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KENYA AIRWAYS - The shame of Africa
Rank: Veteran Joined: 1/20/2011 Posts: 1,820 Location: Nakuru
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Now that business daily has decided to censor and to flag my comments as SPAM on Ndemo's article on why KQ should read the writing on the wall, i have to "remove" gas on the ever faithful wazua..Here are my grievances about KQ as an occasional traveller and a proud Kenyan 1. Perennial delay of flights. In almost all airports, passengers stranded and sleeping at waiting bays in the late hours of the night are most likely KQ passengers. 2. It might sound unbelievable but some KQ flights especially in the(787-300 series) have tattered seats, tattered interiors.Mind you these are aeroplanes plying international routes 3. Cabin crew hoarding alcoholic drinks as if - ni za mama yao.( a clever air hostess should know a passenger stranded for hours away from home should be appeased by onywaji (Juice ,chai, water or beer) for the entire period of the flight). 4. Chakula mbaya. Most passengers avoid KQ food for fear of diarrhoea 5.Total chaos, no aplogies, little help for those who have missed connection flights coz of KQ delays. As if a delayed flight is not bad enough, passengers are bundled in those busses at JKIA and wait for odd 5-10 mins to be transferred to arrival terminal and the question that arises is, why did the aeroplane just not park at the terminal? In a nutshell KQ should up their game especially on international flights because at this rate Rwandair, Ethiopian, Fastjet will run them out of business It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer. Dumb money becomes dumb only when it listens to smart money
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Rank: Member Joined: 5/6/2011 Posts: 391 Location: Nairobi
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Fyatu wrote:Now that business daily has decided to censor and to flag my comments as SPAM on Ndemo's article on why KQ should read the writing on the wall, i have to "remove" gas on the ever faithful wazua..Here are my grievances about KQ as an occasional traveller and a proud Kenyan 1. Perennial delay of flights. In almost all airports, passengers stranded and sleeping at waiting bays in the late hours of the night are most likely KQ passengers. 2. It might sound unbelievable but some KQ flights especially in the(787-300 series) have tattered seats, tattered interiors.Mind you these are aeroplanes plying international routes 3. Cabin crew hoarding alcoholic drinks as if - ni za mama yao.( a clever air hostess should know a passenger stranded for hours away from home should be appeased by onywaji (Juice ,chai, water or beer) for the entire period of the flight). 4. Chakula mbaya. Most passengers avoid KQ food for fear of diarrhoea 5.Total chaos, no aplogies, little help for those who have missed connection flights coz of KQ delays. As if a delayed flight is not bad enough, passengers are bundled in those busses at JKIA and wait for odd 5-10 mins to be transferred to arrival terminal and the question that arises is, why did the aeroplane just not park at the terminal? In a nutshell KQ should up their game especially on international flights because at this rate Rwandair, Ethiopian, Fastjet will run them out of business It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer. I remember a month or so ago, the door refused to open on the ''new'' dreamliners ..that after an 8 hour flight + the extra 20-25 minutes of trying to get the door to open. "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" - Stephen Wright
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Rank: Elder Joined: 5/1/2010 Posts: 3,024 Location: Hapa
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Fyatu wrote:
It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer.
hapo uko na points kama mia tano  Speculz wrote:
I remember a month or so ago, the door refused to open on the ''new'' dreamliners ..that after an 8 hour flight + the extra 20-25 minutes of trying to get the door to open.
 Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. - Muhammad Ali🐝
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Rank: Elder Joined: 4/22/2010 Posts: 11,522 Location: Nairobi
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butterflyke wrote:Fyatu wrote:
It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer.
hapo uko na points kama mia tano Speculz wrote:
I remember a month or so ago, the door refused to open on the ''new'' dreamliners ..that after an 8 hour flight + the extra 20-25 minutes of trying to get the door to open.
Guys are earning massive salaries huko do you think they care? possunt quia posse videntur
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Rank: Hello Joined: 6/5/2015 Posts: 9
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@Fyatu
1. & 5. I agree with you on the issue of delayed flights. It's become a serious issue especially with closure of the runway from midnight till 6 am for maintenance coupled with withdrawal of pilots goodwill. The airline is losing money by having to arrange accommodation for passengers who have missed connections and cancelled flights occasioned by operational inefficiencies.
2. This is a blatant lie since KQ does not operate any 787-300, all the Dreamliners KQ operates are 787-800 and could not be possibly having torn seats. These are very new aircrafts.
3. & 4. are outrageous and sentimental views given that KQ passed all IATA International operational safety audits.
There's no doubt that there's quite a lot to be done in terms of operational efficiency and enhancement of customer experience but at the same time we have to acknowledge the fact that KQ offers perhaps the best services in the continent.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 5/1/2010 Posts: 3,024 Location: Hapa
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Zoori wrote:@Fyatu
1. & 5. I agree with you on the issue of delayed flights. It's become a serious issue especially with closure of the runway from midnight till 6 am for maintenance coupled with withdrawal of pilots goodwill. The airline is losing money by having to arrange accommodation for passengers who have missed connections and cancelled flights occasioned by operational inefficiencies.
2. This is a blatant lie since KQ does not operate any 787-300, all the Dreamliners KQ operates are 787-800 and could not be possibly having torn seats. These are very new aircrafts.
3. & 4. are outrageous and sentimental views given that KQ passed all IATA International operational safety audits.
There's no doubt that there's quite a lot to be done in terms of operational efficiency and enhancement of customer experience but at the same time we have to acknowledge the fact that KQ offers perhaps the best services in the continent.
I think that is the outrageous and sentimental view Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. - Muhammad Ali🐝
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 1/20/2011 Posts: 1,820 Location: Nakuru
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Zoori wrote:@Fyatu
1. & 5. I agree with you on the issue of delayed flights. It's become a serious issue especially with closure of the runway from midnight till 6 am for maintenance coupled with withdrawal of pilots goodwill. The airline is losing money by having to arrange accommodation for passengers who have missed connections and cancelled flights occasioned by operational inefficiencies.
2. This is a blatant lie since KQ does not operate any 787-300, all the Dreamliners KQ operates are 787-800 and could not be possibly having torn seats. These are very new aircrafts.
3. & 4. are outrageous and sentimental views given that KQ passed all IATA International operational safety audits.
There's no doubt that there's quite a lot to be done in terms of operational efficiency and enhancement of customer experience but at the same time we have to acknowledge the fact that KQ offers perhaps the best services in the continent.
@Zoori You are contradicting matters here.How can you agree on fact 1 & 5 and at the same time believe on the fact that KQ offers best services?? Dumb money becomes dumb only when it listens to smart money
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Rank: Elder Joined: 6/23/2009 Posts: 13,501 Location: nairobi
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I also dont like the services.. next time I will fly Zimbabwe Airlines, Tanzania Air, Nigerian Air or Congo Airways.. Be proud of ua body even if ua 'ugly'..
HF 30,000 ABP 3.49; KQ 414,100 ABP 7.92; MTN 23,800 ABP 6.45
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/15/2010 Posts: 625
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Fyatu wrote:Now that business daily has decided to censor and to flag my comments as SPAM on Ndemo's article on why KQ should read the writing on the wall, i have to "remove" gas on the ever faithful wazua..Here are my grievances about KQ as an occasional traveller and a proud Kenyan 1. Perennial delay of flights. In almost all airports, passengers stranded and sleeping at waiting bays in the late hours of the night are most likely KQ passengers. 2. It might sound unbelievable but some KQ flights especially in the(787-300 series) have tattered seats, tattered interiors.Mind you these are aeroplanes plying international routes 3. Cabin crew hoarding alcoholic drinks as if - ni za mama yao.( a clever air hostess should know a passenger stranded for hours away from home should be appeased by onywaji (Juice ,chai, water or beer) for the entire period of the flight). 4. Chakula mbaya. Most passengers avoid KQ food for fear of diarrhoea 5.Total chaos, no aplogies, little help for those who have missed connection flights coz of KQ delays. As if a delayed flight is not bad enough, passengers are bundled in those busses at JKIA and wait for odd 5-10 mins to be transferred to arrival terminal and the question that arises is, why did the aeroplane just not park at the terminal? In a nutshell KQ should up their game especially on international flights because at this rate Rwandair, Ethiopian, Fastjet will run them out of business It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer. I fly frequently with KQ - I haven't observed that their crew are anything but good. As a Kenyan you always feel at home in KQ and a hint of pride. Anytime I ask for drinks, I will even get an extra drink from the steward coz there's that Kenyan recognition. So I don't really have any complaints about KQ service on board. The rest of the operation though can definitely be improved. The drama in KQ in my opinion seems to be in the main office and perhaps with some of the skewed agreements KQ has with KLM. I once sat next to an Ethiopian Airlines manager and we got discussing KQ versus Ethiopian airlines. And basically his take was that KQ top management earn outrageous salaries compared to Ethiopian staff. Also serving at a high level in Ethiopian Airlines is considered a privilege and almost a patriotic job. I think at the time Ethiopian had announced an annual net profit of about 100M USD. Last year Ethiopian made about 170M USD in profit. Kenya badly needs KQ though - make no mistake. KQ should be one of the pillars of Vision 2030 - it's that important. It would be a real shame if we ended up like Nigeria and Ghana who have no national airlines to speak of. KQ makes Kenya look like a reliable country and is perhaps why we are likely to become the hub of African business in the continent. So if KQ goes down, even us Wazuans here will feel it.
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Rank: Member Joined: 8/29/2008 Posts: 571
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Fyatu wrote:Now that business daily has decided to censor and to flag my comments as SPAM on Ndemo's article on why KQ should read the writing on the wall, i have to "remove" gas on the ever faithful wazua..Here are my grievances about KQ as an occasional traveller and a proud Kenyan 1. Perennial delay of flights. In almost all airports, passengers stranded and sleeping at waiting bays in the late hours of the night are most likely KQ passengers. 2. It might sound unbelievable but some KQ flights especially in the(787-300 series) have tattered seats, tattered interiors.Mind you these are aeroplanes plying international routes 3. Cabin crew hoarding alcoholic drinks as if - ni za mama yao.( a clever air hostess should know a passenger stranded for hours away from home should be appeased by onywaji (Juice ,chai, water or beer) for the entire period of the flight). 4. Chakula mbaya. Most passengers avoid KQ food for fear of diarrhoea 5.Total chaos, no aplogies, little help for those who have missed connection flights coz of KQ delays. As if a delayed flight is not bad enough, passengers are bundled in those busses at JKIA and wait for odd 5-10 mins to be transferred to arrival terminal and the question that arises is, why did the aeroplane just not park at the terminal? In a nutshell KQ should up their game especially on international flights because at this rate Rwandair, Ethiopian, Fastjet will run them out of business It is not debt or financial woes that will kill KQ but this utter disregard of the customer. I formerly worked in the airline industry in the US.And also as a frequent traveller,most of the complaints listed here by this guy are common with all airlines.Delta Airlines,United,AA,Ethipian etc,they all delay flights etc.This kind of complains come from people who feel that if its kenyan its inferior to a Mzungu's plane.The worst food I have eaten in airplanes was in British Airways and United.Ndemo's arguments against KQ were valid,but lots of wazuans seem to be those guys who worship the whiteman as a supreme being.
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Rank: Member Joined: 2/8/2007 Posts: 808
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Ali baba you are out of order. KQ never goes any mile to appease after some of these delays. I have spent a nught a OR Tambo and dubai courtesy of KQ. Never had any such extended delay by any other airline. I once was late on an air uganda from entebbe for 3 hrs and believe or not the airline served the 80 pax with champaigne all the way to nairoz. The impression left on the passenger about the delay was very positive. Another time we were late for 4 hrs and you guessed it we were given temporary access to the business lounge where food and keroro are bure. Look KQ forgets your ordinary air traveller is a comfort creature fickle at times but not difficult to please. Why do they treat the traveller like a boda boda or probox traveller?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 12/17/2009 Posts: 3,583 Location: Kenya
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I hope the same patriotism will be directed the guys at mobius, ama its selective.
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Rank: Member Joined: 8/29/2008 Posts: 571
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Kausha wrote:Ali baba you are out of order. KQ never goes any mile to appease after some of these delays. I have spent a nught a OR Tambo and dubai courtesy of KQ. Never had any such extended delay by any other airline. I once was late on an air uganda from entebbe for 3 hrs and believe or not the airline served the 80 pax with champaigne all the way to nairoz. The impression left on the passenger about the delay was very positive. Another time we were late for 4 hrs and you guessed it we were given temporary access to the business lounge where food and keroro are bure. Look KQ forgets your ordinary air traveller is a comfort creature fickle at times but not difficult to please. Why do they treat the traveller like a boda boda or probox traveller? I stand by what I had said earlier.Maybe its because I don't drink even those free liqour offered in airplanes,or its because I have been a passenger or employee of lots of airlines,I don't have lots of complains against KQ customer service.On sleeping at O Tambo airport,even Delta,BA and others do it.However,since its the passenger's cash which is being burnt in flights,we all do as we please.KQ,in my opinion,is a fairly good airline except for its structural problems.If the management had followed what Jim Collins had said in his books(built to last,Great by Choice and How the Mighty Fall),KQ would have avoided all those problems.For beer loving passengers,why not drink your beer at karumaindo before the flight instead wanting freebies from KQ ??
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/19/2010 Posts: 3,504 Location: Uganda
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Zoori wrote:@Fyatu
1. & 5. I agree with you on the issue of delayed flights. It's become a serious issue especially with closure of the runway from midnight till 6 am for maintenance coupled with withdrawal of pilots goodwill. The airline is losing money by having to arrange accommodation for passengers who have missed connections and cancelled flights occasioned by operational inefficiencies.
2. This is a blatant lie since KQ does not operate any 787-300, all the Dreamliners KQ operates are 787-800 and could not be possibly having torn seats. These are very new aircrafts.
3. & 4. are outrageous and sentimental views given that KQ passed all IATA International operational safety audits.
There's no doubt that there's quite a lot to be done in terms of operational efficiency and enhancement of customer experience but at the same time we have to acknowledge the fact that KQ offers perhaps the best services in the continent.
KQ staff. Number please? Your boss needs to know that you can comfortably replace the pr manager punda amecheka
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Rank: Member Joined: 8/29/2008 Posts: 571
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nakujua wrote:I hope the same patriotism will be directed the guys at mobius, ama its selective. I will be buying that car.Which showroom is selling it??
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/20/2015 Posts: 489 Location: Nairobi
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First, do not compare KQ with Ethiopian Airways at all. In Ethiopia its almost illegal to complain of harsh working conditions regardless of what, so even the air hostesses and all crew members have not the best working environments but its just amust to conform. Once you are a pilot with Ethiopian Airlines, resigning to work for another company is almost considered as a 'terrorist activity'. So their employees undergo 'forced instilled patriotism'. KQ could be headed for worse times. My friends who came back from flight schools in SA have not yet undergone conversion classes in Amsterdam for their respective planes, and they are not the most hopeful lot. I do not like some KQ staff, at times the air hostesses wamekunja sura directing you with hands like you are a group of sheep. Some are just so frightening in fact if you have a question to ask utaogopa kuuliza. And one day last week from Nairobi to Dar, this air hostess stood at the door greeting all the passengers as we entered the plane. How do u exchange germs by shaking hands with more than 100 passengers!!!! What about if the first passenger had ebola!!! I refused to shake her hand and she frowned!!! After that i even doubted the hygiene of their food, I could not order anything!! The pilots are typical Kenyans but try to speak in some fake American tweng!! This dint irritate me but got me laughing coz how do you fake an American accent and you havent even been there!! Selling alcohol kwa ndege should also be restricted in some way, i dont do booze at all and the seat mate drinks Tusker and starts silly conversations with me, harufu ya Tusker almost makes me puke!! All the top management in KQ should have their salaries slashed as they are being paid outrageous amounts. They should sell some of the big old fleets that are not so profitable and invest in mid sized planes like the Dash-800 for regional flights, easy to maintain and cheaper to run even with fewer passengers. Bundling people into that bus at the terminal is also a no no, what about the disabled? Enjoy every moment of your life, you never know when your time will come.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 5/27/2008 Posts: 3,760
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@UpcomingPaperChaser,
1. which are the 'big old fleets'?
2. Are you aware that JKIA is a regional hub hence once the big carriers bring cargo from China, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mumbai you need belly space to forward it to Entebbe, Kinsasha, Accra, Lagos etc. Can the Dash manage this?
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/20/2015 Posts: 489 Location: Nairobi
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Gordon Gekko wrote:@UpcomingPaperChaser,
1. which are the 'big old fleets'?
2. Are you aware that JKIA is a regional hub hence once the big carriers bring cargo from China, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mumbai you need belly space to forward it to Entebbe, Kinsasha, Accra, Lagos etc. Can the Dash manage this? @Gordon, 1. I never meant old as in very old but, the fleets that they have had for more than 10 years like the 737s that ply Addis, Entebbe, Kampala, Dar and Kilimanjaro Airport, instead of going with the plane half full, it would be much easier to go with full Dash, though that will mean additional travel time. 2. In this case we have mostly been referring to passenger flights, not cargo. I have no knowledge about how they handle cargo so i have no comment. Dashes are not meant for cargo in most cases. Enjoy every moment of your life, you never know when your time will come.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 5/27/2008 Posts: 3,760
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@UpcomingPaperChaser kindly check your facts.
- The oldest 737 KQ have been converted to freighters
- 737-700 and 738 are very new craft and do longer range routes like west Africa
- The routes you've mentioned are mostly served by embraer (still very new) but when KQ is in a good mood they deploy 787
- KQs most lucrative routes are Africa ones which depend on trading destinations. These pax always have cargo, so much cargo that they had to convert passenger craft to freighters. A plane could be half full but with a bulging belly.
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Rank: Member Joined: 5/31/2009 Posts: 226
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KQ has the youngest fleet in Africa younger than American Delta Emirates Qatar name it. KQ Might have a few challenges like other airlines due to schedule intergrity but mostly caused by Tech issues which means they wont operate a flight with a problem good safety.
Its the only carrier departing from Terminal 1A jkia as good as Bangkok Dubai better than Heathrow and JNB. KQ on board service is great its just facing a few challenges that will come and pass. The airport closure affects all airlines not just KQ. its beating BA hands down on the London-Nairobi route with the iconic 787dreamliner. They have new 737-800 NG with moodlighting Personal Wide DVDs mostly on Lagos AND joburg route. KQ is Africas best a few haters with little info about the aviation world spoiling its nane
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