Kenya Airways Petition: Unfair Pricing

Kenya Airways (KQ) offers a flight to/from Bujumbura-Nairobi daily and the flight is about 40 minutes, according to the website of KQ. We have undertaken a research and concluded that the airfare charged for this route is exorbitant and not justified in accordance to the price of the fuel and the duration of the flight.

KQ is the airborne lifeline for Burundi: most Burundians, expatriates, tourists and etc. make extensive use of KQ to/from Nairobi. As a result of increasing demand, KQ has recently purchased/leased a new Boeing 777, which flies daily at full capacity on this route.

For comparison purposes, we have checked the KQ prices for other routes with longer flying time and the price to Bujumbura can be estimated to be more than 4 times the average airfare. Here are some examples:

KQ flying from Johannesburg to Nairobi takes 4 hours for only US$470

KQ flying from Bujumbura to Nairobi takes 40 min for US$515 or more.


We also looked at other airlines from Johannesburg to different cities:

London using British Airways: 11 hours flying time for US$ 600;

Amsterdam using KLM: 10hrs 45 min flying time for US$ 700;

Nairobi using South African Airways: 4h for US$350.

The price from Bujumbura to Nairobi is just indicative and can be higher depending on the flexibility of your ticket going up to US$700, 00. We will not mention the poor service of KQ for now but anyone who has already travelled with KQ has experienced some 1,2 3 hours delay and when he/she does not get his/her luggage at arrival, has no options to get some cash to buy some basic items for personal use as it is practiced by other reputed airlines. Not to mention lucrative additional fees that come with changing travelling dates/times.

We find no reason why we should be paying such huge amount for this short flight. The cost of fuel has come down from $147 to about $40 a barrel. And despite the huge demand, there is no flexibility. With only one flight per day, most passengers travelling to other international destinations find themselves spending hours and hours waiting for their next flight at Jomo Kenyata, some even preferring to overnight in Nairobi at extra cost.

Many people wanting to go to Kenya, India or elsewhere, for medical care, have to obtain financial support from banks, friends and family members. However, interestingly the highest cost is usually the airfare, especially from Bujumbura to Nairobi, the only flight to a better health. Even those who do not travel are affected indirectly: The business person will increase the price of his/her imported goods to cover for the high airfare, thus the end consumer on the ground also pays the price. That family member or friend will also have to part with some cash that he so desperately needs.

We find no reason why we should be paying such huge amount for this short flight. Therefore, in view of the above mentioned, we request KQ to reduce the fare for this route. In times where the rest of the aviation industry in the world is not doing well and offering discounted fare, KQ is taking advantage of people who can no longer afford it and who have no other options.

Should you agree with this request, please click on the below link and please add your name and forward the petition to other people who have expressed similar concerns over the airfare, any other potential future KQ customer or any other affected person.