Seats FAQs
Yes, you can pre-select a Chargeable seat where:
Economy Comfort Seats: This product is available on the B787 Dreamliner aircraft in the first three rows (11, 12 and14) in the economy class cabin. The seats have a 34-inch pitch while the rest of the Economy Cabin seats have a 31-inch pitch. These seats are available on only the B787 Dreamliner aircraft and on select Kenya Airways operated flights as follows:
- New York
- Amsterdam
- London
- Paris
- Guangzhou
Super Economy Seats: This is a new product on specific routes that is located at the front of the economy cabin whereby the middle seats are not occupied to give extra comfort. It is offered on the aisle and window seats.
Extra Leg Room Seats: This is a product we already offer and it offers our guests a little more legroom. These seats are available on all Kenya Airways operated aircrafts.
Preferred Seats: These are Economy Class seats closer to the front of the plane that allows guests to get off the plane quicker. These seats are available on all Kenya Airways operated aircrafts.
Standard Seat Selection: These are the rest of the seats within the aircraft that attract a fee for one to book them. These seats are available on all Kenya Airways operated aircrafts.
Anyone traveling with us on a Kenya Airways operated flight is eligible to purchase an Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection option.
For Extra Legroom Seats located on the Exit Rows, you will need to meet the following safety criteria:
- Must be 18 years of age and above.
- Should be able and willing to assist the crew and other guests in case of an evacuation of the aircraft.
- Must not be using medical equipment, an extension seat belt or requiring any assistance due to reduced mobility.
- Should be able to read and understand instructions related to emergency evacuation provided in printed or graphic form in English and be able to understand oral crew commands.
- Should be able adequately impart information orally to other guests.
- Must be fully able-bodied and capable to identify, reach and operate the exit doors in the event of an emergency.
- Must not be travelling with an infant, children under the age of 12, caregivers, persons who require safety assistant for emergency evacuation, or travelling with a guide dog or any other assistance animal.
- Extra Legroom Seats located on the Exit Rows may be re-assigned before or during the journey without any refund if guests do not meet any of the above safety criteria.
- Extra Legroom Seats located on the Exit Rows terms and conditions must be expressly accepted at the time of purchase.
These seats can only be purchased:
- Online through kenya-airways.com at anytime
- At any Kenya Airways sales office and customer excellence center any time before the flight.
- Customers on codeshare flights can purchase these seats anytime before their flight.
If you selected and paid for your seat, you can change to another seat of equal value for free or choose a higher value seat by paying the difference any time before departure. If you changed to a lower value seat and were charged the full amount of a higher value seat, no refunds will be made on the difference.
If you selected and paid for your seat and you’ve made changes to your flight number or flight date, but are travelling on the original sector, you can choose new seats of equal value for free. However, we will not be able to refund you if you’ve made changes to your sector if seats of the same value aren’t available, or if seat selection isn’t available on your new flight.
We’ll do our best to provide the seats you reserve. However, we may have to move you to a different seat in case of disruption, aircraft change, or for any other operational, safety or security reasons. Seat reservations are subject to change up until flight departure. Therefore this service is non-refundable with an exemption of the above mentioned circumstances only and must be submitted after your flight departs.
In case of involuntary changes to your seat due to operational, safety or security reasons, you are eligible for a voucher worth the same amount for future use but this will only be applicable in the following circumstances:
- Economy Comfort Seat re-seated on a Regular Seat;
- Super Economy Seat re-seated on a Regular Seat;
- Extra Legroom Seat re-seated on a Regular Seat;
- Preferred Seat re-seated on a Regular Seat;
- Standard Seat Selection re-seated on a Regular Seat
Refunds will include the total amount paid for seat selection. For flights already taken, the refund will be compared to your last selected seat before involuntary changes.
- Customers are not eligible for seat selection refunds if:
- Economy Comfort Seat re-seated on Super Economy Seat;
- Super Economy seat re-seated on Economy Comfort;
- Extra Legroom Seat re-seated on a Super Economy or Economy Comfort Seat;
- Preferred Seat re-seated on an Extra Legroom, Super Economy or Economy Comfort Seat;
- Standard Seat Selection re-seated on a Preferred Seat, Extra Legroom, Super Economy or Economy Comfort Seat;
- Economy Comfort Seat re-seated on a different type of Economy Comfort Seat (window, middle or aisle);
- Super Economy Seat re-seated on a different type of Super Economy Seat (window, middle or aisle);
- Extra Legroom Seat re-seated on a different type of Extra Legroom Seat (window, middle or aisle);
- Preferred Seat re-seated on a different type of Preferred Seat (window, middle or aisle);
- Standard Seat Selection re-seated on a different type of Extra Legroom Seat (window, middle or aisle);
- They’re travelling in a higher cabin class due to involuntary upgrade;
- They selected a lower value seat after buying a higher value seat;
- They added their Flying Blue membership number to the reservation after booking seats;
- They've made voluntary flight changes to their itinerary (including flight dates, inbound or outbound destination, or if their changed flight is operated by another airline.)
- Seat selection refunds for compassionate reasons follow ticket rules on compassionate refunds.
Kenya Airways values all our guests hence have customer friendly policies. Guests travelling with infants in the same booking (PNR) are exempted from seat selection charges.  They can request a bassinet seat which is allocated to the passenger with the infant attached to their booking.
Passenger with a confirmed SSR BSCT plus one accompanying passenger in the same booking is exempted from paying for any chargeable seats with allocated BSCT. However any more additional accompanying passengers travelling with an infant opting to seat next to each other on any of the chargeable seats will be subject to the respective seat charges.
It is important to note that we allow infants weighing less than 11kgs (25lbs) and are 26 inches in length to pre-seat on a bassinet seat. For infants weighing more than 11kgs (25lbs) and are more than 26 inches in length, reserve a “courtesy” seat next to assigned seat of the parent/guardian. This courtesy seat may be released when the flight is fully booked.
We will always aim to seat families with children together. If children travelling with adults wish to select seats before online check-in opens, they are subject to seat selection charges on preferred seats. Passengers below the age of 18 years who wish to select Extra Legroom seats at the exit row can’t be allowed for safety reasons. We will do our best to ensure Unaccompanied Minors are seated comfortably throughout their flight. We advise you not to pay for seat selection for Unaccompanied Minors, as suitable seats will be assigned by our check-in team free of charge.
Yes, each passenger is supposed to purchase their an Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection option for you to be able to seat together.
Special consideration can be made to families travelling together. Kindly contact the Kenya Airways Customer Excellence Center on +254 711024747 or visit any of the sales offices.
If you have made a group booking that includes ten or more passengers, you do not have to pay to select Standard or Regular seats. This is subject to availability. However, Economy Comfort, Extra Legroom, and Preferred Seats remain chargeable
If your itinerary includes connecting flights or stops where you leave the airport, you will be able to purchase an Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection for each flight leg of your journey. For example, on Johannesburg (JNB) – New York (JFK), you will need to pay for an Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection on the short haul from Johannesburg (JNB) – Nairobi (NBO) and also on the long haul from Nairobi (NBO) – New York (JFK).
If any of the flights in your itinerary has a technical stop where you do not leave the airport, you will be able to select only one Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection for all the flight legs sharing the same flight number. For example, if you are flying between Nairobi and Kigali on KQ442, your flight will stop in Bujumbura shortly. You only select your seat once for the entire journey between Nairobi and Kigali.
Depending on your fare type and aircraft configuration, you only pay for your seat selection for any sectors within your booking where you will be travelling in Economy Class. For example, if your outbound flight is booked on Best Buy and your inbound flight is booked on Economy Super Flex Fare, you’ll not pay for regular seat selection for both outbound flight and inbound flight. If you wish to choose an Economy Comfort, Super Economy, Extra Leg-Room, Preferred Seat or Standard Seat Selection either on your outbound flight or your inbound flight, charges will apply whether you’re travelling on a Best Buy Fare or Economy Super Flex fare.
These seat selection options are only available on Kenya Airways operated flights. If you’re travelling on a flight with one of our codeshare partner airlines, please check with the operating partner airline. If the operating airline in that case is Kenya Airways then this will only be purchased when the check-in window opens.
Economy Max
Need a little more legroom?
Select your Extra Legroom Seat today, available on all Kenya Airways operated aircrafts.
