Kenya Airways compensation amounts: EUR, GBP, USD and proven loss
Kenya Airways fixed compensation is usually EUR 250-600 for a covered EU departure or GBP 220-520 for a covered UK departure. There is no universal KES payment for every delayed Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi. US law uses different refund and denied-boarding formulas, while the Montreal Convention addresses proven loss rather than paying a flat amount for inconvenience.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Start with the compensation calculator and identify the governing system. Selecting a currency before testing direction is the most common reason an apparently precise Kenya Airways claim is legally wrong.
The main Kenya Airways rights guide provides the eligibility test that must be satisfied before any amount is selected.
Amount table by legal system
| System | Event and band | Potential payment per passenger |
|---|---|---|
| EU261 | Up to 1,500 km | EUR 250 |
| EU261 | Relevant 1,500-3,500 km band | EUR 400 |
| EU261 | Other journeys over 3,500 km | EUR 600 |
| UK261 | Short distance | GBP 220 |
| UK261 | Medium distance | GBP 350 |
| UK261 | Long distance | GBP 520 |
| US oversales | Covered international departure from a US airport | 200% or 400% of one-way fare, subject to current USD caps |
| Montreal Convention | Proven passenger delay damage | Up to 6,303 SDR, subject to proof and defences |
The entries cannot be added merely because several systems are mentioned on a ticket. Choose the regime that applies to the event, then separate fixed compensation, reimbursement, care costs and proven damages.
When EUR 600 is realistic
Most direct Paris or Amsterdam journeys to Nairobi exceed 3,500 km. A Kenya Airways-operated outbound flight can therefore enter the EUR 600 band because it departs the EU, even though KQ is a Kenyan airline.
The standard amount still requires a qualifying event. For delay, final arrival normally must be at least three hours late. For cancellation, notice and replacement timing matter. For denied boarding, the passenger must have complied with presentation requirements and not volunteered.
Long-distance rerouting or delay can reduce EUR 600 to EUR 300 when arrival remains within the statutory reduction window. For delay, the familiar borderline is arrival between three and four hours late. Obtain exact door-opening records before accepting a reduction.
When GBP 520 is realistic
Kenya Airways flights from Heathrow or Gatwick can fall under UK261. A qualifying long-distance case can carry GBP 520. An arrival delay between three and four hours generally produces GBP 260 rather than the full figure.
The reverse Kenya Airways operation from Nairobi to London is normally not protected by UK261, because KQ is neither a UK nor EU carrier. Destination and passenger nationality do not repair that gap. A British Airways-operated arrival sold under a KQ code can require a different analysis because the operating carrier has changed.
See the UK departure guide for the direction test.
Why there is no automatic KES figure
Kenyan statutes and Kenya Airways' contract provide consumer, refund, rerouting and complaint avenues, but passengers should not invent a standard KES equivalent of EUR 600 for every Nairobi-origin delay. Kenya Airways' current Conditions of Carriage provide operational remedies and refer denied-boarding compensation to applicable law and a policy available on request.
A Competition Authority of Kenya determination concerning a particular involuntary boarding refusal ordered repayment and required KQ to inform passengers and remit appropriate compensation. That decision is useful evidence of enforcement, not a general tariff that fixes the same KES payment in unrelated cases.
For an international delay, the Montreal Convention can compensate provable financial damage up to 6,303 SDR. A missed prepaid night, necessary replacement transport or another documented loss may be relevant. Emotional frustration alone is not converted into the ceiling, and the maximum is not automatic.
US amounts on New York travel
US DOT rules do not pay a flat amount for every delay. They do require prompt refunds after cancellation or a defined significant change when the passenger rejects alternatives. For international travel, six hours earlier departure or later arrival can be significant, alongside airport changes, extra connections and downgrade.
Involuntary denied boarding on an international flight departing a US airport uses the one-way fare and replacement arrival:
| Arrival delay after bumping | Current formula |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | No statutory denied-boarding payment |
| 1-4 hours | 200% of one-way fare, capped at USD 1,075 |
| More than 4 hours or no substitute | 400% of one-way fare, capped at USD 2,150 |
Those caps reflect current DOT guidance dated September 2025. A Nairobi-to-New York departure is foreign-origin and does not gain the US oversales formula merely from its destination.
Calculate connected journeys correctly
Distance for EU261 or UK261 is not always the kilometres of the late sector. A continuous Amsterdam-Nairobi-Kigali booking can use the final destination at which disruption delays arrival. The applicable band must be calculated under the relevant rule rather than by adding each sector's mileage.
Example one: three passengers travel Paris-Nairobi-Mombasa on one reservation, arrive more than four hours late for an airline-controlled reason and satisfy all other EU261 conditions. A potential claim is 3 x EUR 600 = EUR 1,800.
Example two: two passengers fly Gatwick-Nairobi, arrive three hours 25 minutes late and qualify under UK261. The long-haul reduction can produce 2 x GBP 260 = GBP 520.
Example three: a passenger flies Nairobi-Paris on Kenya Airways and loses EUR 350 on a non-refundable onward service. EU261 is normally unavailable, but a documented Montreal Convention delay claim may be assessed. The EUR 350 is evidence of loss, not proof of liability.
Children, reward tickets and groups
Fixed EU and UK amounts are per eligible passenger. A child on a paid ticket is not assigned a lower percentage. A genuinely free infant without a reserved seat may fall outside the normal rule and needs ticket-specific review.
Award travel issued through a programme open to the public can qualify under EU261 or UK261. The number of Asante points used does not set the statutory amount. For a group, calculate each traveller separately and retain authority from adults if one person submits the case.
Do not multiply hotel expenses per passenger when one room or taxi was shared. Fixed sums are individual; reimbursements reflect the actual reasonable expenditure.
Keep every financial category separate
A usable demand can contain several rows:
- fixed compensation with system and amount per passenger;
- unused ticket reimbursement;
- food, room and transfer receipts;
- reasonable replacement transport;
- downgrade percentage or paid-upgrade refund;
- baggage loss under its own limit;
- proven Montreal passenger-delay damage.
A voucher for the ticket price should not silently settle the statutory amount. State the requested currency and payment method. EU261 allows a voucher for fixed compensation only with signed passenger agreement.
FAQ
Is every Kenya Airways long-haul delay worth EUR 600?
No. The journey needs EU261 coverage, a qualifying delay and no successful extraordinary-circumstances defence.
How much is Nairobi to London under UK261?
Usually zero under UK261 when Kenya Airways operates the standalone Nairobi departure, because KQ is a non-UK and non-EU carrier.
Is 6,303 SDR automatically paid for a delay?
No. It is the current Montreal passenger-delay liability ceiling, not a flat award; actual recoverable loss must be proved.
Does a child receive the same EU fixed amount?
Generally yes when the child travelled on an eligible paid ticket. Free infant arrangements require closer examination.
Can a ticket refund be added to compensation?
It can when the independent conditions for reimbursement and fixed compensation are both satisfied.