Kenya Airways family, group and accessibility compensation
Kenya Airways flight compensation is normally calculated per eligible passenger, not per booking. A family of four on a protected Amsterdam-Nairobi cancellation can therefore have four separate EUR 600 claims, while hotel and meal reimbursement follows the family's actual reasonable spending. Children, infants, unaccompanied minors and travellers requiring assistance also need individual ticket and service records.
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:
Accessibility duties are separate from fixed delay compensation. Failure to provide a wheelchair does not automatically create EUR 600, but it can support its own complaint and can affect whether a denied boarding or missed flight was lawful.
Keep passenger rights separate
| Issue | How to calculate it |
|---|---|
| Fixed EU or UK disruption compensation | Per eligible passenger |
| Family hotel room and meals | Actual reasonable cost, without multiplying one invoice |
| Downgrade | Percentage of each passenger's affected sector price |
| Baggage | Montreal loss and limit per passenger |
| Accessibility failure | Remedy under the applicable accessibility law and proven loss |
One lead passenger can organise the file, but list every traveller, ticket number and requested amount.
Adults and children on a protected flight
EU261 and UK261 do not reduce fixed amounts for a child who holds an eligible ticket and confirmed reservation. A paid child fare on Paris-Nairobi can therefore carry the same EUR 600 as an adult when all delay or cancellation conditions are met.
An infant travelling free without a separate fare requires closer examination. EU261 excludes passengers travelling free or at a reduced fare not available to the public, while tickets issued under frequent-flyer and other commercial programmes remain included. Preserve the infant ticket, taxes and fare receipt rather than assuming eligibility from presence on the booking.
Compensation goes to each passenger as the rights holder. A parent or representative should identify authority to act for a child and provide payment details accepted for that claim.
Group bookings
For ten passengers under one group record, create an annex with names, 13-digit tickets, sectors, final arrival and individual totals. Do not submit only the organiser's invoice. Kenya Airways needs to confirm who actually travelled and who experienced the disruption.
If some passengers accept a voucher or alternative settlement, record it individually. One traveller's choice does not automatically bind everyone unless the representative had authority and the agreement says so.
Care costs should reflect reality. Two shared rooms are two room expenses, not ten hotel claims. Separate meals by person where receipts permit and explain a combined restaurant bill.
Families should be rerouted together
After cancellation or denied boarding, ask KQ to keep children, carers and people needing assistance with their companions. Identify the final ticketed destination and all protected connections. An automated reroute that divides a family across days may not be reasonable.
State ages and essential care arrangements without disclosing unnecessary medical detail. If one traveller must accompany a child or dependent adult, explain why separate alternatives do not solve the booking.
Kenya Airways says families can request special consideration for seating together. Seat selection is distinct from EU261 compensation, but a disruption that removes paid seats can support a refund of the unused ancillary service.
Unaccompanied minors
KQ currently describes its unaccompanied-minor service for children aged 5-14, with optional assistance for ages 15-17 on parental request. It accepts unaccompanied minors only on Kenya Airways-operated flights and says overnight connections are not permitted.
During disruption, obtain the name of the responsible KQ team, revised flight, supervision arrangements and confirmation to the designated pickup person. The child should not be placed on an overnight connection that conflicts with KQ's published service terms.
Fixed EU or UK compensation still depends on the route and ticket, not on age. Additional losses from failure of the paid supervision service should be documented separately.
Reduced mobility on EU departures
EU Regulation 1107/2006 provides free airport assistance for disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility. Advance notice at least 48 hours before the published departure helps airports deliver the requested service, but lack of notice does not permit them to make no reasonable effort.
EU261 also requires the operating airline to give priority to persons with reduced mobility and accompanying persons during disruption and to pay particular attention to their needs. On a Paris or Amsterdam departure, keep both the assistance request and KQ rerouting record.
A refusal of carriage must be based on a genuine safety requirement or aircraft limitation and should be explained. Disability alone is not overbooking. If KQ invokes safety, request the written reason and the applicable rule.
KQ's assistance procedures
Kenya Airways currently states that wheelchair service is free and asks passengers to contact its support channels for reservation. Its medical page uses a MEDIF process for specified medical conditions and equipment, with advance documentation requirements.
Ask KQ to add the correct Special Service Request code to the booking and send confirmation. Describe the assistance needed at departure, connection and arrival. A generic note such as "wheelchair" may not capture whether the passenger can use stairs, transfer independently or needs an aisle chair.
Keep approval for batteries, oxygen or medical equipment. Operational disruption should not erase the approved arrangement when KQ rebooks the passenger to another aircraft.
Flights to and from New York
The US Air Carrier Access Act and 14 CFR Part 382 apply to flights to or from the United States by foreign airlines, including relevant Kenya Airways services. They protect dignified assistance, mobility aids, seating accommodations and resolution of disability-related issues.
These protections can apply in both directions even though EU261 and UK261 normally do not cover KQ-operated New York-Nairobi or Nairobi-New York. Different legal tests can operate on the same booking.
Ask for a Complaints Resolution Official at the airport for a real-time US disability issue. Preserve any written safety explanation or mobility-aid damage report.
When assistance causes a missed flight
Record when the passenger arrived, where assistance was requested, when it appeared and whether gate staff knew the passenger was waiting. Obtain airport records where possible. The responsible airport body and airline can differ.
Under current law, do not describe every assistance failure as automatic EU261 cash compensation. Assess whether KQ separately cancelled, delayed or denied boarding on a protected journey, and pursue the accessibility breach under its own regulation.
If inadequate assistance causes a missed protected connection, final-delay facts and causation need individual legal review. The missed-connection guide provides the one-booking framework.
Evidence and submission
Keep every ticket, passenger age, fare receipt, assistance confirmation, medical clearance where relevant, seat payment, boarding pass, final arrival and expense receipt. For a group, use one index and separate passenger schedules.
Submit statutory disruption claims through the Kenya Airways compensation process. Send accessibility facts through KQ's feedback route and the relevant airport or enforcement body. Avoid placing sensitive medical records in a general compensation attachment unless necessary.
State which payment belongs to which traveller. A family claim is easier to audit when the total equals the sum of individual fixed amounts plus actual shared costs.
Worked family example
Two adults and two fare-paying children are denied boarding involuntarily from Heathrow to Nairobi and arrive the next day. Assuming valid documents, timely presentation and no lawful refusal ground, the starting UK261 claim is four times GBP 520. One family room, transfers and meals are added at actual cost rather than multiplied by four.
If a wheelchair user in the group was refused solely because assistance had not been transferred to the replacement booking, preserve the refusal explanation. The UK fixed claim and accessibility complaint address separate wrongdoing.
FAQ
Do children receive the same Kenya Airways compensation as adults?
Yes when they hold eligible tickets and the protected disruption conditions are met.
Does a free infant automatically qualify?
No. Preserve the infant ticket and fare because the free-ticket exclusion requires individual assessment.
Can one parent submit the whole family claim?
Yes with appropriate authority, but list each passenger, ticket and individual amount.
Is Kenya Airways wheelchair service free?
KQ currently states that wheelchair service is free; request and confirm the correct assistance before travel.
Does failed assistance automatically create EUR 600?
No. Accessibility remedies are separate; EUR 600 requires an independently qualifying EU261 disruption.