KQ forced to refund cancelled flights during Covid-19
National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has been forced to refund tickets cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic after the Competition watchdog intervened in cases where the airline went silent on their travelers.
KQ had refused to refund tickets worth Kes181,183 to Dylan Sonemann who booked return flight tickets from Johanesburg to Mahe – the largest island in the Seychelles archipelago – that were cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic.
CAK also intervened and helped him get a refund.
CAK also intervened in the case of Reginald Paul and had Kenya Airways refund Kes119,454.90 for his flight that was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
Kenya Airways customers have upped complains against the airline on flight delays exposed, disrupted journeys and costs of meeting the cancelled flights.
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Chris Godman missed his flight to London after KQ refused to board him on his connecting flight from Kigali to Nairobi.
He was forced to board a second Kenya Airways flight from Kigali to Nairobi and as a result missed his connecting British Airways flight from Nairobi to London.
He was advised to pay for the Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to London then later seek for refund.
He paid £3,211.20 to Kenya Airways for a ticket and continued with his journey. He was, however, never refunded despite several follow ups.
It took the intervention of the Competition Authority of Kenya for KQ to wire Kes415,263 to Mr Godman.
This is just one case among many that is hurting the global reputation of the airline with delays eroding confidence of their customers. Several cases are still pending at the authority.
