I don’t want to say ”I told you so,” but…
Continue reading: Kenya Airways CEO: “There Is Nothing Lucrative About Flying To New York”
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
It’s definitely a game changer. But can someone tell me how long the flight is from J-K-I-A to J-F-K? I can’t recall.
In either case, I feel like you could have a wicked drinking game with that video!
Granted, this is the first nonstop between East Africa and the US, including the success of ADD as a regional hub (2 hours away) in the conversation definitely ‘’makes sense.’’
Philippine Airlines started MNL-JFK 4x a week on 2013, with more demand on this route. But took 6 years to finally operate service daily.
@Steven Andes, PAL started daily once it had a nonstop to JFK before that it was a stop in YVR. Having flown this I will say at least in J it’s hit and miss, sometimes quite full and other times empty. They have a long way to go before becoming a 5* airline as service is hit and miss, customer service painful and MNL airport a dump.
Given how Kenya Airways is a member of skyteam, I'd imagine a lot of people can connect through Delta's wide network at JFK.
I really hope it works out.
This is a political decision not one that makes business sense. Wish that Kenya Airways would have connected through an European hub on transit to New York.
This is a very simplistic way to look at airline economics. Whether an isolated individual route is profitable in the abstract is not as important as whether the route increases value for the entire network. That KE is now connected to the financial capital of the world is no small thing, as the network affects raise the value of every other spoke and the entire enterprise. Unfortunately the fact that this flight is not daily makes it much less useable for most business travelers, and limits the benefits.
Whatever serious discussions you good folks intend to have, you cannot ignore the fact that........
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THAT VIDEO IS STILL A GAME CHANGER
North American routes from Africa is currently dominated by Ethiopian Airlines. KA has to do something to stop the bleeding. Even it means loss of revenue for a little while.
They could succeed if managment put their act together..there is a room for both airlines and as we all know competition is good for flying public!
KQ’s flights to NYC is almost filled with UN delegates. Nairobi is UN’s regional HQ for Africa. It’s a necessary connection for NGO and other diplomatic passengers.
I was caught in their downshift from daily to 4x weekly schedule change. It was not fun because on the way back, they interlined me from the NBO-JFK nonstop to NBO-LHR on KQ and on LHR-JFK on AA. Needless to say, the ground staff held my luggage for about 30 hrs in NBO waiting for the next nonstop. They should have travelled with me via LHR.