tinydancer

We flew into Kenya via Bangkok with Kenya Airlines. We checked in to our flights in Sydney, checking our bags through to Kiliminjaro, and were told to pick up our boarding passes in Bangkok. We arrived around +/-11:00PM, and when we got to the transfer desk, Kenya Airlines told us the flight was full and we'd have to wait 24 hours until the next one.

This was terribly upsetting to us, but we held our groud, standing at the desk and insisting that they'd have to get us on that flight one way or the other as we had to connect with another flight and were booked to begin our safari.

They said they still had people from the night before (!!!) who had to get on the flight.

Anyway, all's well that end's well, and at 11:20 we got on the flight.

But...if you are flying into Bangkok connecting to Kenya Airlines, make sure your TA contacts them the day of, and maybe also the day before you fly, to ensure that they hold your seats.

Otherwise, everything went like clockwork. However, I'd think twice before flying this airline again.

And so begins our African safari!

Calo

Good for you for holding your ground and insisting on getting on your scheduled flight. I wonder why you weren't given boarding passes for both flights if you flew with the same airline on both legs? I think a red flag may have gone up for me there.

Was this Kenya Airlines? I've always flown Kenya Airways and never had any issues.

kimburu

Kenya Airways have this problem from time to time (not frequently, but it happens). The problem is that the planes on that route are a little on the old side (not frighteningly so and it is a very reliable plane) and if one breaks down they do not have a spare one. Actually happens to other airlines in Bangkok too, but ones like Lufthansa 'recover" from their backlog a little quicker as they have alliance partners and can get a spare 747 here in 18 hours or so. Obvious really, but very annoying if you are one of the unlucky ones. I don't think Kenya Airways would be the only airline affected like this.

Have fun... not that you should be reading this.

There is a rumour the Bangkok planes sometimes get diverted to serve the more lucrative European destinations too, if one of their planes needs repairs, but that may be just internal gossip (makes sense but not worth repeating).

kimburu

Okay.... I sound quite kind to Kenya Airways, but I am quite fond of them.

moneyburns

Tiny, so glad you arrived! What a difficult way to start a trip; good thing you held tight and got your seats. I don't want to miss seeing you towards the end of the month - you have much to do before then!

Does anyone have experience flying Kenya Air out of Nairobi to AMS? I notice on my itinerary I am flying KLM into Nairobi, but on the return it is Kenya Air. Anyone flown that leg with KA?

Tx
Moneyburns

twaffle

Calo, Tinydancer wouldn't have flown into Bangkok with Kenya Airways as they don't fly into Australia which is why she probably was picking up the boarding pass in in Bangkok.

MB, I haven't flown Kenya Airways internationally so can't help. You must be counting the days now!

Kimburu, I think you are spot on with your assessment.

moneyburns

Twaffle, I am hyperventilating with excitement - a year in planning and we leave on Sun!
Thanks for all the support! Hope to see your friends at Serian and Mobile!!

Since I am meeting up with TinyD, I don't think she mind me throwing in my itinerary for anyone who missed my obsessive questions over the past year: 3 nights Ol Malo - 5 n. Ngare Serian,; 2 Mobile; 1 Main Camp (dinner with Tinydancer - I am sure she will have amazing stories from Tanzania to share!)

Last day -NBO -" Karen Blixen" (the movie started my planning way back when), see my adoptees at DSWT; meet a new friend from Nairobi and give her some jewelry I made her (not beaded) and pray Kenya Air gets me to Amsterdam the next morning, as I will be missing my white lab something terrible.

Thanks everyone -
MoneyB

ekscrunchy

You might be interested to read a similar account of problems with this airline that appears in the current issue of Conde Nast Traveler; scroll down to the article entitled "Up in the Air," about a Kenya Airways cancellation and the problems that ensued:

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/...0?pageNumber=2

aowens

Been there and done that!! I will avoid them whenever possible!! My mother was bumped out of business class in 2008 due to overbooking (even though we had seat assignments since the 90 or 60 days out that they would allow them) and they did the same to my nephews on that flight in coach. My mother was given a coach seat and the children were told they would not be able to fly until the next evening. Once they realized the kids were 13 and 15 and my sister (their mom) was already given her boarding pass for her confirmed seat, they were suddenly able to find seats for the kids. 1 year later they bumped 2 friends of mine, again with confirmed seat assignments. They said it was because they had a strike a few days earlier and had to take away seats to get those people out who had been stuck for several days. My friends were at the airport 4 hours prior to departure and had apparently been randomly picked to be removed from the flight. This happened at check in, after security so their Nairobi guide had left them. Kenya Airways then told them they would have to leave the airport, with no hotel or help of any kind. Fortunately, my friend had the cell phone number of her guide and was able to call him. He came back and took them to the Kenya Airways office where after much complaining and begging by the Nairobi guide, they eventually booked my friends into a hotel and gave them boarding passes for the next night. Had they not had someone local to come help them, Lord only knows when they would have gotten home. The Nairobi airport isn't really somewhere I would want to be left with no help or car or guide!!

moneyburns

Well, I just can't wait for this adventure....at least Kenya Airways is the return. I will be sure to have someone "stick around" just in case.
Thanks for the heads up; hopefully they've improved since then. If not, I know to be very very insistent!

Thx again
Mb

aowens

and make sure to have your guides cell phone number!!

tinydancer

We're back, safe and sound in spite of using Kenya Airways!

We have discussed this event several times, and we have come to the conclusion that :

a. the person on the check-in counter in Bangkok was either doing something very wrong on her computer,

OR

b. something was wrong in their computer system

Not sure which, it was just the reaction of the new person who came on duty and the fact that she seemed to be able to print out our boarding passes immediately that makes us suspect one of these reasons.

Our tickets were actually Kenya Airways flights, using Thai into and out of Australia.

Although I can definitely understand booking on KA and wanting to support that company, I think they should be made to have in place some better type of system to accommodate people flying in from all over the world to begin very tightly scheduled safari's. But since I am not in the business, I don't know how anyone could prevent these things from happening.

I'm not sure if I could be convinced to give them another go unless I had it in writing that this wouldn't happen again. I understand that separate airlines computer systems can have problems communicating to each other, but they need to have a back-up in place before they promote 'partner' airlines. If they ARE partnered, then BOTH if them need to work this stuff out.

I'm just grateful we got through, but I can still see that Japanese couple and see her crying because she couldn't get on, and I think they were bumped the night before also. What a disappointment.

On our way home, we had no problems, but we couldn't help notice that business class was empty.

---

On a different note, we flew into Rwanda with Rwanda Air and were totally blown away by their professionalism from beginning to end!

spassvogel

That's an absolutely inacceptable trouble shooting on Kenya Airways' part!

That again confirm our habit to NOT FLY ANY AIRLINE which hans't got decent partnerships/frequent partnerships nor airlines which operate on a small number of aircrafts.

Particularly in view to safaris, which are without exception prepaid, when one looses safari time and also connecting taxi flights to the reserves, one should NEVER EVER book an airline which doesn't grant FREQUENCY to the final destination.

I know about AMS having infrastructure problems which foten leads to misplaced or misrouted luggage which often causes trouble getting the luiggage while WITHIN the safari destination.

But the case published at CN is even more devastating as the travellers could have flown out in the morning instead of evening.

Regarding Kenya Airways troible shooting of that case:

"Ombudsman then approached Kenya Airways to get its version of events. Over a six–month period, we contacted the carrier by phone, fax, and e–mail, but not once did we receive a response. With no reply forthcoming despite our repeated attempts, we must close this case."

the above is an absolute deal breaker.

I am sure I'd rather lay opver for a couple of hrs in Dubai and fly Emirates than Kenya Airways.

tinydancer

Brief update fyi.

Our travel agent's in-laws went a few days after we did and were actually bumped off for about 12 hours, which delayed their trip. He is furious.

Other people we know who went before us were delayed 3 hours, but made it to their connection.

I understand Qantas has signed as partner to Kenya Airlines recently, but I'd be very cautious about them anyway.

Lynneb

We had a great flight out LHR-NBO but on the way home had a 12 hour delay and it was all handled badly by Kenya Airways. I wouldn't fly with them again unless I had no other option.

roadwarriorafrica

Kenya Airways - are an airline that are expanding too quickly without the fleet to do so. Their cabin crew are great, but their management is trying to be a huge airline without the resources. One delay in the morning can see a knock on effect throughout the day.

Long haul, I would stay away from Kenya Airways. Their 767's are in pathetic shape. Their 777 are great, but are usually reserved for LHR or AMS - their premium routes.

roadwarriorafrica

Also KQ have now gone into a code share with Qantas:

http://www.kenya-airways.com/home/ab...colm=&cid=3548

tinydancer

I agree with roadwarriorafrica because since my last post, I met a Qantas pilot who had a completely opposite experience when flying privately with KLM/Kenya Air. His KLM flight was overbooked, late, or something, and Kenya Air were the ones who saved his trip. Just can't remember the details. So yes, I think it's probably a growing-way-too-fast problem. Having said that, just because they codeshare with Qantas it doesn't mean they can solve this problem. We flew Thai out of Sydney, but the problem happened in Bangkok.

They need to fix this problem.