A friend of mine yesterday told me that a Kuwait Airways plane “crashed” in the UAE and they were trying to cover up the incident. I didn’t believe him because you can’t cover up an aircraft crash. Anyway today it turns out there wasn’t a crash but a Kuwait Airways plane had to do an emergency landing because the landing gear failed to open. I will definitely never be flying with Kuwait Airways again.
Now two things grabbed my attention in the article. First, UAE offered Kuwait a replacement plane. I found that really strange because its not like Kuwait is broke and can’t afford a new plane. They must have looked at all the aging Kuwait Airways aircraft and gotten the idea Kuwait can’t afford to get a replacement and decided to donate one to us…
Then near the end of the article I also read about how Kuwait Airways later dropped the passengers off in Dubai with no hotel reservations or anything. I mean come on. When a plane crash lands and passengers get hurt and are forced to evacuate the plane, its a very traumatizing experience. At least, at the very least other then the million apologies to the passengers and the extra free air miles and cash for all the trauma they endured, at the very least put them up in a hotel. According to the article, Kuwait Airways just dropped off the passengers on the side of the road without offering to put them up in a hotel. The passengers are now planning to sue Kuwait Airways and I hope they end up winning.
Morale of the story, never fly with Kuwait Airways.
47 replies on “Kuwait Airways Emergency Landing”
FLY Emirates
now i’m freaked out… i took KA to Dubai many times… no more.. its all about Jazeera now…
Kuwait Airways is a joke, and an embarrassment as a national carrier.
landing gear failing to open is relatively common. happens on most airlines and usually these incidents go unreported because nothing serious happens..
people who work as crew and some friends have told me of such occurrences
$#!t happens
i`m going to london today… i had reservation with BA but the the strike i had to change it to be with kuwait airways well the strike of BA now is off and i`m stuck with kuwait air tickets as i cant change them now. and the thing that hurts is my flight supposed to leave at 12:30 and i just got a call from my travel agent telling me that there is a delay and my flight will be at 16:00 🙁 dont u just love it
3abboud of rak $#!t happens a lot with kuwait airways
Doesn’t surprise me. KA is crap. Most of their delays are because they’re too cheap to perform real maintanence on the planes and just try to schedule it between flights. I want to say their fleet only has 14 planes or something crazy like that.
The technical problem isn’t the huge part! The bad part is just dumping the customers! I keep thinking they couldn’t get any worse, but some how they find a way.
They left their customers without any help or support, no transportation, no nothing! And this airport has the most facilities of any airport in the world.
A travel agent gave me a tip. He said for any plane mischief like overbooking, 8 hours stay with no hotel, or even a near incident like the one by Kuwait Airways, complain to the airline at the airport and if they cannot help you insist on authorized signed documentation for the particular incident. They usually handle your complaint there and then because if they give you the documentation you can take it straight to IATA and they will be charged a very heavy fine.
Kuwait Airways doesn’t understand customer service at all!! I don’t remember the last time I flew on K.A but I’ve heard horror stories from friends where the plane gets delayed in Kuwait and then in London too, then you miss your connecting flight to any other place in the U.S. They don’t offer any compensation or hotel rooms!
Actually, read the article:
“When we requested KAC officials to accommodate us in any five star hotel they said they cannot arrange reservations for us in such hotels.”
Note the, “five star hotel” bit.
Also:
“We informed the officials that our hotel reservations had been cancelled as Dubai is hosting an international medical exhibition,” he said. “It is impossible to get a hotel reservation in Dubai unless we spend 9,000-8,000 dirhams per day for staying in a five star hotel.”
Their reservations were cancelled? Since when do 5 star hotels cancel your reservations just because there’s a convention in town? Also, if you were bound for Dubai and your final destination is Dubai . . . why would KAC be responsible for covering hotel arrangements that you should already have?
Now, I’m not saying KAC doesn’t suck. They do. This is just whining. Nowhere else would someone expect to be put in a 5 star hotel.
Michael their reservations got canceled because they arrived to the hotel like 10 hours late because the plane diverted to another airport and by the time they landed and got driven back to dubai their rooms had already been given to other people.
Also if I was a passenger and I just crash landed i wouldn’t want anything less then a 5 star hotel on the airlines account. What the hell.
Finally, say I had a booking in a 5 star hotel and because of the crash landing (note, this is not a regular airline delay its because of a crash fucking landing) i lost my room. would you accept staying in a 3 star hotel because of the airlines fuck up?
u definitely got that one right mark “never fly with Kuwait Airways” i sure wouldnt
Actually, they didn’t arrive an entire day late. If they had reservations at a 5 star, they should have raised hell at the hotel, too. Not to mention getting in touch with the hotel ASAP or making sure that KAC notified the hotel.
From personal experience, you’re more likely to get sympathy at the hotel than from the airline. Especially a 5 star hotel.
“the plane landed at Ras Al-Khaima at 3:00 am. We left the airport at 9:00 am reaching Dubai 11:00 am on a mini bus arranged by KAC.”
What’d they do for 6hrs? Plenty of time to get over the panic and for a, “Hey, my plane crash landed, I’m going to be late for my check-in time.” call to their hotel. I guarantee you the hotel wouldn’t have given their rooms away then.
Frankly, after something like that, I’d stay anywhere I could shower, relax, get a drink, and take a nap. 3 star, 4 star, 5 star, no matter. I’d make sure I got my pound of flesh from KAC after that.
“donate one to US…”
U R LEBANESE
a few points:
1. When have Kuwaitis been shy about using their mobile phones while on a plane???!!! I’m sure with 2 hours circling overhead, they could very easily have called the hotels ahead of time to tell them they would be late.
2. If the Oasis frequent flyer club worked (which it doesn’t)… would you get extra miles for those additional 2 hours circling RAK?
I always like to check what others say on airlines before selecting them for a certain voyage or class. This is about Kuwait Airways, but I am sure everyone knows about it
link
ok your article is consisted of 4 paragraphs, all of which I find wrong.
The landing gear failed to open, as some of the previous comments said, it’s a common issue, i’m not excusing them though, they should’ve rechecked it before they flew. However, that doesn’t mean they suck. When was the last time one of KA airplanes ever had a terrible incident? I can’t recall any, there were probably two or three in their ENTIRE history.
Now UAE offering a replacement plane isn’t because they think we are broke nor we are in the first place. I find it a nice gesture. Just like if an Emarati plane had such an accident in Kuwait, Kuwait would offer everything they could to UAE, not because they are broke, because it’s nice to do so.
About the hotels part, last night I heard one of the directors in Kuwait Airways on the news on kuwait tv, he said they made sure all the passengers were in their hotels, not “thrown into the streets”.
I always fly with KA, and will keep flying with them.
p.s. Kuwait Airways has a no-fatality record, with this exception (which has to do with hijackers, not poor aircraft maintenance):
https://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/kuwait.htm
“I always fly with KA, and will keep flying with them. ”
you are a masochist, you like getting whipped by a dominatrix as well?
yeah keep enjoying the broken inhouse entertainment system, the torn seats, the crappy service and the technical problems not to mention adventures like flying into Indian no fly zones and almost getting shot out of the sky stopping in mid flight and returning to its city of origin due to malfunctions
kuwait airways makes the shitty, corrupt ‘Gulf Air’ look like fucking Lufthansa
and yes the KU miles system is a joke, name one son of a bitch who managed to get a free ticket from using miles on KU , its a travesty
kuwait airways wants to keep being shitty so they can privatize it to ali al khalifa or others who have their eye on it
broken inhouse entertainment system? It always worked for me. Torn seats? Never seen em. Crappy service? Not the best service in the world but it isn’t crappy. I’m either blind or you’re blonde. Oh you’re blonde, sorry, I don’t care if you have a high IQ, you’re meant to be mentally unstable.
click on the link in post 17 jajajaja. I guess everyone’s wrong and you’re right.
Just wanted to say something, crash landings aren’t a common thing. Yes it might be common for landing gear to get stuck but the problem usually gets solved BEFORE they land. This was a crash landing which isn’t very common plus people got injured and they had to be evacuated from the plane via the emergency exists. This is not your every day common scenario so it shouldn’t be made to look like it happens all the time with all the airlines.
Only other airlines I have been on thats worst is Gulf Air.
I would agree that Gulf Air were bad back in the late 90’s. But I flew them once more recently(short haul, I think it was Abu Dhabi to Kuwait) and it was such a nice new clean plane with really pleasant staff. Could’ve been a one-off, but I have heard they’ve really done a lot to get close to the standards of Qatar and Emirates.
i hate kuwait airways, it has sucked the past 5 years. Recently been flying with emirates and they r amazing, and not that expensive either. Recently flew to duba for 73 KD while on jazeera it was 100KD and kuwait airways for 130KD.
yeah that was like the exact opposite of my plane. the plane i was on was from kuwait to bahrain and back and it was old. like you know the clip the opens the tray behind the seat, it was rusty. and the arm rest edges were like torn. they had like these old tube tvs come down from the ceiling. the whole interior was like this ugly beige… really freaky.
Mark,
“The plane made an emergency landing in Ras Al-Khaimah where passengers exited the planes through the emergency exits, Al-Ajmi said. The aircraft landed safely and as expected a few passengers were injured while using the emergency exits, he said. The injured passengers received medical attention upon landing, Al-Ajmi said.”
That’s what the article you linked says. It wasn’t a crash landing, they landed safely. They were injured while using the emergency exits, not because of a “crash landing”.
It was a crash landing dude, check out the picture of the gear above. you CAN have a safe crash landing. You think all crash landings end in disaster?
btw i found these two pictures on alwatan website
https://www.alwatan.com.kw/%2fData%2fSite1%2fArticles%2f463763%2f1.pc.jpg
https://www.alwatan.com.kw/%2fData%2fSite1%2fArticles%2f463763%2f3.pc.jpg
the most fucked up thing about KA is that they don’t serve alcohol. WTF
fly emirates o bass
no more KAC
‘at least’ the emergency slides worked!
Ok the replacement plane is one to fly passengers back its not a charity, you do have a return flight you have to make. They aren’t giving Kuwait a free plane. Secondly, that plane is repairable unless there is structural damage or the cost to repair is too high, and crash landings or gear being stuck is a common problem, has nothing to do with the age of the aircraft. There is a manual release on gear, this breaks open the gear doors locks and releases the hydraulic system which is why the gear doors are hanging down like that. Finally, the use of emergency slides is a crew discretion, in a situation like this they would probably fear hydraulic fluid catching on fire or any other substance around the plane, pilots can’t tell what is going on outside thus they want to clear the plane as quickly as possible, remember they can’t tell whats going on behind them. From my view, Good job on handling the situation.
And another point sure KU customer service is crap, but trust me the people in Dubai are an outstanding team, they try their best, I’ve personally seen them in action a few times. The hotel situation is not up to them, you can’t find 50 hotel rooms in a bust travelling season in seconds or hours, and also do you think Dubai has a lot of empty top notch hotels. Upper management is corrupt in KU not the people who are holding the fort in the stations abroad. And yes KU has lost its touches around 2001/2002. They now officially suck.
KA, like other services, is just a reflection of the whole country…
need i say more!
I think Kuwait Airways needs to be privatized. All plans must be sold and a new Purchase Order should follow to Airbus and Boeing. God bless Kuwait.
kuwait, nothing but a bunch of 7aramiya with their noses up peoples head.
i lived 6 years of my life outside, wish it remains this way forever.
Kuwait Airways has been flying for more than 50 year and it has an excellent safety record airplanes are maid and maintained by people not gods! these things happen to every airline in world if don’t want to fly them its ok but stop bashing them you fagots and get a fuckin*g life! shit happens everyday all around the world don’t you see the news!!! instead of of saying kudos to the courageous captain and his crew you bash Kuwait Airways you bastards ill fly them any day everyday!
i know that kuwait airways passenger services are rubbish and need to be looked after … but bare in mind that Kuwait Airways has the best pilots … it has the best safety record … most of the airlines needs 3000 hours for the first officer to be a captain … but in kuwait airways they need 5000 hours … look at how strickt they are safetywise … i say again kuwait airways is the best in training pilots
I can totally believe this, Kuwait airways is one of the worst airlines I have ever travelled, to say this country is so rich I cannot believe they have so little pride to put their name on this decaying and ransid company, the planes are trashed the staff are rude unhelpful and just plain unqualified.
And there policies of allowing Kuwaiti Nationals to have benefits over Foreing Nationals, we all paid the same money Hello!
This is the WORST airline ever. From pilots to ground staff and the engineering facilities. DO NOT FLY this rubbish airline if you want to live. Such a shit airline. This airline should not be allowed to fly. Nothing works on these planes. And they have the dirtiest fleet out there.
Well, things in life aren’t perfect and tragedies are bound to happen, however, to any foreigner that responded to this in such the negative way, ask yourself when was the last time that you were treated with such profound customer service…anywhere, not just on airlines. I have flown KU all my life and have never experienced this “crappy service” that you claim. Furthermore I doubt that KU put people out into the street without accomodating them to the best of their ability.
Personally, I strongly feel that ever since the Gulf War, when foreigners were permitted to wander the streets of Kuwait freely, nothing has been the same. Kuwait had a great reputation of being one of the most beautiful countries, rich in culture and attitude. Warming to her people.In regards to Kuwait Airways, is great to say the least, and so is Kuwait, and if you aren’t happy, travel on another airline and go home, best of luck. Poor Kuwait is probably so overwhelmed with the mouths of greed that have invaded our beauty in 1990 (BUSH KLAN) that things like maintence,and Excellent customer service aren’t like they used to be.Yes, I know that I am a bit off topic, but it gets under my skin to hear such nonsence about a country that has always been beautiful. If they don’t want to kiss the ass of an agitated passenger, they don’t have to. I have been in the States for a few years now and have yet to experience even half ass good customer service. JFK International is the absolute worse. The Airport and all the airline carriers customer service are quite rude and very impatient. But I stopped to ask a question at the Kuwait Airlines help desk and it brought me back to the warmth of the Arab people.They were helpful and patient. Something no one in America seems to have.For all the people that are wondering about Kuwait and it’s richness, stop all the Haternation, yes I said Haternation, just like a forienger who is being starved by his own government. I haven’t seen one Kuwaiti, even myself who got this great customer service from your country and it’s people that you are searching from ours. Yet still, I doubt and don’t believe that Kuwait Airways “sucks, is crappy, or …” I think you need to relax before your flight. And to the Jackass who wished they served alcohol, read.. Kuwait is a muslim country. Bye Bye then
proud to be Kuwaiti
I am proud to see a country guy that speaks in a logical way
May Allah bless you and all kuwaitis and muslims
even though Kuwait airways can do more than what the other airlines do, I think that kuwait airways is still imposing its dominance and charisma
May Allah bless Kuwait Airways and I hope soon it will be better than before
thank you once again o5oy al3’ali likuwaiti 🙂
الله يخلي لنا ديرتنا و طيرانا العزيز على قلوبنا
The proud Kuwaiti went far out of the topic. Regardless whether the passenger is a foreigner or Kuwaiti, KA is providing a service which they get paid for, and it is the passengers’ comfort which is paramount. I have flown Kuwait Airways around 15 times in the past six years. It has not been exactly a pleasant flight. The flight attendants are very rude, passengers are taken for granted. They treat the passengers as lowly labourers. Forget about its offices oversees and their strange policies – have to attend at the counter 3 hours before the flight, otherwise your trip gets cancelled; this cancelled trip is not refundable. I was surprisingly informed by one of KA customer service representatives that they take the first 110 passengers arriving at the counter whether they arrive all within 10 minutes or 3 hours, confirmed their booking or not. All representatives refused telling what time counter closes. All-in-all bad airline that needs to get service levels increased dramatically. Yes I am not happy traveling with KA, but unfortunately very limited choices are out there. I would say that people should stop traveling Kuwait Airways, so KA will improve customer service to get back its passengers. Hope it gets privatized soon or new market players get in.
ok…now..first i am not kuwaiti.2nd ppl who r not kuwaities and don’t like kuwait ..plssssssLEAVE..no body stops u.if u dont like it here go back from where u came.yes i dont like many things here also but i chose to stay and i dont complain.in my country i dont like many things too but what can i do. 3rd KU sucks???!!!come on…nobody forces u to fly them right. … 98% of the pax think that the crew are their slaves.when u enter and u don’t reply to the greeting,ask a 20yr old girl to lift your 20kg cabin bag which shouldn’t be in the cabin in 1st place,and which u brought to the plane by urself so u should be able do lift,RIGHT/??,and then u want a crew 2 appologize to u for this…WELL im sorry u wont get good service.and one advice be nice 2 them …coz they serve u the food and drink u want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and u never know what u can end up with.ooohh at then the old ,dirty,not working planes…well its a management factor who plays that call i guess ,right??!! and by the way did u know that the basic salary for their crew is around 200kd????so what do u expect from them actually?give them little support pls…………all the best
There’s a tiny thing I just want to say.
If you don’t like Kuwait Airways don’t fly it,it’s as easy as that. And talking about the passengers of KA lots of them treat the crew as their slaves, I’m not saying all of them but lots of them.
Unfortunately that’s really sad thing, things will change but it’s just a matter of time.
well well well … after readin all the complains and comments i thought of adding something to it too .
firstly .. i am not KUWAITI so dont think i will take Kuwait airways side .
so starting with the emergency that happened … this type of emergency situation can take place with any aircraft regardless of AIRLINE and the age of AIRCRAFT .
It happened with kuwait airways so thats why every1 is cursing it and i know the reason too because even kuwaities they talk shit about KAC.. so when your OWN people dont bother to say something GOOD then how could you aspect from foreigners.It happened and passesngers got thier accomodation as well.
Secondly .. talking about the passenger care , do you have any idea that qatar and emirates and etihad CREW got thier training from where ?? or from where they consulted or sent thier STAff to know the basics of servies and procedures ??? NO idea rite . i will tell you
They contacted KAC .. because kuwait airways is flying for almost 55 years now .. so they now how to do safety and service .. they are wel expericed and well trained .
So how could you say that PASSENGER care isnt good in KAC flights ???
Thirdly YESSSS passengers travveling in qatar or emirates do behave well .. but the moment they step into KAC … they think its local carrier so they are the OWNERS now ??? WTF ?? why so much of change ??
KAC lacks some things too like they have different counters but they put on display ALL SECTORS .. so no one knows where should he go for check in and if he is goin to dubai (09:00)… he has to wait in long que in which passengers are standing goin to saudia (11:00). He should b first cz his flite is at 9 .
summing up my speech .. KAC is goin through down fall but KAC will rise up and you will see again KAC will be one of the best AIRLINES.
But stop saying all the crap here … if you dont like it go other airline and wait on thier airports for 8-9 hours .