Obadiah Wambua 🇰🇪

As a frequent business traveler in Africa, I'm often asked why I tend to choose Ethiopian Airlines or Airlink over Kenya Airways. Since I actually had to be in Nairobi this week for Aviation Africa Summit & Exhibition, I decided to give KQ another shot and booked a Business Class ticket for my return to Malawi. My first KQ flight in 3 years. I somewhat question my choice already. Kenya Airways offers, in theory, a "SkyPriority" service for Business Class and SkyTeam Elite passengers. This includes a separate terminal entrance, priority check-in, special security and immigration lanes, lounge access and priority boarding. Spoiler alert: this wasn't a priority experience. The SkyPriority terminal entrance is shared with staff and crew, so you have to yield to them. It was probably quicker to use the main entrance. The priority check-in and immigration queues appeared to have been taken over by wheelchair passengers and their accompanying families, at the expense of the people actually paying for Business Class. As for security, less said the better. The line extended almost all the way back to the escalator. If there once was a SkyPriority line, it was impossible to find amid the sea of humanity. It's not just the airline's fault, though. JKIA is quite simply not fit for purpose at peak hours. I first visited Kenya in 1987 and remarkably, parts of the airport still feel much the same. Nairobi's traffic has GROWN enormously while the rest of the world has EVOLVED around it. There are some relatively easy fixes. First, Kenya Airports Authority should seriously consider Level 3 slot controls at peak times. It always surprises me that so few African airports do this, with Accra and Johannesburg notable exceptions. Slot controls aren't just about runway capacity. Terminal capacity is every bit as important, and airlines should be required to schedule around the infrastructure that actually exists. Second, the airline needs to proactively deliver the premium services it promises. It's not difficult to have staff policing the premium queues and ensuring eligible passengers actually receive priority. But that requires continuity of management vision, and motivated staff who care about delivering the product. Sadly, the Kenya Airways of 2026 seems to lack both. To be fair, the Pride Lounge was decent, boarding was smooth, we pushed back on time, and the breakfast on board was actually tasty. But the poor ground experience soured the overall morning. I'm flying KQ again in a few weeks. Let's see whether the newly restructured management team is proactive enough to address some of these issues before then. Watch this space! Full disclaimer: This was not a staff ticket or any other industry concession. I am not, and have never been, employed or contracted by KQ or any airline mentioned in comparison. Today I'm just wearing my regular business traveler hat 🤠 – at Malawi