Nairobi airport closed
Aug 14, 2013, 1:43 pm
#76
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver, EK Silver, ABP ;)
Posts: 1,631
Aug 14, 2013, 1:56 pm
#77
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA GGLfL
Posts: 1,342
That part of the building is trashed. Period
Aug 15, 2013, 5:25 am
#79
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PARADISE
Programs: LOTS
Posts: 133
Interesting update by KAA. People shouldn't be having to use the tents for very much longer.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kenya...86852768072018
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kenya...86852768072018
Aug 16, 2013, 3:53 am
#81
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 3
The tale is recounted here:
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-ar...read.main?id=5
Fchan's stories appear to be contained within it, albeit they are two different incidents!!
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-ar...read.main?id=5
Fchan's stories appear to be contained within it, albeit they are two different incidents!!
The one in the Nairobi game park was actually a touch and go as they climbed away and landed at the correct airport shortly afterwards!! The tire marks on the Cheetahs playground were clearly visible!! Jimmy Nightingale was the F/O and handling pilot.
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/eastafrica/...20Airports.htm has lots of early pics of this airport and mentions this Comet incident.
It also has a picture of a Victor there and I remember in the 60s as a small child once seeing rows of V tails parked there.
Aug 19, 2013, 7:58 am
#82
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027
So arrived this morning on the BA61. I was in the last row of CW.
Disembarked down stairs, then boarded a coach, with lots of leg room.
Coach left fairly quickly (and was at least the second bus to leave), and went first to a drop off for transit passengers (international I assume), then onto a marquee. It wasn't overcrowded, like Heathrow buses can get, and plenty of seats in a 1-2 setup. About 5 people were standing when we left.
Joined the immigration queue, tables were available for those without landing forms, and there were about 5 people ahead of me. I chose the wrong one, as the next queue processed 3 people in the time mine processed 1.
Got to the front of the queue, handed over my passport, landing card, and visa application A4 piece of paper. Friendly agent, various tapping and scanning away, and then a photo (as my first trip to Kenya). Handed over my $50 bill (According to BA they also take Euro, GBP, and Swiss Franc, but I had plenty of dollars in my currency box).
Visa stuck in my passport, and stamped (stamp on the visa, so only 1 page used)
There's no cash machine airside, so make sure you have the cash before leaving heathrow.
There were desks behind the first line of passports, presumably to deal with difficult cases.
Walked through the tents, and into a door by a baggage carousel. Inside the building there were lots of suitcases all lined up, and people milling around. Had to wait for my suitcase to appear. All cases were being pulled off the carousel and stacked on the floor, as the conveyor would be far to small.
Eventually my bag appeared, collected, and walked through and onto the outside area. Taxi meeting point was 50 yards off to the left.
Total time from disembark to taxi was about 45 minutes. About 35 if I hadn't had hold baggage.
(Then took 2 hours to get into the centre of Nairobi)
Disembarked down stairs, then boarded a coach, with lots of leg room.
Coach left fairly quickly (and was at least the second bus to leave), and went first to a drop off for transit passengers (international I assume), then onto a marquee. It wasn't overcrowded, like Heathrow buses can get, and plenty of seats in a 1-2 setup. About 5 people were standing when we left.
Joined the immigration queue, tables were available for those without landing forms, and there were about 5 people ahead of me. I chose the wrong one, as the next queue processed 3 people in the time mine processed 1.
Got to the front of the queue, handed over my passport, landing card, and visa application A4 piece of paper. Friendly agent, various tapping and scanning away, and then a photo (as my first trip to Kenya). Handed over my $50 bill (According to BA they also take Euro, GBP, and Swiss Franc, but I had plenty of dollars in my currency box).
Visa stuck in my passport, and stamped (stamp on the visa, so only 1 page used)
There's no cash machine airside, so make sure you have the cash before leaving heathrow.
There were desks behind the first line of passports, presumably to deal with difficult cases.
Walked through the tents, and into a door by a baggage carousel. Inside the building there were lots of suitcases all lined up, and people milling around. Had to wait for my suitcase to appear. All cases were being pulled off the carousel and stacked on the floor, as the conveyor would be far to small.
Eventually my bag appeared, collected, and walked through and onto the outside area. Taxi meeting point was 50 yards off to the left.
Total time from disembark to taxi was about 45 minutes. About 35 if I hadn't had hold baggage.
(Then took 2 hours to get into the centre of Nairobi)
Aug 21, 2013, 5:23 am
#83
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PARADISE
Programs: LOTS
Posts: 133
Total time from disembark to taxi was about 45 minutes. About 35 if I hadn't had hold baggage.
Thanks for the detailed update.^
Aug 28, 2013, 3:58 pm
#84
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027
Witten on a tablet, so apologies
So i returned on ba64 last thursday
left the office near the fairmont at 9pmish, took 20 mins to get to the airport. Taxi driver didn't know where to go, normally he drops off at unit 1, ba leave from terminal 2, at least last week.
No tents involved on departures.
Entered the building about 2120, immediately through an X-ray/WTMD, which needed belts off but no laptops out.
There were 4 ba check in desks, the wt and CW ones were obvious, F checkin next to the cw one but grey rather than blue, so don't get stuck in a silver queue. Not that the queue was long (2 people). Desks took bags via conveyer belt.
Checked in by 2135. Was not offered a blue departure card, but spotted a fellow traveller with one, so got one from the desk.
I believe I was towards the end of checkin, as I believe the flight was leaving 2320 that night.
Queue for departures then began. This was a long queue, no fast track.. Chap in front was on an EK business ticket and had to queue.
I think the queue stopped due to computers breaking down, in the end it was 2240 by the time I got my exit stamp.
Then went through to real security, laptops out. No queue as the emigration queue was the bottleneck.
Went through, redressed and repacked. Was then in a tiny departure area. EK were boarding straight ahead on a bus, to the right was a caf. Ba was off to the left, just after toilets.
There was a metal detector and X-ray machine there, literally 10 metres from the previous one, and a larger area of seats beyond, all full.
However to enter this larger area, you needed to go through the metal detector and X-ray. They tried to get,e to take off my boots, which I ignored and just walked on through.
After this, you then hand your bp over, get beeped, then have a final manual bag search!
No facilities at this point, just a few chairs, all full and them some with a full 772.
No wifi on offer.
About t-30 we had a call for first and business passengers to board the first bus. No mention of golds and others. A large queue formed, with few going forward. General boarding was then announced.
Buses were not overloaded like at heathrow, plenty available.
Boarded into WTP, had OJ and water offered as per-takeoff drink ^
No mention of lack of lounge, no voucher for the cafe, ba checkin staff seemed rather unfriendly and certainly not apologetic about the situation.
Don't turn up early for the airport experience!!
So i returned on ba64 last thursday
left the office near the fairmont at 9pmish, took 20 mins to get to the airport. Taxi driver didn't know where to go, normally he drops off at unit 1, ba leave from terminal 2, at least last week.
No tents involved on departures.
Entered the building about 2120, immediately through an X-ray/WTMD, which needed belts off but no laptops out.
There were 4 ba check in desks, the wt and CW ones were obvious, F checkin next to the cw one but grey rather than blue, so don't get stuck in a silver queue. Not that the queue was long (2 people). Desks took bags via conveyer belt.
Checked in by 2135. Was not offered a blue departure card, but spotted a fellow traveller with one, so got one from the desk.
I believe I was towards the end of checkin, as I believe the flight was leaving 2320 that night.
Queue for departures then began. This was a long queue, no fast track.. Chap in front was on an EK business ticket and had to queue.
I think the queue stopped due to computers breaking down, in the end it was 2240 by the time I got my exit stamp.
Then went through to real security, laptops out. No queue as the emigration queue was the bottleneck.
Went through, redressed and repacked. Was then in a tiny departure area. EK were boarding straight ahead on a bus, to the right was a caf. Ba was off to the left, just after toilets.
There was a metal detector and X-ray machine there, literally 10 metres from the previous one, and a larger area of seats beyond, all full.
However to enter this larger area, you needed to go through the metal detector and X-ray. They tried to get,e to take off my boots, which I ignored and just walked on through.
After this, you then hand your bp over, get beeped, then have a final manual bag search!
No facilities at this point, just a few chairs, all full and them some with a full 772.
No wifi on offer.
About t-30 we had a call for first and business passengers to board the first bus. No mention of golds and others. A large queue formed, with few going forward. General boarding was then announced.
Buses were not overloaded like at heathrow, plenty available.
Boarded into WTP, had OJ and water offered as per-takeoff drink ^
No mention of lack of lounge, no voucher for the cafe, ba checkin staff seemed rather unfriendly and certainly not apologetic about the situation.
Don't turn up early for the airport experience!!
Aug 28, 2013, 11:48 pm
#85
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PARADISE
Programs: LOTS
Posts: 133
Thanks for taking the time to write your account of what sounds like a thoroughly miserable experience.
Re your comment that the BA staff weren't very friendly...........situation normal!
Hopefully by January things will have improved somewhat.
Re your comment that the BA staff weren't very friendly...........situation normal!
Hopefully by January things will have improved somewhat.
Aug 30, 2013, 6:45 am
#88
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: BA Silver; SPG Gold; UA; DL; AA
Posts: 207
I wouldn't be worrying about what it will be like in October, let alone January... things there are in great shape, at least for arrivals, and I will have a fresh departure report in a week.
Aug 30, 2013, 1:14 pm
#89
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: UK
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Spire, Marriott Titanium, BA Silver, FB Explorer
Posts: 995