Find cheap Kenya Airways flights

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.