Find cheap Kuwait Airways flights

The national airline of Kuwait is a niche carrier that serves its home country well, and despite being one of the older airlines in the region, it has a hard time competing with the global Middle Eastern carriers in the neighbourhood. There are several drawbacks to flying with Kuwait Airways, but for many, it is the perfect way to get to, from and through Kuwait.

A small, but growing fleet

With just over two dozen aircraft, the carrier’s route map is somewhat limited to serving other parts of the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Its New York JFK and Washington D.C. flights are the airline’s longest and are considered to be its flagship routes.

Its newest plane is the Airbus A330-800neo, which it uses in some of its longer sectors to Europe, as well as to other destinations. I find this plane to be the most modern and appealing in its network, but it lacks a first class cabin. Only the Boeing 777s have a true first class cabin, which the airline calls Royal Class.

Its A330s have a first class, but it is more like business class on other airlines and misses some of the extra perks that the 777s offer. Luckily, these are only used on regional flights. The remaining A320neos just have business and economy class with recliner seats in the premium cabin.

A promising outlook for the airline is that it plans to nearly double its fleet to 50 planes, which will help it grow its route network and frequencies. The plan is to have a 50-50 split between widebody and narrowbody planes opening up plenty of new destinations.

This is a priority for the airline as it faces growing competition from low-cost airlines that are flooding the region with cheaper fares. I travel frequently for business, and the most valuable thing for me when choosing a flight is choice (whether that is time, type of aircraft, or loyalty programme).

A dry airline

One of the first things I think of when chatting about Kuwait Airways with fellow travellers is that the carrier does not serve alcohol on its flights. This is in line with national regulations as a dry country. You cannot even check alcohol in luggage, which is an important thing to note for travellers connecting through Kuwait City in case you purchased alcohol duty-free from another international airport.

A pleasant, yet uncompetitive, onboard experience

This is still a full-service airline (despite no alcohol), and I find the meals served on board, in all cabins to be comparable to what you will get on other airlines. But, each time I have flown with Kuwait Airlines, the crew has varied between being quite friendly to indifferent, so temper your expectations.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that its business and first class cabins are uncompetitive with other airlines in the region. First class seats have sliding doors for privacy, oodles of legroom and storage space for lie-flat seats, and tasty food. However, it’s still missing those extra touches.

Inflight bedding and food quality are average, and the non-alcoholic beverage list is rather basic. I would appreciate them adding a few mocktails or creative juice concoctions to the list for some extra flair to replace a larger drink list. There is a little twinge of excitement though when they bring around the Arabic coffee, dates and local sweets: my favourite moment!

Business class seats lie fully-flat on widebody flights, but the A320neos used on regional routes are only like cradled seats. These are just a bit more comfortable than what you would find on a domestic first class flight in the U.K. None of its business class seats have sliding doors for privacy, which is becoming increasingly common on many carriers like British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Qatar Airways.

First class is in a 1-2-1 layout, but most of its business class cabins require stepping over someone to reach the aisle from the window seat. Helpful tip: look for business class flights on the A330-800neo, which has 1-2-1 in business class. These have the most updated seats and the latest inflight technology.

While the airline does charge for some preferred seats in economy class, it also has several rows of seats that are free of charge. Word of advice: assign yourself a seat as soon as you can to avoid being randomly given one at check-in if the free seats are full. You could get lucky, like I did, and score a better seat at the front of the plane, but you could also end up in the middle. Premium cabin passengers can reserve any seat for free.

Upgrades at a discount

A more affordable way to enjoy some extra comfort is the airline’s Just Upgrade programme. Some key takeaways are that this is only available to its Oasis Club loyalty programme members (I joined for free just to take advantage of the upgrade system) and that not all flights are eligible. Travellers can make a bid up to 12 hours before takeoff, and if approved, the upgraded seat is yours. It’s a win-win for everyone: the airline fills empty premium seats and curious travellers like me can travel more comfortably at a discount.

Some nice extras

Passengers willing to pay an extra fee can book meet and greet services to be whisked through security and immigration formalities to and from the aircraft door. Once onboard, all cabins have entertainment screens with a decent range of international films and sitcoms. A good chunk of these are Arabic and Bollywood films. I think the airline could do a better job of providing more choices, and it is wise to download a few favourites on your own devices just in case.

The airline offers Wi-Fi service on board with fair pricing for access throughout the entire flight. Everyone can also connect for free to message others on their phone or via social apps.

Passengers paying most fares for business and first class can request a driver to pick them up from home to take them to the airport. You can even check in for the flight from home and have your bags taken straight to the plane. Unfortunately, this is only available in Kuwait itself.

Loyalty programme

Oasis Club is the airline's frequent flyer programme, offering various tiers of elite status, and the higher your membership tier, the more perks you receive. This is a great programme for Kuwaitis or those who use the airline regularly. However, I would not recommend the programme if you're looking for outsized value. Kuwait Airways does not belong to any global airline alliance and has virtually no partners on which to earn or redeem miles.

Airport experience for connecting passengers

If you’re connecting through Kuwait City, the airport experience is even more important. Luckily, the airport’s three terminals are modern with an array of restaurants and shops although I never delight in having to spend more than a few hours there.

There are several lounges in the terminal that provide respite from the crowds (believe me, there are a lot of people when many flights converge at the airport at once). They offer hot and cold buffets and non-alcoholic drinks.

Unfortunately, the toilets in all of the terminals are not up to international standards. This means that those with lounge access have yet another reason to be pleased by swiping their Priority Pass card, another associated credit card with access or a premium cabin boarding pass. When not busy, many of the lounges offer day passes for a fee.

My favourite venue is the Pearl Lounge in Terminal 5 because it is modern, bright and has a decent menu. Terminals 4 and 5 are the newest at the airport for now. The former is home to national carrier Kuwait Airways, while the latter is used by low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways.

Most other airlines use Terminal 1 where there are many lounge choices (including another from Kuwait Airways for passengers departing from that terminal or using Priority Pass). If you do not have any form of lounge access, ask at reception if they are selling a day pass.

Value for money

When comparing prices between Kuwait Airways and other regional airlines, it is common to see the airline undercutting the competition, especially in premium cabins. With so many airlines in the Middle East offering more luxurious business and first class, Kuwait Airways can represent great value for money if you keep your expectations in check (especially for teetotallers).