Trip Report: Kuwait Airways, Southeast Asia to Beirut (March 2019)

Trip Report: Kuwait Airways, Southeast Asia to Beirut
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I was traveling from South Asia to Beirut, and through my searches Kuwait Airways kept coming up as the most convenient and cost effective.  I have flown Kuwait Airways before (see review here) and had a decent experience so I wasn’t hesitant to book them again – also since my last travel, the airline had embarked on a refresh so I wanted to check out their updated products.  I booked my ticket directly with Kuwait Airways and the website was easy to manage and it was easy to book my ticket, select my seats, and manage the booking.  I could also manage the booking as well as check-in through the app, which was easy to download and use. 

My flight was scheduled to depart at 4:50am with a boarding time of 3:50am.  The day before, I was able to check-in through the app, confirm my seat assignment, and receive my boarding pass.  Even though I had my boarding pass, I still went to the airport about 2.5hrs early given the security.  The ticket included two checked bags at 23kg each as well as a hand carry at 7kg; the checked baggage allowance was enforced but the hand carry was never weighed.  My luggage was checked through to Beirut, I received my boarding pass, and went through security to the gate and waited for my flight.  The inbound aircraft was late in arriving so that delayed our departure; we were originally supposed to board around 3:50am but instead boarded around 4:15am.  It was a general boarding announcement, which meant all passengers in all rows boarded at the same time.

There was a lot of security in and around the plane.  As you entered the plane, women were taken behind a curtain for security purposes and on the plane were Kuwaiti security guards.  The plane itself was an old Airbus A322 with a 3-3 seat layout.  Everything in the plane was old, from the seats to the paneling to the carpets.  I had prebooked my seats online, and the seat reservations were complimentary and this included an exit row which I selected for myself.  The seats themselves were wide but they were very old and the padding/cushion had definitely gone making it an uncomfortable seat; the seat pitch was good.  The seat itself had a tray table and a seatback pocket with the safety card and airline magazine, and that was it.  Each seat contained a pillow, blankets were available upon request, and below each seat had a foot rest.   

Once the passengers boarded and the main cabin door had closed, the crew came around with English and Arabic newspapers.  Afterwards, safety demonstrations were done in both Arabic and English and then we took off for Kuwait.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced with breakfast.  I had selected a special meal and those were delivered first, and then the trolley came with the regular meal.   There were two options available for the meal and those were served with both Arabic bread as well as a bread roll; both of them were cold and were only heated when placed on the heated food.  Regarding the food, it was decent in terms of both quantity and quality – there was enough food but you definitely weren’t stuffed and the food won’t win any awards.  Following the food was the drinks cart and then tea and coffee were served.  After a while (more time than necessary), the food trays were cleared and then it was up to the passengers how they wanted to pass the time.  Since there was nothing to watch, and since it was early morning, most passengers just slept until the plane started to descend for our arrival into Kuwait. 

Once deplaned, transfer passengers had to go through security to get back into the terminal.  I understand security and the need for it, as well as the need for heightened security, but it can be done with respect and a level of customer service; this was not the case at Kuwait Airport.  They are extremely rude, disrespectful, discourteous, and not customer friendly at all.  This was my experience both on the outbound and the return and it was so bad that I vowed never to fly Kuwait Airways ever again, solely based off the bad experience at the airport.  Once security was finally cleared, we were ushered into the new terminal, Terminal 4, at Kuwait International.  The terminal is still new and there are still building it, so the only items open for passengers are the gates, bathrooms, prayer rooms, two lounges, sitting areas, a small duty free, and coffee kiosks.  While it is enough for 1-2 hours, it is definitely not enough for longer layovers.

We made our way to the next gate for our flight which was scheduled to board at 8am and depart at 9am, but again boarding time was delayed and again all passengers were boarded together.   Also, there was a lot of security prior to boarding the plane and women were taken to be screened behind a curtain inside the plane.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 in a 3-3 seat layout with an updated and upgraded interior.  The seat width was decent and the seat pitch was very good, and the seats were generally comfortable.  Each seat had a PTV, which had a headphone jack and USB port, and below that was the tray table and then the seatback pocket which contained the safety card, the airline magazine, and the air sickness bag.  The PTV was already active once you got onboard so passengers were able to go through the content and start watching while everyone was still boarding.  The content was decent and there were enough movies and TV shows for a small 3-4 hour flight, but definitely not enough content for longer flights.  The PTV did contain interactive flight maps and cameras, and the details and information provided were very interesting.  Once everyone had boarded, we sat at the gate for more than an hour while “paperwork was being corrected”; this announcement was only made after waiting for over 45 minutes in the plane.  Once the announcement was made, the air crew came around with glasses of water for the passengers.  Finally we pushed back, a safety video was screened, and we took off for Beirut. 

Once we reached cruising altitude, the meal service was started and again special meals were delivered first followed by the regular meals.  The regular meals had two options – chicken or lamb – and again for the portion size and quality were both decent, not great but not bad.  The meal service was followed by a drink service and then coffee and tea.  Once the meal trays were cleared, most passengers passed the time either sleeping or going through the entertainment section.  Given both the security situation of Lebanon’s neighbors and given Kuwait’s relationship with other countries in the Middle East, the flight took a long and circuitous route to get to Beirut.  Instead of a straight flight path, we took off for Kuwait and flew over Saudi Arabia to Egypt, and then turned up the Mediterranean Sea before turning into the final approach to Beirut.  It made the flight feel and last longer than necessary.  We finally landed in Beirut, taxied to the gate, and deplaned.

The return flight experience was same as the outbound, both in terms of airplane experience, aircraft type, and experience at the airport.  Overall, the customer service on board was basic – the crew did their work and did what they were supposed to do but did not go above and beyond their duty.  Also, they did not perform their duties with a smile or with any sense of customer service; it was basically this is my role and these are my duties.  It was also the same issue regarding any delays, which there were many, as no notice or information was given regarding delays in boarding nor takeoff.  Our return flight was supposed to start boarding Kuwait at 9:15pm, but that time came and went and there was no boarding call and no announcement made of a delayed boarding.  When passengers went up to ask for an update, since the ground crew had not informed anyone of any delay, they seemed annoyed that passengers were asking information and just expected passengers to wait until they were ready.  The lack of customer service on the ground, the inconsistent aircraft product, and the horrible treatment of the security made for an unpleasant experience flying with Kuwait Airways.  My previous experience flying with them was decent, so that is why I was not hesitant to fly them again; but after this experience, I will avoid them at all costs even if that means going longer routes or paying more money.