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Kenya Airways: Expert advice and recommendations

Expert travel writer Ramsey Qubein shares all you need to know before booking a flight with Kenya Airways.
Ramsey Qubein
October 3, 2024

Kenya Airways calls itself the “pride of Africa,” and while not the largest carrier on the continent, it certainly is proud to connect the world to East Africa and points beyond, including the world’s most popular safari experiences.

Its SkyTeam membership gives it the boost it needs to fill planes with travelers funneled from other alliance hubs like New York JFK, Paris CDG and Amsterdam and throughout Africa. When flying with Kenya Airways (or KQ, that’s the airline’s two-letter code, and locals use it to refer to the carrier), there are some key considerations to keep in mind to have a pleasant experience.

An expansive route network

Kenya Airways offers the third most expansive route network on the continent behind powerhouse airlines like Ethiopian Airlines and Egyptair, both members of Star Alliance. Since this is the only SkyTeam carrier based in Africa, it handles a lot of traffic.

But, let’s not forget that both Air France and KLM (two other SkyTeam airlines) have a major presence on the continent flying to many of their former colonies and beyond. Kenya Airways’ network complements its sibling airline’s route maps well.

KQ is able to fill the gaps and fly to smaller destinations like Lilongwe, Malawi; Livingstone, Zambia; Moroni, Comoros; and Juba, South Sudan. Kenya Airways wants to expand its footprint, especially to all primary and secondary destinations in Africa.

One of its stated goals has been to add frequencies to the most popular African destinations to give travelers more choice and pick up more traffic. For example, it wants to fly double-daily, if not more, to many of its destinations.

The airline’s modern fleet

Kenya Airways flies a mix of Boeing and Embraer planes. The Embraer E190 planes are regional jets with a 1-2 layout in business class and a 2-2 layout in economy class.

They are comfortable, but I find that the airline sometimes uses them on long sectors of as many as four hours. They can feel less spacious than the Boeing planes. Luckily, they do not have any middle seats.

Other regional flights are operated by Boeing 737s in a 2-2 configuration in business class and 3-3 in economy. The airline uses these on flights all over Africa, sometimes on flights as long as 5 or 6 hours.

The best planes in the airline’s fleet are the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners with flat bed seats in Premier World (business class) in a 2-2-2 layout. While passengers in the window seat have to climb over their neighbor to reach the aisle, I find the amount of leg room space to be very generous.

In economy class, the seats are in a restrictive 3-3-3 layout, and these can be quite uncomfortable on lengthy flights, especially the airline’s longest flight to New York JFK. I would definitely pay extra to assign seats in the emergency exit rows as they have more legroom.

Many Kenya Airways planes have seatback TV screens with 100 movies, 30 documentaries and 55 TV shows. These are a great way to pass the time, and I am impressed that they installed these on the regional jets. Unfortunately, these are not on the Boeing 737 planes. Instead, these rely on overhead screens that play the same movie for everyone to watch.

Travel experience

Premier World is the top product that the airline offers. Flight attendants are friendly, and I like that they offer some local ingredients although I wish they would add more Kenyan recipes to the menu. All of the airline’s flights have a meal service and open bar, and on longer sectors there are two meals. The JFK flight has three meals in each cabin.

The seats lie completely flat, and the TV screens are much larger. I appreciate that there are power outlets at every seat on the Boeing 787 planes. The only thing I think Kenya Airways could improve is to offer snacks in between meal services.

The airline has several seat options worth paying extra for including Economy Comfort, which provides more leg room on the 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. There are also Preferred seats, which offer the same legroom as standard seats, but are closer to the front of the plane.

Economy Max is the airline’s highest offering in the main cabin. By paying for an adjacent seat, the airline will keep it vacant to have the extra space to yourself. On some flights, you can even book an entire row so that you can lie down.

Kenya Airways serves meals on all of its international flights in economy class. These are usually a hot meal with two choices, and the airline deserves praise for offering an open bar in economy class.

If you want to upgrade to business class, but don’t want to pay the full fare, the airline offers a bidding service for an upgrade. You can save substantial cash this way while still enjoying Premier World.

Up until two days before departure, you can enter the price you are willing to pay, and before the flight, the airline will notify the highest bidders if their upgrade was approved. Every time I have bid for an upgrade, I lucked out and received it at half the price the airline was charging if paying directly for business class.

Another feature I really appreciate is that the airline has a link on its website to all of the business class menus on its flights. This can be a helpful way for you to decide if you want to upgrade or if you want to bring your own snacks for the flight.

You can also opt for a special meal before departure. These include vegetarian, diabetic and children’s meals. There is even an option to order a fruit platter, which I rarely see from airlines. You can make these selections online or by calling the airline.

A hub airport that has grown and modernized

Nairobi’s airport was outdated for the number of flights Kenya Aiways was adding, and it lacked the modern facilities of other airports. Luckily, a new terminal has opened and given Kenya Airways the hub it deserves. Still, some flights depart from the original terminal, and the difference is immediately noticeable.

Lounges

Accessible to SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers and those with premium cabin tickets, the airline’s Simba and Pride Lounges are modern and bright with hot and cold buffets, showers, work stations and an open bar. These are a major improvement over the lounges in the old terminal.

Of the two lounges, I recommend the Pride Lounge, which is vastly larger with more space to sit and relax. The Simba Lounge is smaller and can fill up quickly.

Sky Priority

As a SkyTeam airline, premium cabin and elite status passengers have access to these priority areas in the airport. They include priority check-in areas, access to faster security lanes and early boarding through a dedicated lane at the gate.

SkyPriority is a feature that frequent travelers will recognize all around the world when traveling on a SkyTeam airline. It is a much-appreciated perk, and I find that it saves me a lot of time when there are long lines.

Loyalty program and partnerships

The airline has its own loyalty program called Asante Rewards. You can earn miles for your flights and redeem them for future travel. As a member of the program, you receive discounts for things like seat selection, lounge access and flight tickets.

As a SkyTeam member, you can also earn and redeem miles from any of its partner airlines like Air France, KLM, Delta, SAS and Vietnam Airlines. I often redeem Delta SkyMiles for flights on Kenya Airways. This is a great value since tickets on flights within Africa can be very expensive.

A good tip, however, is not relying on Delta’s website to determine if there is flight availability as it does not always publish award flights for Kenya Airways flights online. Instead, I advise calling Delta directly to check and see if there is availability to redeem miles for free travel.

KQ Holidays

The airline has its own vacation planning arm that bundles together flights, ground transportation, hotel stays and destination activities. This can be a great option if you are considering a safari holiday as the carrier can tailor the experience to your budget.

It offers a best price guarantee that assures you are getting the lowest price for your package. If you find something cheaper for the same exact package, KQ Holidays will refund you twice the difference in price.

Low-cost division

In the face of a growing number of low-fare airlines in Africa, Kenya Airways developed its own to help it compete. Jambojet flights to destinations around East Africa offer an a la carte model where passengers pay for things like checked bags, seat assignment, onboard food and drinks, and the ability to change or cancel your ticket.

Its low fares are great for short domestic or regional flights. Jambojet, however, is not part of the SkyTeam alliance.

This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.

FAQs about flying with Kenya Airways

  • What is Kenya Airways' carry-on size allowance?

    On board Kenya Airways flights, cabin baggage should not exceed 21x13x9in. If your hand luggage is bigger, the Kenya Airways assistance team will most likely ask you to pay extra for checked luggage.

  • Where does Kenya Airways fly to?

    Kenya Airways offers direct flights to 44 cities in 33 different countries. Nairobi, Mombasa, and Johannesburg are the most popular cities covered by Kenya Airways.

  • What is Kenya Airways’ primary hub?

    Kenya Airways concentrates most of its flight operations in Nairobi.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on Kenya Airways flights?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine, meaning that we continuously look across the web to find the best deals for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from all airlines, including Kenya Airways.

  • What’s the cheapest route that Kenya Airways flies?

    In the last 72 hours, the cheapest route flown by Kenya Airways found on KAYAK was from Nairobi to Eldoret, with a price of $122 for a round-trip.

  • What are the most popular airports for Kenya Airways flights to depart from?

  • Is Kenya Airways part of an airline alliance?

    Yes, Kenya Airways is part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

  • How many destinations does Kenya Airways fly to?

    In total, Kenya Airways flies to 44 destinations.

See more FAQs

Kenya Airways customer reviews

6.7
OkayBased on 295 verified guest reviews
6.2Entertainment
7.6Crew
6.3Food
6.7Comfort
6.9Boarding

Pros +
Cons -

Show reviews that mention
Traveler rating:
Sort by:
V
2.0 Poor
NBO-JFK
Pros:I didn't fly throw the Kenyan airlines because they kept delaying my flight time and they want to spend 24 hours at the airport because of my wife is passports is not american passport, so I had to change the flight , the worst experience ever in my flight life
A
2.6 Poor
EBB-NBO
Pros:nothing I liked about this flight. Our flight was delayed by more than 6 hours. Even though airline had an opportunity to bump us in their sister airline- precision airline in earlier flight Nairobi, they refused to help us. Precision air had lot of seats empty.
Cons:Kenyan airways do not care about customers and inconvenience they are facing. We were suppose to arrive Dar at 7:30 pm and instead now we will arrive at 1:30 am on 28th Jan 2020.
K
7.6 Good
JFK-NBO
Pros:Crew was attentive, punctual, and third meal on a 14 hour flight is right.
Cons:Movies are badly dated, and a bit limited in choice. System was a bit difficult to navigate, and slow to respond.
M
10.0 Wonderful
NBO-JFK
Food was great. They never to add more current entertainment like movies and shows
V
6.0 Okay
JFK-NBO
Customer service not the greatest my bags were left behind at JFK
V
2.0 Poor
DAR-NBO
Terrible
V
10.0 Wonderful
NBO-AMS
Excellent!
J
2.0 Poor
KIS-NBO
If my flight from Heathrow to Nairobi had not been cancelled I would’ve been in kisumu to fly back! And I have still not had my refund! So you have my cash and I’ve got nothing in return. Wonderful!
V
4.0 Mediocre
CPT-NBO
Cons:Comfier seats Some entertainment...there was none. Plane very hot and claustrophobic
V
6.6 Okay
KGL-NBO
Pros:The crew was amazing, and the flight was really short and comfortable.
Cons:Update the movies and music on the passengers's TV

Kenya Airways flight status

Sat 11/2

Kenya Airways route map - Which destinations does Kenya Airways fly to?

Find out which destinations you can fly to direct with Kenya Airways by entering your departure airport. If you want to know if Kenya Airways flies a certain route, enter both the departure and destination airport before hitting search.
Sat 11/2

All Kenya Airways flight routes

Flight #Departure AirportArrival AirportDurationSunMonTueWedThuFriSat
489Dar Es Salaam (DAR)Nairobi (NBO)1h 25m
479Kigali (KGL)Nairobi (NBO)1h 30m
488Nairobi (NBO)Dar Es Salaam (DAR)1h 30m
419Entebbe (EBB)Nairobi (NBO)1h 15m
205Mumbai (BOM)Nairobi (NBO)6h 25m
266Nairobi (NBO)Moroni (HAH)2h 30m
305Dubai (DXB)Nairobi (NBO)5h 15m
520Abidjan (ABJ)Dakar (DSS)2h 50m
520Nairobi (NBO)Abidjan (ABJ)6h 5m
508Accra (ACC)Monrovia (ROB)2h 0m
508Nairobi (NBO)Accra (ACC)5h 40m
509Monrovia (ROB)Accra (ACC)1h 50m
509Accra (ACC)Nairobi (NBO)5h 40m
403Addis Ababa (ADD)Nairobi (NBO)2h 10m
592Nairobi (NBO)Douala (DLA)4h 10m
741Maputo (MPM)Nairobi (NBO)3h 55m
593Douala (DLA)Nairobi (NBO)4h 20m
740Nairobi (NBO)Maputo (MPM)4h 10m
310Nairobi (NBO)Dubai (DXB)5h 25m
116Nairobi (NBO)Amsterdam (AMS)9h 15m
756Nairobi (NBO)Lilongwe (LLW)2h 15m
756Nampula (APL)Nairobi (NBO)2h 30m
756Lilongwe (LLW)Nampula (APL)1h 15m
117Amsterdam (AMS)Nairobi (NBO)8h 20m
112Nairobi (NBO)Paris (CDG)8h 40m
555Kinshasa (FIH)Nairobi (NBO)3h 30m
554Nairobi (NBO)Kinshasa (FIH)3h 20m
521Abidjan (ABJ)Nairobi (NBO)6h 25m
521Dakar (DSS)Abidjan (ABJ)2h 55m
306Nairobi (NBO)Mombasa (MBA)1h 0m
274Nairobi (NBO)Port Louis (MRU)4h 20m
306Mombasa (MBA)Dubai (DXB)5h 35m
275Port Louis (MRU)Nairobi (NBO)4h 20m
250Nairobi (NBO)Victoria (SEZ)3h 15m
499Zanzibar (ZNZ)Nairobi (NBO)1h 20m
402Nairobi (NBO)Addis Ababa (ADD)2h 0m
263Antananarivo (TNR)Nairobi (NBO)3h 20m
262Nairobi (NBO)Antananarivo (TNR)3h 20m
490Nairobi (NBO)Zanzibar (ZNZ)1h 20m
535Lagos (LOS)Nairobi (NBO)5h 20m
534Nairobi (NBO)Lagos (LOS)5h 15m
619Mombasa (MBA)Nairobi (NBO)1h 0m
765Johannesburg (JNB)Nairobi (NBO)4h 5m
764Nairobi (NBO)Johannesburg (JNB)4h 15m
474Nairobi (NBO)Kigali (KGL)1h 30m
259Victoria (SEZ)Nairobi (NBO)3h 10m
416Nairobi (NBO)Entebbe (EBB)1h 15m
670Nairobi (NBO)Kisumu (KIS)0h 50m
655Kisumu (KIS)Nairobi (NBO)0h 50m
100Nairobi (NBO)London (LHR)8h 55m
101London (LHR)Nairobi (NBO)8h 35m
113Paris (CDG)Nairobi (NBO)8h 5m
204Nairobi (NBO)Mumbai (BOM)6h 15m
510Accra (ACC)Freetown (FNA)2h 20m
353Juba (JUB)Nairobi (NBO)1h 40m
352Nairobi (NBO)Juba (JUB)1h 45m
793Victoria Falls (VFA)Nairobi (NBO)3h 15m
793Cape Town (CPT)Victoria Falls (VFA)2h 50m
706Nairobi (NBO)Lusaka (LUN)2h 50m
706Lusaka (LUN)Harare (HRE)1h 5m
704Lusaka (LUN)Nairobi (NBO)2h 40m
706Harare (HRE)Nairobi (NBO)2h 55m
704Harare (HRE)Lusaka (LUN)1h 5m
511Freetown (FNA)Accra (ACC)2h 30m
704Nairobi (NBO)Harare (HRE)3h 0m
886Nairobi (NBO)Bangkok (BKK)9h 31m
782Nairobi (NBO)Livingstone (LVI)3h 15m
783Livingstone (LVI)Nairobi (NBO)3h 15m
782Livingstone (LVI)Cape Town (CPT)3h 10m
783Cape Town (CPT)Livingstone (LVI)2h 50m
426Nairobi (NBO)Arusha (JRO)1h 0m
427Arusha (JRO)Nairobi (NBO)1h 0m
792Nairobi (NBO)Victoria Falls (VFA)3h 15m
792Victoria Falls (VFA)Cape Town (CPT)3h 10m
784Nairobi (NBO)Cape Town (CPT)5h 45m
465Bujumbura (BJM)Nairobi (NBO)1h 40m
3New York (JFK)Nairobi (NBO)13h 30m
464Nairobi (NBO)Bujumbura (BJM)1h 40m
785Cape Town (CPT)Nairobi (NBO)5h 45m
2Nairobi (NBO)New York (JFK)15h 0m
More flight routes

Kenya Airways contact information

Overview of Kenya Airways

Although this airline is based in Kenya, it offers flights to a variety of destinations across the world that are located in 41 different countries. For those that would like to visit Europe, you can choose from places like France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. If you would rather go somewhere in Asia, popular choices are Thailand, India, and China.

When you decide to travel with Kenya Airways, there are two classes for you to choose from, which are referred to as Economy and Business. Economy will provide you with standard benefits like snacks, drinks, and access to the plane’s entertainment system, while Business comes with a larger seat that provides more legroom, priority check-in, priority boarding, access to the airline lounge, and a gourmet meal.

Kenya Airways is known for having many connections with other airlines, such as KLM, which owns part of the company. Additionally, the airline is a member of both SkyTeam and the African Airlines Association, both of which are air alliances. They also maintain codeshare agreements with many other international airlines, including Air France, Delta Air Lines, EgyptAir, and Precision Air.

This airline has 40 planes that make up its fleet, with almost all of them being either Boeing or Embraer. Although the Embraer 190AR is the company’s smallest plane, it is the aircraft that is used the most often, as it is best suited for medium-range flights and can fit almost 100 passengers. For longer trips, the Boeing 787-8 is commonly used instead, as it can fit over 230 passengers and has a substantial amount of space for Business Class seats.

Kenya Airways information

IATA CodeKQ
Routes98
Top routeMombasa to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl Airport
Airports served44
Top airportNairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl

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