sevendown

Does anyone know where I can find a seating chart for a Kenya Airways flight from NBO to CDG? It is a 767. I have looked everywhere, but the most I have been able to learn is that the configuration is 2-1-2, but not the number of rows, row numbers, etc. Anyone know where I can see a chart?

sevendown

It may be obvious, but I didn't say that the 2-1-2 config. is business class, where I hope to be sitting. That's really what I'm looking for, if anyone has actual experience with the rows, row numbers, etc.

Gardyloo

Rows 1-10, AB/C/GH. Looks like Row 1 is blocked most of the time. Found the chart on Expertflyer, a paid serice that accesses several GDSs. Don't know if/where there's open access to KQ's seatmaps.

sevendown

Thanks. Actually I subscribe to ExpertFlyer (premium) and had tried to look there but was not having much luck. Can you tell me how you found it?

sevendown

I think I got it. My flight is not until January, and I guess they don't publish seat maps that far out. When I tried the same flight for next week, I got the seatmap on ExpertFlyer.

Thanks for the help.

going_2_africa

Sevendown, when are you flying? I am doing the CDG - NBO on Jan 6th and NBO - CDG on Jan 24th.

I have been wondering the same thing about a seat map, and not having any luck finding one. I don't subscribe to expertflyer, though, so I'm still in the dark.

Shane

Gardyloo

EF doesn't have access to economy seat maps, and from the EF screens it looks like 10 rows x 5 seats are set up in business configuration. However the KQ website says there are 20 business seats and 196 coach on the 767s (50 would be an awful lot) so I'm betting the EF map is wrong too.

Added - just checked on Amadeus and only 3 rows show up in J - 2/3/4 so 15 business seats total on the 763, contrary to both EF and KQ's own website.

KQ does not feed economy seatmaps to Amadeus. So that's all, folks.

sevendown

Shane -- You will be getting on my plane just as I get off. I am flying NBO-CDG on Jan. 5, arriving Jan. 6. (I get to NBO on a different route.)

This is my intelligence so far: Kenya Airways apparently doesn't post its seating maps for flights beyond 3 months out. But by looking at seating charts on ExpertFlyer for flights scheduled over the next few months, I have been able to see that Rows 1-10 are business class with a 2-1-2 configuration (seat letters AB-C-GH) and Rows 11-41 are economy class with mostly a 2-3-2 configuration (seat letters AB-CDF-GH)(row 27 lacks the middle CDF seats and rows 40 and 41 only have the middle CDF seats and do not have the outside AB or GH seats).

I am holding reservations but haven't bought my tickets yet. When I do, I will ask them about seat assignments, but I suspect they don't assign seats until 3 months before a flight, like a number of airlines do. My suspicion is supported by what I see on ExpertFlyer. The flights in the next few weeks have a number of seats showing already assigned, while the flights closer to 3 months out show absolutely no seats pre-assigned yet.

sevendown

Oops. I was working on my post and sent it before I saw Gardyloo's last one.

I feel more confident on what he saw on Amadeus. 50 would be a heck of a lot of business seats, and I think I heard somewhere else that Kenya Airways has a fairly small business class cabin. I know it is already sold out on my flight.

So the number of rows may still be up in the air, but probably the configuration of the cabins I described is likely right.

going_2_africa

Sevendown, you are correct about KQ not doing seat assignments until 3 months or closer to flight. I already contacted them by phone to check that out. Mine is a reward ticket through NWA. I knew that NWA won't reserve seats that far out, so I called KQ directly...same story.

Now that I think about it, I need to call AF about my CDG - DTW leg. Wonder if they follow that 3-month rule as well. Guess it doesn't REALLY matter. I'm traveling solo, in biz, so not like I need to worry about a seat next to a travel companion or anything.

Shane

sevendown

Air France will give you seat assignments now. Call 1-800-237-2747. Check seatguru.com before you call to see what seats are good and bad.

Patty

sevendown,
So I take it you finally got the ticketing straightened out? Reports on FT indicate that it's 5 rows of 2-1-2, contrary to EF, KQ and Amadeus

Shane,
You can get AF seat assignments any time. I momentarily forgot about this on my upcoming trip and lost out on my preferred rows

sevendown

Patty -- I think I have the ticketing sorted out. Thanks.

I got a travel agent who took over the reservation. She assures me that I can buy the tickets at any time from her and they are fully refundable if I somehow get my award seats on KLM (which apparently still hasn't opened up its business class cabin for reservations on the Jan. 5 NBO-AMS flight unless you ticket it NBO-AMS-ATL).

We had a shakeup in our travelling party, so I held off on buying the Kenya Air tickets for a bit. Now that we are certain of the number of travellers, I am going to go ahead and buy the tickets in the next few days. I will post again once I have tickets in hand (or in my E-hand at least).

going_2_africa

OUT-freakin-STANDING!!!

Just got my seat on my AF flight. Thanks, "guys", for reminding me to call about that, and thanks, sevendown, for the number.

Got seat 2A, which seatguru says one of only 2 "green" seats in biz. That has made a really crap day much better.



Shane

Meanwhile, the "terminal hold" music while waiting for the agent sounded like a breathy Cyndi Lauper on crack. ;-)

Patty

Here's a trip report including KQ flights in J with the NBO-CDG segment still to come http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ferrerid=18562

sevendown

Thanks Patty for posting this. I'll keep checking back.