Business Class, Melbourne to Kigali, Rwanda for $1652 AUD return.
Lie flat the whole way. Includes layover in Bangkok.
Fly between December 2023 to May 2024. Plenty of availability over New Year and Easter.
Book at your own risk. Always a chance the airlines could cancel your ticket.
Did you get a reply from the airline?
So what's the worst that will happen if we do NOT request a refund after receiving the email request?
If the tickets are noted as suspended, is there a way to reactivate them on the airline's part?
Denied boarding?
Very poor form that the refunds haven't been automatically initiated, as it leaves the hope that maybe they are still valid, just wishing we won't proceed with the flights as booked.
my return tickets were suspended but they managed to unsuspend the tickets because I had already flown the 1st leg of the flight.
I'm sure someone can look this up, but after entering into an agreement selling you a ticket, and letting you use half of it, they are bound to get you back to point A on a return ticket?
Any legal IATA rules out there?
Has anyone successfully flown to KGL since the wave of cancellations started?
Also interested to hear. I haven’t been contacted and fly in a month’s time. Hoping there’s some of us still making it through! Thanks for sharing info here, it’s helping a lot.
Coupon still open on SV's site?
Yes, checking regularly!
Send me a pm with your email. I too have a booking and think it's an absolute joke to cancel this long after we made our bookings.
Personally, I've already booked non refundable accommodation and flights within Africa after seeing the flights honoured for other members of Ozbargain.
We have very good consumer protections in Australia and I believe a good case to make, especially if we have numbers. Shoot me your email to be included.
@WallybR, if your ticket hasn’t been cancelled I’d strongly recommend you not to reach out to Kenya Airways. I understand everyone wants clarity and certainty, but I feel like reaching out to them when they haven’t cancelled your ticket could only lead to them cancelling your, and others’, tickets.
If others who had already had their tickets cancelled, yes absolutely give it a go, particularly in the circumstances where they incurred loss. But I think unless we know the exact circumstances it’s tricky to communicate to them as a whole. For example, some may have made other non-refundable plans but they might have been offered economy tickets instead. Some might not have made any non-refundable plans and they might, reluctantly, make peace with the fact that refund is an outcome that is acceptable.
Yep this is a logical approach.
I am just wanting to plan for the worst and have everything at my disposal should it come to that. It's really tricky with this uncertainty because it also means I will no longer continue booking some things and would only be able to book upon arrival.
It seem they've really dropped the ball cancelling this so late after flights have been booked and after many people have had successful trips.
I did most of my bookings once I reached Kigali. Or on the way, e.g., Nairobi during transit.
It is not hard except for Gorilla's if that's in your list (I didn't bother.
Here are some tips
- Self-drive: Gives you a lot of flexibility where you want to be. Cheaper and saves time. You can rent a car during transit and the car will be ready at the airport.
- Safari at the end of the vacation: Do your safari may a day or two before your departure. That way you can hunt for good deals once you are there. Probably will work cheaper for you. But make sure you do it as early as possible once you reach Kigali.
- Hotels: Plenty of options available in Kigali and Lake Kivu. So don't worry. You can easily find a one online.
So far with my trip I actually planned to only do 1 night in Kigali and then was flying to Dar Es Salaam return. Getting a 76 series toyota self drive pickup there and driving through to Serengeti and other popular national parks in the area and a hike up Meru, then flying from Arusha to Zanzibar for 3 night, before returning to Kigali and coming back to Melb.
I've found a car for $110USD per day out of Dar Es Salaam. How did you go with pricing if you did similar?
@totsydeal: Curious, Any ideas about something based out of Victoria Falls? Namibia? How easy is it to cross borders with a rental? I will be heading down to CPT and can fly somewhere reasonable where renting a car and crossing borders shouldn't be hard. Need to visit Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park. And if anyone has leads for cheaper day tour/safaris please let me know :)
@captainarabiia: Sorry, do not have experience in those areas.
Usually, crossing borders is not difficult but you need to let the rental company know. Then they will assist you to prepare the papers required. For example, crossing to Uganda from Rwanda is common as Uganda is cheaper to see Gorillas.
Also, I have met a groups visiting Rwanda from Kenya. They were driving.
Perhaps talk to few rental agencies in the area and they will let you know. Good luck and enjoy the trip :-)
@totsydeal: Ah yep, Rav4 no good for Safari national parks in Tanzania, especially during April as it's the beginning of the wet season, but would've loved something around that price haha
Where'd you rent your car from?
@Score: kigalirental.
www.kigalirental.com
You can pickup the car or ask them to bring the car to your hotel/airport.
Lady luck is really on my side with this deal as I somehow got put onto a380 emirates business class out of this deal. I departed Kigali to Mel on the 16th of February and had no issue with tickets suspension like others are experiencing. Checked in smoothly in Kigali and I was ready to go home after 1 month in Africa.
Anyway I travelled to Nairobi with no issue but my Nairobi to Bangkok flight was cancelled due to mechanical fault with the 787. I was given 2 night at a decent hotel in Nairobi with food included as well as visa. Instead of putting me back on the Nairobi Bangkok Melbourne route, Kenya airways put on through Dubai instead. That is Nairobi to Dubai with Kenya airways and Dubai to Melbourne with emirates. I'm posting this from my emirates a380 business class and it has been an absolutely wonderful business class experience compare to Thai and Kenya. I really couldn't think of a better way to finish this trip.
As for the trip it self, I had an amazing experience backpacking through Rwanda Uganda Kenya Cairo and Ethiopia for a month. Got to do Gorilla, big 5 Safari, source of Nile, pyramid and Denakil Depression in Ethiopia.
Thanks ozbargain for this once in a lifetime opportunity!!
Glad it all worked out!
Emirates certainly was the cherry on top.
Awesome feedback from your trip and what a great time.
Congrats on your lifetime experience and A380 emirates is a treat. I once flew them Auckland to Melbourne and it was A++
Legendary story, this is what makes travelling so worth it is the little surprises, well done!
Anyone else having a nightmare trying to get a refund off Kissandfly?
Has anyone traveled through or been cancelled by jetabroad yet?
Yea, I would be interested to hear if anybody has travelled recently. Mine still looks "open", fingers crossed.
You book through jetabroad? My flights for 28th april, havent heard anything about cancelation, everythijg online seems to show my tickets are valid
No, I booked through Orbitz, flight at end of next month, so fingers crossed!
I depart early April and booked with Jetabroad. Haven't heard anything and looks all to be valid still.
I've got $500 of non-refundable things booked and over a thousand of refundable things booked…not sure what to do lol
Will keep everyone posted
Good luck! Have a good feeling the jetabroad bookers should be good to go, cancelations seem to mainly be to do with booking agents
What do u mean by booking agents and which ones are you referring to? Is the general consensus cancellations for people who have amended dates from their original booking? Has anyone with an untouched booking been cancelled?
@joeiwu: just speculation, don't think anyone that used jetabroad to book got cancelled? Did that many people amend their booking?
@joeiwu: I didn't touch my booking and it got cancelled, with kiss and fly. I just received the email from kenya airways saying there was a pricing error etc
@lukelegend: I see, that sucks. Did you get a notification for flight times change & did you by any chance click accept?
@joeiwu: It's random, there are people who booked, made no changes, and still got suspended coupons. It has nothing to do with changes at all.
@captainarabiia: I thought it may also possibly be due to acceptance of new flight times from alerts at Thai Airways. Just speculation. If not then yes, as you said, could just be completely random
@joeiwu: Your flight is coming up soon I believe? Hoping things work out for you. How long of a trip?
@captainarabiia: My trip is short, barely 7 days in total duration. Since nobody has posted here, I am guessing some travelled quietly but successfully? Or maybe just no-one has travelled recently?
@joeiwu: Very few traveled I guess, perhaps KQ overlooked some bookings and got in luck. There are some on the same boat to a different destination with KQ.
@captainarabiia: I believe KQ became aware of the bookings and everyone who booked the legs with specific agents got cancellation notices, but some smaller ones got through unnoticed. Additionally, booking via Australian owned and operated agents may be assisting us as it's a far cry to suggest cancelling a ticket 2.5 months after it was booked is fair. If flights got cancelled now it would be easy to say that our consumer rights have been breached, especially as other travellers have gone and hence we have booked time off work, paid for other things etc.
@WallybR: I think ypu might be right in that there are some, perhaps, smaller agents got through unnoticed, which is why I think we should collectively keep our heads down and hope for the best!
I also know of at least two people who have successfully flown this route (via both Guangzhou and Bangkok) in the last week alone. For one of the two people it was their second trip to Rwanda on this fare.
@joeiwu: No nothing, just the email that said they cancelled the flights and I checked online and the tickets were suspended, lucky i didn't book anything yet
My coupon status has just gone to suspended, although I did not receive any email updates or alerts. Assuming I’m not able to fly anymore?
That sucks, mine still currently open, guess I can't start booking anything til I actually get on the flight
Plot twist, my third party provider rang Kenya Airways and reaffirms my flight is ready to go, despite “suspended” status on the coupon?
Talk about rock stuck in a hard place. What do I do?
@Legobo Yeah this sucks, like either they cancel all at once, or let them be. The suspense waiting till last minute kills lol.
ouch, when did that change? Recently? When was the last time you checked and it being "open" ?
It was "open" a few days ago. Just spoke in-depth with the third party provider, and they claim to have "called" Kenya Airways and confirm I am still good to go, despite coupon saying "suspended".
In your case I'd call the airline myself, or better yet, reach out to the Station Manager at your departure airport. Or risk it and head to the airport.
When do you fly? It's next to impossible to get any business/anyone anywhere to put anything in writing, but it may help if you're able?
@juph0rry: I did manage to get them to put it down in writing, triple checking with them in the process. https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/165087/110938/img_5877…
Perhaps I will check in again in a few day's time.
@joeiwu: That's a pretty decent response for customer service to give you. Despite it probably not being much help in the instance they refuse boarding at the airport, it would give you solid grounds for some form of remuneration surely. When do you depart?
@captainarabiia: Unfortunately I fell into the same boat as the rest. Kenya Airways cancelled our flight. The good thing is, our OTA managed to request the full refund for us (processing, haven't received it yet), after a lot of arguing we did get compensation. It's not the best outcome, but better than the most (had to really work for it though).
@joeiwu: Decided to book my flights to melbourne, coming from nz so gonna be annoyed if they still end up cancelling me
@WallybR: Aside from it possibly being a very long process, against a corporation that is outside of AU, what would be the best outcome of that?
The compensation wasn’t a bad outcome, despite it taking 2-3 hours to argue out.
Consumer rights sound much more stressful & longer 🤔
@joeiwu: A large company like KQ (I assume) would oblige to rulings by our consumer groups as they are required to by selling products to us. They wouldn't want fines or restrictions imposed on them (I assume that happens if they don't comply).
They still have a presence here and sell to us and if they want to keep doing that they have to obey our laws like every other company.
I would argue that you are due for real compensation for any REAL value lost + the hassle towards your life of time off, work arrangements, family plus anything else. I'd be taking them to the cleaners for waiting this long to cancel
@WallybR: I'd love to do that, in theory. However it will be very long-winded & take a lot more time (probably talking days and weeks) to even get them to itch (I suspect), although your theory is correct and that was my very argument (I did NOT get a cancellation email, which is very poor form from them. Had I not been checking, I'd literally turn up at the airport and couldn't get on the plane!).
At the end of the day it is time v.s. outcome, and we have to remember time is money too…
@joeiwu: Curious what sort of compensation did you get @joeiwu if you're open to sharing to help the bargaining power of OZB hah - bummer it got cancelled in general though, I'm sure you would have much rather take the flight you booked..
@juph0rry: The OTA agent made it clear that my flight was not problematic and was "ready to go" and that they'd "take responsibility" if otherwise. Obviously that was not the case after a couple of escalations (and I had the take responsibility thing written down). So they compensated me around 50% more of what I paid for the flight + some platform vouchers in addition to that.
I would be not at all confident in replicating this compensation, I sincerely believe I was just lucky on my part, which is why I described it as "not a bad" outcome.
@joeiwu: you your flight got cancelled but theyre giving you like $1000? Or they re-enabled your flight?
I'm departing in less than 2 weeks! All still confirmed and coupon status is open.
I will be very angry if I get cancelled now as I've starting buying gear for a Kilimanjaro trip and Safari. Will keep everyone posted! Booking Yellow Fever Vaccine today and Tanzania Visa
Good luck!!
Keep us updated :)
Not sure if people have emailed the CEOs after I shared their email addresses. @movieman ?
Yep. Emailed through, and resolved.
How did it resolve? Did you get to fly?
I have had the same thing and I depart early April. It asks me to accept the change and I'm reluctant lol
Coupon status is still open.
@WallybR
Mine was changed, OTA emailed asking for confirmation with new change, I was fine, mine still "open" after the change 2 months back.
Also, I changed my flights directly with KQ, 3 times, tix was re-issued everytime.
Just a DP.
@Legobo Perhaps don't mention the exact dates if someone's watching and can find your tix to cancel. Just a thought :)
I've had this exact thought which is why I'm vague with my travel dates lol. Can never be too careful
Sitting on the tarmac in my big seat, feet up and waiting for my champagne to be served - take me to my safari, kind sir!
Good luck to those still travelling and those waiting to travel!
Pictures or it didn't happen ;-). Have fun!
How long did it take for people to get a visa to Kenya? I thought it was visa on arrival but realised it's not. I depart on Wednesday night and need it. Submitted this morning but it's a public holiday there today, leaving me 2 days.
Any guidance on what I can do? I planned to stay over in Kenya for 1 night only zzz. I have YFV and all…is changing my itinerary the best option? Do we need a Kenya visa for just the time inbetween flight?
Can I keep my current flights and not leave the airport, effectively hanging out in the airport for 24 hours until my next flight to Rwanda?
Any guidance would be much appreciated. Maybe I can book another international flight that leaves not long after my arrival?
I’m not sure that you have allowed yourself sufficient time to have those six questions answered.
As you the visa, hopefully someone can answer that one…
You need to take the flights that you have booked or your return flights will get cancelled
How long is your layover?
If 24 hours under, you're good.
Stay at the airport. Chill in the lounge.
Reminder for next trips to check visa requirements T-30 days from departure OR as soon as you book tickets.
See below:
TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.
My layover is 25 hours 25 mins before my flight to Rwanda departs! Nooo.
Does anyone know if we get free booking amendments with our business fare?
Reach out to the ETA team and see if they can expedite it.
Contact Us
If you need any assistance regarding your application, please email us at [email protected] or call us on +254 202 222 022. For urgent queries, please use our live chat to be connected to a Customer Support Agent.
@captainarabiia: Thankyou! I'm still on "processing". I did send an email the same day I made the application. I've got 10 hours until check-in so hoping it gets approved prior, but if not, the Kenya eTA website says you don't need one if you're going to board another plane and not leave the airport. Doesn't specify anything about 24 hours. Where did you find this information?
Worst case I'm planning to buy a one or return ticket (ideally refundable) at the airport today if they refuse me boarding, then that should at least keep the show going.
Any recommendations on ways to call Kenya eTA? Assuming an eSim is best. I'll try live chat option too
Thanks for the help 👌
@captainarabiia: My eTA has been approved with 5 hours until check-in.
It's quite lucky. I have already flown my first leg from Melbourne to Guangzhou and they only let me board because I booked a one way ticket to Hong Kong as they wouldn't accept my Kenya travel without eTA.
Disaster averted and time to enjoy. Now to find a Kilimanjaro hike group!
Thanks to everyone who helped. China Southern business experience was great, delicious food and the staff were super attentive, almost running to make sure you were taken care of. I've found Guangzhou very fun city, with friendly people and easy experience for tourist, especially using eSim that bypass great firewall and with google translator on picture it helps to decipher the world around.
Onto Kenya I go!
@WallybR
From an FAQ:
Do you have an urgent application process?
If you need your application approved urgently, please include this as a note at the end of your application. Once you have applied, you can contact us via live chat requesting that you need urgent processing.
You should be right - think it took less than a couple of days to process for me and doubt the public holiday will matter as they’re not manually processed. By the time you arrive it should be well and truly done. The Pride Lounge at Nairobi is good but it ain’t 24 hours good….
If you haven’t booked a lift from Kigali airport yet, download the Yego ride share app and book a ride with that instead of relying on the overpriced taxis at the airport. You might need to walk 100 meters out of the car park to meet your driver but it’s super easy. It’s super small and not hectic at all. And I wish I’d hired a car in advance - wasted a day yesterday effing around with taxis, I got a Hyundai Tucson for 40 USD for today and it’s been great to drive around. Traffic is calm but speed cameras EVERYWHERE - literally 200-300 metres apart across town. Makes for good driving conditions for clueless tourist though!
Recommend heading to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Nairobi. Brand new lounge near Gate 4, terminal 1D, so quite a distance from the main area.
Has clean hot showers, great selection of food, and is very quiet due to the location at the other end of terminal.
We originally went to Kenya Airways Simba Lounge and was told only cold showers available, they were unaware of Plaza Premium Lounge and told us it was not yet open. The KQ lounges look a little outdated when we had a quick look around.
Main lounge in Kigali is decent too, and has showers.
Thanks for this, I'll make sure to check it out when I am in JOMO
@movieman: Anyone replied to you yet?