is a problem with the airline not the airport. If you have a long layover during the day you could try to arrange a driver in advance to take you to the Nairobi Game park. Traffic mid-day is not bad. Morning and evening are horrendous. Flying out is a challenge no doubt. you have to go through one security go get into the terminal and you cant get in without a ticket or at least an itinerary. That's a pain. There will be 3 or 4 747 leaving at the same time so there are huge crowds trying to check in. You could go early to beat the rush but then you are stuck in the worlds most boring airport with few places to sit (as noted) and limited options for food (thank god for Java House!). Its grim and its dingy because its old but its actually pretty clean. A new airport would be a great thing for Kenya and the region.

As mentioned many times there is a drastic lack of seating in the airport and at the gates. The lounges are about what I expected and offer a bit of relief from the crowds. Poorly lit little to do to occupy time a bit of a dirty feeling. We had our bags x-rayed 4 separate times prior to boarding the plane which was actually a good feeling. All an all a very unpleasant experience.

I use JKIA at least twice a month. Not a very pleasant airport - as I am a frequent flyer I usually head directly to the lounge as there is not much to do. There are a number of duty free shops but they all offer more or less the same (they all belong to the same 3 companies). It needs to be noted that alcohol is quite cheap in those shops though. There is no proper restaurant only 3 cafeterias offering snacks. The best place to eat is probably Java House at Gate 14 which has quite good food. The biggest problem as highlighted by so many others is seating. For such a big airport there is absolutely insufficient seating. Also boarding gates much too small to seat people boarding big planes (i.e. with more than 120 seats).

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is in dire need of a face-lift. As I approached the airport staff upon disembarking from the plane the lights along the corridor were glum and a sombre mood existed in terms of passenger variety especially with the lack of proper seating signs and most importantly modesty and flare with which airports are supposed to define a country. Security is quite good but the luggage conveyors need to be quickly fed and this suggests to me that there is a boardroom feud amongst luggage handlers or something similar as to which a huge air of discontent lies with this airport's workers. To my knowledge this airport generates more than 2.5million passengers annually and it has a vital geographic location which serves African routes very well. Surely improve the airport in terms of appeal and efficiency.