Flight Change by Kuwait Airways - Booked via Trip
FR

Translated into English.

Original post
SH
Hey everyone, We bought a ticket a month ago on Trip. It was supposed to be a flight leaving at 2:30 AM to arrive in Kuwait at 4:30 AM to catch a connecting flight with the same airline (Kuwait Airways) at 8:30 AM the same day, arriving in Paris at 12:45 PM. But Trip just informed us that KA "modified" the first flight to depart at 1:20 PM, which means we’ll miss the second leg of the journey. No alternative offered for that portion. After checking, the only solution is to take the flight the next day—so more than 17 hours of layover. We have to go back to work the next day, even though we’d planned a rest day. Trip’s only options are to cancel or accept the change!!! We asked them to propose an alternative flight, but their response was to contact the airline. We did, and their answer? Wait a bit longer for the final schedule!!! From my research, this counts as a cancellation or at least a delay of over 3 hours, so the airline is obligated to find us an alternative flight and compensate us. Has anyone had this experience with this airline or another? Any advice? Thanks in advance
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Hi,

Trip is offering us the option to cancel or accept the change

Cancel free of charge, full refund.

Michel
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
Hello,

Ah, the joys of going through a useless reseller.

First bit of good news: Kuwait Airways isn’t telling you to contact the reseller, which is usually the case since you’re primarily a Trip customer who bought a Kuwait Airways ticket.

If Kuwait Airways is working on their flight schedules, it’s normal to wait for a solution. If the only alternative is an overnight stay in Kuwait, the airline should cover it. And of course, make sure you’re compliant with Kuwaiti entry requirements. Otherwise, check if adjusting your dates could help avoid long layovers.

Any advice?

Avoid these useless resellers and book your tickets directly on the airline’s official website. That way, you only deal with them, and it’s much simpler. I’ve had several flight changes or cancellations with different airlines, and each time a solution was found—either a date adjustment or rerouting via another city X.
SH Shiyawase ·
Thanks so much, tantra, for your reply. We thought about it, but we’d really lose out. In fact, buying a new flight would cost us more than double the original price.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Thanks so much, tantra, for your reply. We thought about it, but we’d really lose out. In fact, buying a new flight would cost us more than double the original price.

So check if the 17-hour layover in Kuwait is possible from an administrative standpoint, and if the airline offers a hotel.

Michel
SH Shiyawase ·
Hello,

Ah, the joys of going through a useless reseller.

Good news first: Kuwait Airways isn’t telling you to contact the reseller, which is usually the case since you’re primarily a Trip customer who bought a Kuwait Airways ticket.

If Kuwait Airways is working on their flight schedules, it’s normal to wait for a solution. If the only alternative is an overnight stay in Kuwait, the airline should cover it. And of course, make sure you’re compliant with Kuwaiti entry requirements. Otherwise, check if shifting your dates could help avoid long layovers.

Any advice?

Avoid these useless resellers and book your tickets directly on the airline’s official website. That way, you deal only with them, and it’s much simpler. I’ve had flight changes or cancellations with various airlines multiple times, and each time a solution was found—either a date shift or rerouting via another city.

Cheers, Jérôme

Always on it! Thanks for your reply and advice 😊. The joys of a multi-stop trip! It’s the first time I’ve dealt with such a major flight change with an airline I haven’t tried before. Adventure is adventure. This’ll give me a chance to review the airline and how they handle these kinds of issues.
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Hi,

Trip + Kuwait Airways—you had to be bold!

Resellers have a terrible reputation when there’s a problem, and this airline isn’t exactly well-known.

I’m not sure Trip will refund you quickly (or easily). These kinds of sites usually drag their feet.

You might have to plan for an overnight in Kuwait.
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
Still on the ball! Thanks for your reply and tips 😊.

I’ve been in this scene for 40 years ;)
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
Hello,

Trip + Kuwait Airways, you had to be bold.

It’s mostly these resale sites that should be banned. There are much worse than Kuwait Airways, but shhhhh 😉

Resellers have a terrible reputation as soon as there’s a problem

Unfortunately, that’s always the case.

I’m not sure Trip will refund you quickly (or easily). Usually, these kinds of sites drag their feet.

The procedure is as follows:

1. The agency submits a refund request to the airline after the airline has given its approval and generally provided an approval number. Just this step takes some time because both sides need to process the request 😉 There are two systems depending on what the airline wants: a fast automatic computer process or a longer one if automatic refunds without fees aren’t possible or allowed.

2. The airline processes the refund through the BSP payment center, which is the organization between airlines and agencies.

3. The credit note reaches the agency, and the ticket is credited.

4. The agency refunds the passenger. The ticket issuance fees (the agency isn’t a charity and charges fees) may not be refunded, and there are often processing fees for the refund. In the end, you could lose between 50 and 100 € per ticket. This depends on the agency’s sales conditions.

Fortunately, Shiyawase didn’t opt for this procedure, which can take several months and result in a small financial loss.

You might have to consider an overnight stay in Kuwait.

Or a rerouting via another city, which is often the best option.
SH Shiyawase ·
Hi Attila

No worries. I often use this site for flight tickets and hotels. I’ve already had to get refunds from them before. Whether it was for hotels or flights (changed by the airline), I’ve always been refunded quickly without any fees, obviously. I’ve even made special requests, and they’ve always been on it. The fact that this time they’re asking me to deal directly with the airline (after trying to contact them, just like me) caught my attention. I wondered if this airline was reliable in terms of customer service, which is why I posted here. Apparently, you’ve already tried Trip and Kuwait Airways. If you could share your experience with the airline or Trip, it’d definitely be helpful for everyone.

Happy travels!😊
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
I always avoid using intermediaries for flights, even though I’ve done it in the past.

There are way too many bad experiences when problems arise, and I had a hard time getting a refund from Expedia during Covid—even though they’re not the worst agency by far. I’ve also been burned by Go Voyages, who sold me a terrible ticket.

These agencies also sell really risky tickets (not dangerous in themselves, but you can easily miss your connection): separate tickets. So many people aren’t aware of the issue and buy them in good faith, not realizing how risky they are.

I also avoid exotic airlines if I have a choice. An airline that’s part of an alliance offers much better rebooking guarantees, which isn’t the case with Kuwait Airways.

In short, I prefer to maximize my chances of arriving and leaving more or less on time. Vacations—we don’t get that many of them.

Price matters to me, but value for money matters even more.

Finally, don’t book a low-cost ticket if you’re not resourceful or don’t have the financial means to buy a new return ticket... (Refunds do come, but in the meantime, you have to cover all the costs.)
SH Shiyawase ·
I always avoid using intermediaries for flights, even though I’ve done it in the past.

There are way too many bad experiences when problems arise, and I had a hard time getting a refund from Expedia during Covid—even though they’re not the worst agency by far. I’ve also been burned by Go Voyages, who sold me a terrible ticket.

These agencies also sell really risky tickets (not dangerous in themselves, but you can easily miss your connection): separate tickets. A lot of people aren’t aware of the issue and buy them in full confidence, not realizing how risky they are.

I also avoid exotic airlines if I have a choice. An airline that’s part of an alliance offers much better rebooking guarantees, which isn’t the case with Kuwait Airways.

In short, I prefer to maximize my chances of arriving and leaving more or less on time. Vacations—we don’t get that many of them.

Price matters to me much less than value for money.

Finally, don’t book a low-cost ticket if you’re not resourceful or don’t have the financial means to buy a new return ticket... (Refunds do come, but in the meantime, you have to cover all the costs.)

Thanks for your feedback and advice, Attila!

Just a quick note: Kuwait Airways isn’t a low-cost airline but the national carrier, and it’s rated quite well (over 7/10) compared to some better-known ones.

Let’s stay courteous—this is a sharing site, so let’s keep it friendly.

Happy travels!
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Just a heads-up. Kuwait Airways isn’t a low-cost airline, but the national carrier

Absolutely.

That was just additional info about low-cost airlines, which should be booked with the usual precautions.

As for Kuwait Airways, reviews seem to vary depending on the site.

There’s a discussion on VF, but it’s pretty old. The airline may have improved since then.

On Trustpilot, it’s not great either.

I get the feeling that flight schedule changes are fairly common. And as mentioned earlier, since the airline isn’t part of any commercial alliances, it’s harder to re-route passengers.

Personally, I steer clear of airlines like that.

Let’s stay courteous. This is a sharing site, so let’s keep it friendly.

?
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
And as previously mentioned, since the airline has no commercial alliances, it's more difficult to reroute passengers.

This airline isn't part of any of the 3 major airline alliances. As a result, this limits low-cost rerouting options. However, it does have partnerships with others.

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For them, it's likely cheaper to cover one night in a hotel with transfers and meals. For the passenger, it's not obvious that this solution is the best—aside from the unexpected chance to spend a few hours in Kuwait. But anything is possible in the airline industry. I've had some surprising reroutes that I never expected.

Personally, this is the kind of airline I rule out right away.

I've never flown with them and won't comment. They have new planes, which is a good sign, but they operate in the shadow of the Gulf's mega-airlines. Their network doesn’t match my preferred destinations, so they’ve never been an option for me.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t trust reviews on some websites. However, FlightReport shares experiences from aviation enthusiasts with supporting photos—no fake reviews or tricks.

Kuwait Airways: 19 traveler reviews and photos
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Their planes are recent, which is a good sign

Yes, based on the feedback on VF, they seem to have renewed their fleet.

Airlines in this region sometimes have two faces: one for transporting tourists and business travelers, the other for transporting the labor force these countries exploit.

So, you can have one segment that’s great and another that’s really borderline.

Maybe wrongly, but I don’t put much stock in reviews on certain sites.

On sites like Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, etc. (and even VF), negative reviews are overrepresented. People are more likely to write a review when something goes wrong than when everything goes well!

But when the same criticism keeps coming up, it’s usually justified.

Flightreport is more like a travel journal for a flight. What motivates people to write there is sharing their experience, not venting after a bad trip like on other sites.

Back to Kuwait Airways—it’s not for me. In-flight entertainment is one of my must-haves on long-haul flights. Not having my itinerary changed every few days is another. Plus, this airline doesn’t serve Lyon.
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
Airlines in the sector sometimes have two faces: one for transporting tourists and business travelers, the other for transporting the labor these countries exploit.

I’ve never been disappointed by Emirates or Qatar. In fact, I’m flying Qatar again to Australia in March.

So you can have one segment that’s great and another that’s really borderline.

I’ve never heard of a two-tier service.

On sites like Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, etc. (and even VF), negative reviews are overrepresented. People are more likely to write a review when something goes wrong than when everything goes well!

Yeah, it’s always easier to complain ;). That’s why I take those reviews with a grain of salt.

But when a criticism comes up very regularly, it’s usually justified.

Some criticisms will matter to some people and not to others. As always, you have to filter and put things into perspective. The most important thing is safety, and on that front, no issues.

Flightreport is like a travel journal for a flight. What motivates the writer is sharing their experience, not venting after a bad experience like on other sites.

When a flight goes badly or there’s any issue, it’s clearly mentioned. There’s no pressure to gloss over anything. It’s constructive for airlines to have these mystery customers. Several aspects are rated, and nothing is spared. Having interacted with several Flightreport members, I can vouch for their seriousness and total integrity. I’ve even published a few reports myself but stopped. It’s very time-consuming and not always well-received to photograph everything all the time. I’ve had to explain this to a neighbor more than once, and they didn’t understand. Airports and crews are starting to recognize it, but in some countries, there are still a lot of questions about photographing everything.

As for Kuwait, it’s not for me.

I’m curious by nature, so I wouldn’t mind going. But I have plenty of other priorities before that.

In-flight entertainment is one of my criteria for long-haul flights.

That makes sense. Personally, it’s not a priority for me, and I barely use it. I listen to my music, read, sleep, and maybe watch a movie on the IFE. My priority is arriving as refreshed as possible, trying to rest so I’m ready to go right away. Seat spacing and emergency exits in economy are a must for me. Everyone has their own selection criteria and priorities.

Not having my itinerary changed every four mornings is also a plus.

Since I have no experience with them and haven’t read or heard about any major issues, I’ll take a pass on that one ;).

Plus, this airline doesn’t serve Lyon.

You already have Emirates, which is very well established. They fly from Barcelona, which I use regularly, but they don’t go to my favorite destinations since I’ve never seen them in the options.

In this case, I’m not too worried about a happy ending with Kuwait Airways. Personally, it’s more those reseller sites you need to watch out for.

She’ll keep us updated on how it turns out.
PA Patrick91230 Globetrotter ·
Hi there,

If you're more than 14 days away from departure, you won’t have the option to accept the change or request a full refund—no compensation is available beyond 14 days before departure. Additionally, Trip will need to handle these actions with the airline based on your response.
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Never heard of a two-tier service.

The cattle-class segments are rarely the ones used by tourists.

I’ve read some reviews mentioning poorer service and more worn-out planes, for example on flights between the Arabian Peninsula and India.

So far, I’ve flown with Etihad, Qatar, and Emirates as Gulf carriers.

Emirates was the best. Of course, I had been upgraded...
ER Erjome Globetrotter ·
So far, I've flown with Etihad, Qatar, and Emirates as Gulf airlines.

Emirates was the best.

I really like Emirates and Qatar.

No wonder, I was upgraded...

Did you make a scene about it? 😉 Okay, I'm off, grabbing my tea and going to bed 😉
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
😏

It was because of a major delay with Lufthansa.

They passed the buck—that is, me—to Emirates, who kindly upgraded me to make up for Lufthansa’s mistakes...

German efficiency isn’t what it used to be...