Kenya Airways

Customer Reviews

3 star Skytrax Rating
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Seat Comfort 12345
Staff Service 12345
Value for Money 12345
Customer rating from 456 reviews
4/10
3 star Skytrax Rating
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4/10

"6 flights, 5 delays"

(Djibouti)

Verified Review | Djibouti to Antananarivo via Nairobi. My last 6 flights with Kenya Airways, I have had 5 delays in the span of 2 months. That's unacceptable and unprofessional. What is more They don't communicate with their clients out of total disrespect. Has the Pride of Africa become the shame of Africa? Time will tell but at this pace I am going to see somewhere else and get à at least a bit of respect with my money.
AircraftAmbraer 190
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteDjibouti to Antananarivo via Nairobi
Date FlownApril 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"I am really not impressed"

(Netherlands)

Verified Review | Flew the day flight Kenya Airways from Nairobi to Amsterdam in the new Boeing 787 and I am really not impressed. The 787 is certainly an improvement in comfort and reduce negative effects of flying, but the Business Class of Kenya Airways is just no match for the price, which is 40% more than competition. All in the service is just behind. Lie flat seat is ok but already look old after couple of years, and the conception is already ancient (manual handset with a wire). Service is just too basic for the price you pay, and the staff is pretty cold, un-attentive and seem bored every time you ask something (not all of them, there are couple of pursers really doing it right, but the rest is awful). I am not asking much as flying is a commodity but a minimum of politeness when coughing up 5,000 USD for a 7h flight is a fare expectations, as the level of service is nowhere representative of that. Premium Economy in some European carriers is actually better service for 1/3 of the fare. Meal service is quite basic, you get the plates and in 5 min they are taken out. The cabin is ok but already looks old. Nothing like you should expect in light of the fares charged on this route, and the contrast with KLM is just obvious
AircraftBoeing 787-8
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteNairobi to Amsterdam
Date FlownMarch 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
8/10

"very impressed with them"

(Thailand)

Verified Review | Bangkok to Nairobi, and I was very impressed with them. I was taking a school group to Africa and originally was trying to fly Ethiopian or Qatar, but both were booked out so we went with Kenya Airways. We were met at Suvarnabhumi Airport by an agent of the airline as we were a group and check-in was very smooth. Their Boeing 787 seems to have more pitch than others I have flown and so was much more comfortable for me with longer legs on an overnight flight. Flight crew to Nairobi were all African (I specify this as the Nairobi to Bangkok return flight they were all Asian as the flight continues to Hong Kong) and were very professional and provided good service. As the flight originated in China, most passengers on board when we boarded were Chinese and so were typically noisy during the flight, but no more than I have gotten used to! Food was good and served punctually. I even slept a bit during the flight - unusual for me! Overall I recommend them as a cheaper flight to Africa.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBangkok to Nairobi
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
9/10

"The crew was great"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Nairobi. The inbound aircraft from Nairobi was late into Heathrow, we had to briefly go back to the gate with a maintenance issue. One of my reading lights didn't work but these things happen with airlines. The crew was great, the cabin was spotless and meal delicious. They held the connecting flight to Mombasa for me, something that airlines promise but rarely do. That flight had a newish aircraft, charming crew and clear flight deck announcements. They served a warm breakfast, not bad for a 45 minute flight. KQ were equally good on a flight to London a couple of years ago after I slipped a disc and had to be taken home in a wheelchair. I was looked after perfectly until I reached Heathrow. My only criticism is the fault of Kenya Airports Authority. It is unbelievable in the 21st century that to get to JKIA's domestic terminal, you have to push your heavy luggage cart across an enormous car park with kerbs, busy traffic and dubious individuals who want to relieve you of your luggage temporarily - or perhaps permanently. There is no reason not to have a level, paved, lit, signposted pathway - after all if Kenya can get Chinese contractors to finish a brand new railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi with gleaming new stations and viaducts six months early, they can't prevail on the Chinese to build a simple path in a week - if the work is too onerous to do themselves, that is. Or would that deprive freelance porters of income? The car park trek is a huge disincentive to use KQ to domestic destinations in Kenya - it's easier, but not such a pleasant experience, to use Turkish or Ethiopian which fly direct and clear customs at your destination.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLHR to MBA via NBO
Date FlownMarch 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"unhelpful and incompetent staff"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Nairobi to Mt Kilimanjaro. We arrived in Nairobi with some lateness from our BA flight and had to transfer to our Kenya Airways flight to Mt Kilimanjaro. Since our luggage was not checked through we were told we should proceed to immigration collect our luggage then check into our Kenya Airways flight. The minute we arrived with lateness we asked some official in the airport where to go. They pointed us towards the connections area up some stairway. We proceeded to the Kenya Airways desk, the staff were a bit clueless as to what to do until we were told to go to another desk, who in turn told us to talk to BA. After bouncing around a few desks (running) we knew we were not going to make our flight and our luggage would be left in the collection belt. We decided to miss the flight and try for a later one. The Kenya Airways staff were absolutely unhelpful. When trying to purchase the tickets we were sent to another desk, guess what, they don't take cards. And the tickets were 320$ each. At this desk we were finally told the only way to sort this was to go through immigration, collect our luggage, go to the other terminal to another Kenya Airways desk, buy our tickets then check in. In my lifetime of travelling, this was one of the most gruelling and awful experiences I have ever had. After collecting our luggage and walking outside being accosted by random "officials" trying to make a quick buck and people trying to scam us we made our way to the Kenya Airways office. They then offered us a pair of tickets which were now $420 each, apparently our no show on the flight we missed incurred a fee. They were taking advantage of the situation despite none of this being our fault, and only due to their incompetence. We had no choice but to buy the tickets and move on. We checked in and made the flight, which was going via Zanzibar which finally got us to Mt Kilimanjaro at 3am. It is an awful airport, countless security checks, unhelpful and incompetent staff. Never again.
AircraftEmbraer ERJ-190
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteNairobi to Mt Kilimanjaro
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
9/10

"a big thank you to Kenya Airways"

(Kenya)

Verified Review | I am back to say a big thank you to Kenya Airways. I traveled from Moshoeshoe airport in Lesotho on Feb 12, 2017 by Maluti Sky. That flight was delayed and I had a very short time for international transfer at OR Tambo. Not surprisingly, my luggage, which had been checked to Johannesburg was left behind. I barely made it through check-in in time for my flight KQ761 to JKIA. The support I received from KQ staff was amazing starting at OR Tambo KQ counter, I was whisked through check-in and I made it for my flight, then a staff member picked up my issue with left luggage and personally ensured that it was not only loaded on the next flight but I was sent a confirmation via WhatsApp. On reporting the left luggage at the JKIA complaints desk, another staff member was very helpful and logged the complaint calling to inform me that the luggage had been received in Nairobi. There were many others who pointed me in the right direction to ensure that I got back my bag intact and without any drama. The entire crew on board KQ761 from OR Tambo to JKIA on Feb 12, 2017 provided an excellent cabin service and a smooth ride.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteJohannesburg to Nairobi
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
9/10

"service and entertainment great"

(Kenya)

Verified Review | Nairobi to Johannesburg on KQ760. The flight was on time, check-in was smooth with very friendly staff at check-in. The flight was smooth and in-cabin service and entertainment was great. We touched down in Joburg with minutes to spare. This was refreshing since I had a bad experience in July 2016 with Kenya Airways (flew to Entebbe then, got delayed for hours and my luggage was left behind) This is great improvement.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteNairobi to Johannesburg
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
3/10

"worst travel experiences ever"

(Mozambique)

Verified Review | This has to be one of the worst travel experiences ever. I would never recommend Kenya Airways. They changed our departure date by 1 day from Maputo to Amsterdam (via Nairobi) without even advising us. This meant I had to change my ongoing flights to Toulouse and Belfast as I had booked and paid EasyJet for these. Kenya Airways refuse to reimburse me the cost of changing the tickets. Then when we went to check in at Maputo Airport and were told that our tickets had been cancelled and we were not on the flight. That was a very stressful 30 minutes. Finally they advised us that we could check in. The Boeing 787 from Amsterdam to Nairobi was terrible. Poor choice of movies. Very cramped. Terrible cold breakfast. Tasteless dinner. The only enjoyable bit about the whole experience was the flight from Nairobi to Amsterdam that was operated by KLM. Even Nairobi Airport is a terrible place. Poor choice of restaurants. No airconditioning and no wireless. Never again.
AircraftBoeing 787 / E190
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMaputo to Amsterdam via Nairobi
Date FlownDecember 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"the worst travel experience"

(South Africa)

Verified Review | Johannesburg to Bangkok via Nairobi. Terrible airline - do not book Kenya Airways! We originally booked our Johannesburg to Bangkok tickets via Nairobi because of the short travelling time - there was only a 1-1.5 hour layover in Nairobi each way. Months after booking the ticket, Kenya Airways rescheduled our flights so that there was a 7 hour layover in Nairobi. The 7 hour layover ended up 5 hours longer than expected because the flight to Bangkok was severely delayed (this after our flight to Nairobi had been delayed by 2 hours and used a different aircraft that did not have in flight entertainment). The 5 hour delay severely impacted our plans in Thailand, creating great inconvenience and forcing us to make additional travel arrangement to the island we were staying on, at our own expense. When we raised these concerns with the Kenya Airways service desk at Nairobi airport, we were told that they could not assist us and we had to log a complaint with Kenya Airways customer service. My partner logged a complaint - we have still had no reply to this. We faced the same experience on our return flights - the flight from Bangkok to Nairobi was delayed by 3 hours which meant we missed our connecting flight to Johannesburg and were put on the next flight out - another 7 hour wait at Nairobi airport. Then we were notified that we had been moved to a later flight that evening because a smaller aircraft had to be used. When we eventually arrived back in Johannesburg, my partner's bag had been left in Nairobi. The agent at the Kenya Airways luggage desk told us it would be couriered to us the next morning - it was only delivered at 10pm the next night. Our flights with Kenya Airways ended up being the worst travel experience of any airline - we ended up spending over 20 hours extra at Nairobi airport as well as 5 hours extra at Johannesburg and Bangkok airports due to KQ delays - an entire day of our holiday lost due to their inefficiencies. None of the customer service complaints we have logged have been replied to. We will never fly Kenya Airways again.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteJNB to BKK via NBO
Date FlownJanuary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"Kenya Airways won't see me again"

(Burundi)

Verified Review | A few hours before departing from Johannesburg to Bujumbura via Nairobi, we have been informed that our flight was delayed for 8 hours which caused us to extend our hotel stay and delay our car rental. At airport we are issued with 2 boarding pass (JNB-NBO and NBO-BJM). In Nairobi, we are waiting at our gat to board (flight also delayed for 4 hours). When finally boarding the attendant informed us that this flight doesn't go to Bujumbura anymore but to Kigali. Nobody informed us of the change (despite our visit to the helpdesk to ask information about food and drink voucher which was not given). Calling the operation manager, we have been told that the decision has been made a few hours before our boarding time. Needless to say, we were not given any compensation whatsoever. The flight crew were very nice and aircraft and seats comfortable and that is the reason I give it 3 points in my rating. Kenya Airways won't see me again.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteJNB to BJM via NBO
Date FlownJanuary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no