2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
I just read that Kuwait Airways now has self check-in that includes boarding pass issuance AND baggage weighing. Previously you could on self check-in if you didn’t have any luggage just carryon but now it seems you can also drop off your bag yourself. source
@VisitKuwait posted the 4 different categories that were recently introduced for the Kuwait tourist visa. source
The cost of the tourist visa is just KD 3 so around $10. source
Jazeera Airways just kicked off their Mega Sale that starts today and lasts till July 31st.
100,000 seats are up for grabs starting at just KD 14 one way. The offer covers a wide range of destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe. The travel window is from August 1 to September 30, making it perfect for an end-of-summer escape or a quick weekend trip somewhere new.
This offer is only for a few days and just 100,000 seats so if you want to take advantage of the deal book through their application or head to jazeeraairways.com
A couple of weeks ago I went to Berlin for the very first time and I ended up loving the city. There were no direct flights from Kuwait, so I flew Kuwait Airways to Munich, spent the night, and then drove to Berlin the next day. I could’ve taken the train or flown via Qatar Airways or Emirates, but the timings didn’t work for me. The city is huge but here’s my list of spots to add to your Berlin itinerary if you ever decide to head there:
Eat
Remi is a stylish spot. I didn’t have a reservation, but they were able to accommodate me, and the place had a relaxed vibe. Ripieno is an Italian spot I ended up at by mistake on my way to another restaurant. The atmosphere was great and they had delicious fresh pasta. While in Berlin, I had Vietnamese food three times, probably to balance out all the schnitzel I was having. The best beef pho I had was at Madame NGO. I also had delicious seafood and a great experience at FunkyFisch.
Drink
My go-to spot every morning was Acid. They had great coffee, a good cheese and butter sandwich, and delicious pastries. SOFI also had good coffee, but also the best lemon poppy seed cake I’ve ever had. Aera was another good spot with a nice courtyard to chill in.
See
If you like beautiful objects visit Kunstgewerbemuseum and Bauhaus Dessau. HAY has a store in Berlin which was great since I need to get one of their dog beds. Dregeno for wooden crafts, Fotoimpex for analog photography and Breathe if you’re into independent perfumers. Luiban and R.S.V.P. for unique stationery, and YUN for cool Korean eyewear. If you’re there on a Sunday visit Mauerpark for the flea market and to chill in the park.
Sleep
I stayed at Locke East Side Gallery, which turned out to be a great choice. The room was spacious and had a beautiful view of the river. It was also conveniently located at the Berlin Wall and near both overground and underground stations. Plan B was Chateau Royal.
For my previous travel guides, click here.
Nonstop Dan has uploaded one last video related to his experience flying Kuwait Airways, this time the video is regarding the responses he got from Kuwait Airways (and a member of the royal family?). Video thankfully isn’t 30 minutes long but if you want to skip the intro just jump to minute 3:30.
In summary if you don’t want to watch the videos. He got three emails, 2 from Kuwait Airways, and 1 supposedly from a member of the royal family. The emails were apologetic, friendly and wanted to make it up to Dan. So the saga is over, Dan and Kuwait Airways are friends again.
Dan just published part two of his review where he goes into details about what happened with Kuwait Airways.
I don’t watch his videos so not sure if they’re all like this but god he drags things for sooo long. This video could easily have been 5-10mins long instead of 26mins.
In short, nothing surprising for anyone living in Kuwait. Basically he was told he can’t record video onboard and publish it without permission from Kuwait Airways. Obviously that’s not true and the people involved were most likely all old school crew. He was threatened that he would be sued if he did which again is such a normal thing for us to hear, or at least I’m used to this. Eventually when he landed the cops came and spoke to him and obviously nothing came out of it because he hadn’t done anything wrong. Just normal Kuwait drama.
Anyway, that was all of it. It didn’t need a part 2 video, and definitely didn’t need to be longer than an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The airline YouTuber Nonstop Dan recently flew Kuwait Airways and just published his part 1 of 2 review. The review goes as expected, nice first class seats, but subpar service and poor amenities. But, supposedly he was threatened not to publish the review and police got involved once he landed in Kuwait. He’s publishing the dramatic second half of the review after tomorrow so we will have to see what happens.
Nowadays I don’t believe anything I watch online since everyone is just trying to grab headlines. I don’t know anything really about Dan’s credibility so I don’t know how dramatic he usually is. I’ll have to watch his second video to see if things were lost in translation, or if the police did get involved etc. I guess he’ll be getting my views.
Turns out Pret A Manger also opened in Terminal 4 of Kuwait Airport. They opened two weeks ago and took over the previous seating area for Shake Shack, on the ground floor of the departure area.
Thanks Yousef
Kuwait Flour Mills & Bakeries opened their Kuwait Airport branch in Terminal 4 this morning. I had a friend flying out and managed to take some photos which he shared with me. It’s pretty smart that they’re selling their coffee and baked goods there, but also a bit odd that they’re selling dry pasta and flour?
Anyway, Kuwait Flour Mills ran into a bit of controversy with their affordable 750fils latte and 500fils Americanos and Espressos back in April. I’m pretty sure the coffee shops at T4 aren’t going to be too excited about them opening up next to them. @kfmkuwait
Thanks Zaydoun!
OLE Coffee, the local independent coffee roasters, just opened their 45th branch at Kuwait Airport’s Terminal 4.
The terminal was long overdue for a specialty coffee spot, so I’m glad that OLE Coffee stepped in. They’re known for using high-grade beans that are freshly roasted in Kuwait and ethically sourced directly from farmers. They’re also committed to sustainability. On top of that, they also serve exceptional ceremonial-grade matcha imported from Japan.
The new OLE Coffee branch is located near the arrivals area at T4, so you can grab a coffee before checking in or while waiting for someone to land. Find out more over at @theolecoffee.
This news is a few weeks old but it just popped up on my Linkedin feed now and it bothered me.
Emirates and Kuwait Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to progress with an interline agreement, enabling more flight choices for customers travelling to Dubai and beyond.
Can someone tell me what the benefit of this is? Emirates already flies to Kuwait so I can just book flights with them instead of going through Kuwait Airways. Couldn’t Kuwait Airways sign a deal with Lufthansa, or British Airways, or maybe even United Airlines. Imagine being able to fly to Kuwait – New York – LA…
I just read a review about the first class lounge where the guy called it the least beautiful in the world. The funny part is, I was looking at the photos thinking, wow, that actually looks like a nice lounge. Probably because I recently experienced the Kuwait Airways business class lounge at T4, which has to be the worst lounge I’ve ever been to.
The lounge was so bad I actually went and sat outside near my gate because I found that more comfortable. The lounge was dark with no daylight, it was long and narrow with most of the seats just facing the wall. It was a claustrophobic and uncomfortable place to be in.
If you want to check out his review of the first class lounge, click here.
Both Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways just launched new summer routes, so I put together a list of all the new spots, their launch dates, and the cheapest ticket prices I could find. Check them out below:
Alexandria
Flights from July 1 starting at KD 122
Antalya
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 135
Bodrum
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 152
Luxor
Flights from July 2 starting at KD 86
Malaga
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 197
Salalah
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 83
Sarajevo
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 130
Sharm El Sheikh
Flights from June 4 starting at KD 120
Trabzon
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 188
Vienna Flights
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 216
Budapest
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 119
Hurghada
Flights from June 28 starting at KD 106
Krakow
Flights from June 6 starting at KD 141
Prague
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 140
Rize
Flights already started, starting at KD 000*
Sarajevo
Flights already started, starting at KD 90
Sochi
Flights from June 4 starting at KD 101
Yerevan
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 92
*Couldn’t find the destination on their website even though the press release says they’ve already started flying there.
A news article is making its way around the internet today about airlines like British Airways and Lufthansa no longer flying in and out of Kuwait. The article put the blame on a few things, including outdated terminals and substandard passenger services, two of the main reasons I try not to fly out of the old airport terminal.
But, what caught my attention is the article mentions that 14 airlines have now stopped flying to Kuwait without mentioning what those airlines are. What 14 airlines? The only ones I can think of are:
British Airways
Fly Arna
KLM
Lufthansa
United Airlines
Wizz Air
What are the others? Also, United for example stopped flying to Kuwait years ago, so I’m assuming they’re not even counting that.
A few days ago I got back from a 5-day trip to Milan. I was there for Kruder & Dorfmeister’s world tour, and Milan was one of the most convenient spots to watch them since Kuwait Airways flies direct. There was so much I wanted to do but five days just wasn’t enough. Still, here’s a list of lesser-known spots you can add to your Milan itinerary next time you’re there:
Eat
Breakfast was mostly at NOWHERE since they were a short walk from my hotel and had great coffee. For pizza head to Denis, get there early or book a table. I did seafood at Pescherie Riunite twice because it was no frills and so good. The Mogo Hi-Fi bar opened while I was there so I did their bento box lunch. The menu is by Michelin-star chef Yoji Tokuyoshi but it wasn’t expensive. Missed connection: June Collective, I ran out of time so didn’t pass by, but they’re still on my to do list.
Drink
My two favorite coffee spots were NOWHERE and Orsonero. Both served excellent coffee and delicious pastries, but Nowhere is larger, making it easier to find a table. I also made coffee stops at Il Cafetero and Cafezal, as they had convenient locations around the city.
See
Check out Time & Style for beautiful Japanese objects, and 10 Corso Como and End for fashion. If the weather’s nice, visit the Brera Botanical Garden and the Monumental Cemetery of Milan. Trust me on the cemetery, it was one of the most jaw dropping and beautiful experiences on the trip, plus Chinatown is just next door. For hand-painted ceramic plates, stop by Laboratorio Paravicini. Lastly, for art, head to Fondazione Prada, though exploring the different spaces on the property was actually more interesting than the art itself.
Sleep
I stayed at Case Brivio and loved it. Great, quiet location yet close to everything, and reasonably priced for the size of the room (Junior Suite). My plan B was Crossing Manzoni, but I chose Brivio mainly because of its location.
For my previous travel guides, click here.