Review: Kuwait Airways First Class Airbus A330 (CAI-KWI)

I'd say the chauffer service for what appears to be all F and J pax is a pretty nice offering. It's wild that in such a competitive market, this carrier would choose to offer such a subpar product. I get that there are oil folks going to Kuwait, but surely a majority of the inbound travelers would have no objection connecting in DOH, DXB, AUH, or IST. Or even MCT. Even SV seems to have a far superior F product.

This is the exact same seat Finnair used to have on their A350 in J before the current AirLounge seats.

No wonder we don't see influencers fawning over Kuwait Airways.

I will say I think Gulf Air is a best-kept secret.

I think the stored A330s are also for the Royal Canadian Air Force. They’re being converted to A330 MRTT’s called the C330 Husky. One is being kept in a VIP configuration for the Governor General, Prime Minister, and the Royal Family. Even in the current Kuwait configuration it is leaps and bounds ahead of the old A310 Polaris from the late 80s.

Looking forward to the next review flight and on a side note I am going to make a mental note and check the moving map, specifically regarding which airlines show Israel or Palestine or a mixture of both as it zooms in and out.

On Air India, at least when I first flew with them in 2006, the projected moving map on the bulkhead of the 747 I was on had an interstitial disclaimer that would appear every few minutes: Borders Depicted Are For Geographic Purposes Only

LULZZZ at the seat map with "Palestine." Must be nice to refer to a fictitious place!

Better than referring to an illegitimate state's name.

How would you rate this flight if this was still the first class, but like Qatar Airways' regional first class where it's only above economy class?

Many aspects of this flight reminded me of QR regional first class, although QR's offering is definitely superior.

Ben, can you please elaborate on what you mean by 'predictably inefficient security screening process'? Really curious to know what that means in CAI.

I think the sweets and coffee as a welcome drink makes sense since it is a dry airline. Even if it was not a dry airline given where they are flying and who most of their customers are it makes sense, so I would not describe it as "cute." The most important aspect that I wish we would see is some comparisons of airlines on Premium Economy or Premium Select (which is different from Premium Economy). Consider that this one way ticket cost you over $2,000 and even you said it was not a great deal using Platinum points.

Only fictiious to a-holes.

I mean, it can also be compared to domestic flights in the US that are marketed as first class but are really just premium economy.

Another lounge review skipped? I get some of the lounges on this trip might not be the most exciting ones, but it still would have been good to see them anyway. At least the lounges in FRA got links to previous reviews…

Hard to believe that back in the day, Kuwait Airways was the Emirates of the region back in the 70s and up till the late 80s or so (alcohol was allowed in Kuwait until the late 70s or early 80s). Then again, Kuwait was the Dubai of it’s day as well. Sad to see how so many of it’s neighbors have outpaced it, in so many ways.

Like you? I wanna see you stay at west bank one month as a woman and still say that, or many other Arab countries. Or maybe at the south of Israel and see what has been done to women and children over there.

I'd say women in the occupied West Bank are more at risk from being attacked/killed/raped/taken hostage by settlers and/or the IDF than anything else.

Basically identical to the Sri Lankan airways a330 biz class I flew yday. Can only really lay on one side otherwise knees knock against the seat. Otherwise quite nice.

Entertainment identical too. Actually very good (as Ben noted on his review for Sri Lankan :). Except finding flight map was tricky.

why don't you go there see for yourself. I'm sure you'll be welcomed as a solo female traveller without a keffiyeh. Because you know the Arab world is just so progressive to everyone. You probably don't know to point west bank on the map even, just retirating the same buzzwords TikTok says because you don't like something. But supporting self documented pedophile terroists Hamas that attacked thousands of uninvolved civilians, kiddnapped children, killed girls with rape all in the name of "resistance" is a new low. Me too unless you're a jew I guess.....

@Adam

Hamas that attacked thousands of uninvolved civilians, kiddnapped children, killed girls with rape all in the name of "resistance"

I swear, some people's history is starting from Oct 7 2023. How about you talk about what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians since the establishment of an illegitimate state called Israel till now?

Please this is so funny you think Oct 7th was the only attack Hamas did? I'm sure you absolutely care so much also about what joardan did to palstnians or Egypt or Syria or Lebanon right? Or that Hamas threw hundreds of people from roofs after they got elected for being Fatah supporters? Y'all talk about caring for palstnians but only "care" about them if it serves your agenda that Israel the only Jewish country is an illegitimate state. But appreantly all the Arab states that literally promised land for palstnians after 1948 and didn't gave it to them are all "legitimate". The moment caring about palstnians doesn't serve your interests y'all don't give a shit about them. Or else you will mainly criticize Hamas for using the children as human shield to gain sympathy and legitimacy for their Nazi far right ideology to extramnite the Jews, launching a death war and preferring to kill more "Zionists" than their children's life is worth.

@Mason Adam is a hasbara puppet who only knows how to recycle the same talking points over and over again. Trying to deflect what Israel was doing before and after Oct 7th in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The killings, the massacres, the raping of prisoners both male and female, the kidnapping and detention of hostages, the forced removal of people from their homes, tearing down their homes, expanding the illegal settlements, burning down olive fields, ethnically cleansing entire villages, evicting people from their homes...all done by Israel to Palestinians. But only Oct 7th is what they want you to remember.

This A330 is about to retire in a month or soo, All off KU’s new A330neo’s ditched this configuration, for such a short flight I would say it was excellent.

This was a fun review, I enjoy reading about airlines that have never been on my radar. I imagine few of your readers have need to fly to/through Kuwait, yet it’s interesting to compare to the more familiar airlines.

Ben, speaking of off the radar airlines, have you ever flown or considered flying Sky Alps? I’m planning a trip to Bolzano, Italy (where it’s based) and am considering flying it from Berlin. Haven’t found any reviews online.

This A330ceo is the oldest plane in KU’s entire fleet with old configuration, And it’s about to retire in a month or soo! For such a short flight it’s a very good offering and much better than what you find in the US & Europe for short flights!

I'm just curious why you people must have these arguments on a blog about travel and its intersection with the points and miles game? Please take your politics (no matter which side you're on) elsewhere.