An occasional series
Kenya Airways is a success story having last June taken delivery of the first of three Boeing 777s and announced record profits for the half year to the end of September of $18.5m. The airline is 26% owned by KLM which ties it in nicely for the future with the Skyteam partnership. In Europe the carrier serves both Heathrow and Amsterdam with a minimum of a daily service and, whilst providing regional operations in East Africa, operates as far afield as Hong Kong and Cape Town. Its present aircraft fleet includes the single Boeing 777, six Boeing 767-300ER and ten various Boeing 737s.
Whilst there are daylight services at the weekends from London one of the virtues of the Kenya Airways operation is daily overnight flights in each direction arriving early morning. In the summer this allows for a 2000 departure from Heathrow T4 and just before midnight from Nairobi. Kenya is two hours in front of the UK (three hours in the winter).
At Heathrow Premier World (J class) passengers have their own check-in desk and can then use the Holideck lounge situated close by KQ”s normal gate. This four-storey facility does not offer the full menu service of say the Virgin Clubhouse but has a snack selection and full bar service. With a mid-evening departure this is fine as a full meal is served once in the air. The ground floor includes family and interactive areas, whilst the Enterprise Zone on level one is banned to those under 16. It offers a business area and smoking room. On the next floor the Upper Deck again bars children and has a TV lounge. At the very top the Flight Deck gives uninterrupted views of the airport. Don”t worry about the climb, there is a lift.
In Nairobi things are different the current overcrowded first floor facility about to be replaced by state of the art Simba lounge at the main terminal level offering an extended range of hot and cold snacks, free Internet and shower facilities. Premier World passengers connecting to onward destinations can use it too.
In Premier World Kenya Airways provides one of the most comfortable business class seats yet developed. Just four buttons to press to change the rake and bring up the footstool. It is a solid looking armchair built to last. There is plenty of storage space under the seat in front and the huge overhead bins provide more than enough luggage capacity for customers in the 2 + 3 + 2 layout. The back goes completely flat and at 76” length and 32” wide is one of the largest around. There are no individual separators screening off passengers which British Airways offers in Club World but large hoods taking in the head area. Power points for laptops and music players are provided plus low level individual lights and 10” screens with ”video on demand” and a selection of eight films plus cartoons, documentaries, lifestyle, business and sport and a comedy channel. Outbound a nicely presented meal is served on fine bone china sporting the airline”s style with an appetising choice of steak, chicken or a vegetarian course. To follow there is apple and rhubarb pie, fresh fruit, a selection of cheeses and of course Kenyan coffee. From Nairobi a scheduled departure time of 2340, the airline had got it just right with the choice of a roast beef salad, chicken tikka, or a noodle meal for vegetarians. Chocolate truffle and cheeses completed the meal. Where the airline let itself down was with the bar. A limited choice and since the wines were only noted by the fact that they were red or white we will not detail the fine South African vino that was offered. Business class passengers at premium fares deserve better, this lack of sophistication spoiling what was otherwise a pleasant cabin operation, lacking the assurance of some of the better European airlines but much better than some others. Two hours out of Heathrow breakfast was served with two hot choices, either grilled beef sausage or a delightful vol-au-vent with scrambled eggs.
There is little doubt that Kenyan Airways is one of the best and most professional of the central African airlines. Bright minds at board level have insisted on an excellent specification. Where it goes slightly wrong is the implementation. A fine product spoilt by the lack of finesse that distinguishes a good airline from a really fine one.
PLUS POINT: Probably the best business class seats yet experienced.
NEGATIVE POINT: That lack of finesse with the cabin staff. And the airline needs to sort out how it deals with wine.
Our photograph shows the editor trying out the prototype seat at the London launch in October 2002
http://www.kenya-airways.com
FLYING AT THE FRONT END - Bonus
SafariLink ” Kenyan domestic
There is flying in the front of an aircraft and flying at the front. Older readers may recall the wonderful BEA Vickers Vanguard where the First Class passengers sat in the back. In fact with all turboprops it”s less noisy towards the rear of the cabin. ABTN has now flown at the very, very front, and on a turboprop, this time in the right hand seat besides the pilot. SafariLink is a Kenyan airline that tasks itself with what its name actually suggests. A whole series of scheduled routes around the game reserves and tribal areas adorning that fascinating country. The sectors can be as short as two minutes for a journey that might be virtually impossible by land due to a river or some other natural barrier. SafariLink flies four Cessna Caravan 1 with one (turboprop) engine and a single pilot, an illegal operation under UK rules, but perfectly safe with a fine track record. If you are nice to the captain he might let you sit up front next to him. But there is a job to do. Whoever takes over where the P2 normally sits has to distribute boiled sweets to the passengers, a ritual still in fashion with large airlines, the sucking effect created also most helpful in the Cessna when descending from 12,000 feet to 7,000 feet, helping to keep the ears clear. Flying normally about 3,000 feet above the escarpment the high wing Cessna provides a wonderful vantage point to see the animals and native villages below. The cabin is very comfortable, if basic. Senior pilot is Major Humphrey Nguma, ex-Kenya Air Force, and just under 13,000 hours flying experience including both fixed wing and helicopters.
From a technical point of view getting around in Kenya is now very easy. In the old days some of the strips had electronic beacons, some not. You had to be experienced to know where you were although visibility is usually 100%. Now of course the aircraft have GPS (the same as your car). Even the bumpiest of 500m strips in the middle of the bush can be found. Aircraft also have auto-pilots, colour weather radar, HF and VHF digital frequency selection radios and full instrumentation as required for IFR (all weather) operations. But you are never far from basics. The tin shack (terminal?) by the aircraft parking place says ”duty free”, somewhat hand painted.
SafariLink must be about the only airline not to charge for an ”upgrade” for flying up front. [email protected]