KUWAIT AIRWAYS CUSTOMER SERVICE PLAN
OVERVIEW
On every flight, our primary goal is to get our passengers to their destination in as safe and timely a manner as possible. We currently operate a fleet of 17 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. From our hub in Kuwait, we offer direct, connecting, and code share service to international destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States.
Pursuant to the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Enhanced Protections for Airline Passengers rule, we have developed a Customer Service Plan which covers all of our scheduled and charter flights to and from the United States. Our Customer Service Plan is detailed below, and also available on our website at
Kuwait Airways.
While serving our customers, we strive to provide exemplary customer service on each of our flights. In accordance with DOT's rule, our Customer Service Plan covers the following topics:
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Notifying customers of the lowest fares…………………………………………2
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Notifying customers of flight delays, cancellations, and diversions…………………2
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Delivering baggage on time………………………………………………………......2
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Allowing reservations to be kept and cancelled for a specific amount of time……………………3
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Providing passengers with prompt ticket refunds………………………………3
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Properly accommodating customers with disabilities and special needs.……………………3
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Properly accommodating customer needs during extraordinary delays……………………………4
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Oversales: Handling "bumped" passengers with fairness and consistency.………………………4
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Disclosing travel policies that may affect your travel………………………………4
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Notifying passengers of itinerary changes…………………………………………4
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Ensuring responsiveness to customer complaints…………………………………5
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Identifying the services we offer to mitigate passenger inconveniences during cancellations and diversions………………………………………………………5
OUR CUSTOMER COMMITMENT
Notifying Customers of the Lowest Fares
When a customer calls our reservation center, visits our website, or speaks to a representative at our ticket counter to inquire about a fare or to make a reservation, we will inform them that the lowest fare offered by us on a particular ticket may be available elsewhere if that is the case.
Notifying Customers of Flight Delays, Cancellations, and Diversions
For scheduled flights to or from the United States, we will notify passengers who hold tickets for a particular flight, as well as the general public, if the flight's status changes. A change in the flight's status is a cancellation, diversion, or delay of more than 30 minutes. We will notify passengers and the general public of any such changes within 30 minutes after we learn of the change. We will also provide frequent updates concerning additional changes if they occur. We will provide flight status information to passengers in the boarding gate area for the flight at a U.S. airport, on our website and telephone reservation system, and also when asked by any person.
To the extent that we offer a flight status notification service to which passengers subscribe, such as email or text alerts, we will notify customers of flight changes through any means available that a customer chooses. If such services exist, we will notify subscribers of any flight status changes within 30 minutes after we learn of the change.
Finally, to the extent that flight status displays or other sources of information are under our control at the U.S. airport where the flight has been delayed, cancelled, or diverted, we will use such displays to notify customers of flight changes. If the applicable display system is controlled by the airport, we will provide airport authorities with the necessary flight information.
Delivering Baggage on Time
Should your checked baggage not arrive at your destination when you do, we will make every reasonable effort to return your mishandled baggage within 24 hours. If you have expenses because of such delays and are eligible to receive compensation under applicable treaties, we will compensate you for reasonable and necessary expenses as required by such treaties.
If your baggage does not arrive with you, please notify a member of our staff before leaving the airport. This will provide us with information to help us locate your baggage and also allow us to explain the baggage recovery process to you. When your missing baggage is located we will return it to you at your local address. We will also fully reimburse any fee you paid to transport a bag if that bag is lost.
Allowing Reservations to be Kept and Cancelled within a Specific Time period
When you make a reservation with us, we will allow you to cancel your reservation without penalty within 24 hours, as long as you make the reservation at least one week prior to the flight's departure. This
only applies to customers travelling to and from USA.
Providing Passengers with Prompt Ticket Refunds
When refunds are due we will strive to provide passengers with eligible refunds in the time frames listed below. However, refunds cannot be processed until the passenger gives us all necessary information. Some tickets are not refundable. In certain circumstances like flight cancellations and oversales, we will refund fees charged to a passenger for optional services that the passenger was unable to use.
When a passenger purchases an eligible ticket in the United States using a credit card, we will provide necessary refunds within seven business days of our receipt of all required refund information from the passenger. (It may take credit card refunds multiple billing cycles to appear on your credit card statement. Please contact your credit card company to ensure the refund was properly processed.) Tickets purchased with cash or a check will be refunded within 20 business days of our receipt of all required information from the passenger.
Please call our Reservations department or visit our website for information on refunds for electronic tickets. All other refund requests should be sent to:
Kuwait State
Kuwait Airways IBE Refund Section
Phone:
00965-24345555/4401
Email:
ibe_refund@kuwaitairways.com
We cannot accommodate refund requests within the time frames listed above in certain circumstances such as lost ticket refunds, adjustment refunds, and refunds for tickets purchased outside the United States.
A request for refund by email to
usa_refund@kuwaitairways.com may be submitted under the following circumstances only:
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1) The reservation includes travel to or from the USA, and
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2) The reservation is made seven days or more, prior to the scheduled departure time from the point of origin, and
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3) The refund is being requested within 24 hours of the reservation being made
Refunds are not guaranteed. Once a USA trip refund request is received, Kuwait Airways will review the request. If the request meets the above mentioned conditions, Kuwait Airways will process the refund within 14 working days. Should the customer not qualify for a refund fee exemption, the refund, if applicable, will be processed as per the fare conditions.
For all other Cancellation/Refund enquiries, please contact the nearest
Kuwait Airways Office.
Properly Accommodating Customers with Disabilities and Special Needs
On covered flights, we will comply with all requirements of Part 382. Interested customers can obtain a copy of Part 382 from the DOT by any of the following means:
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For calls made from within the United States, by telephone via the Toll-Free Hotline for Air Travelers with Disabilities at 1–800–778–4838 (voice) or 1–800–455–9880 (TTY)
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By telephone to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 202–366–2220 (voice) or 202–366–0511 (TTY)
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By mail to:
Air Consumer Protection Division, C–75,
U.S. Department of Transportation,
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building,
Room W96–432,
Washington, DC 20590
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Properly Accommodating Customer Needs During Extraordinary Delays
Our primary goal on every flight is to transport our passengers to their respective destinations in as safe and timely a manner as possible. However, flights are sometimes delayed due to events outside of our control such as severe weather, air traffic control (ATC) delays, or government restrictions. When such circumstances cause our customers to experience lengthy tarmac delays, our "Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays" will be activated to ensure that our customers' needs are properly accommodated during the delay.
Our entire "Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays" can be viewed on our website at
Kuwait Airways.
Oversales: Handling "Bumped" Passengers with Fairness and Consistency
In the event that a flight is overbooked and more passengers with confirmed reservations are present at the gate for departure than can fit on the plane, we will request volunteers to give up their seat. Any passenger who chooses to volunteer will be compensated and also be booked on an upcoming flight. Sometimes we are not able to get enough volunteers and are forced to deny boarding involuntarily. In most cases, passengers who are involuntarily denied boarding on covered flights are entitled to compensation under United States law. We will, of course, treat passengers who are involuntarily "bumped" with fairness and consistency. If you have questions or would like additional information on our overbooking policies and the compensation mentioned above, please visit our Conditions of Carriage.
Disclosing Travel Policies that may Affect your Travel
If you have questions about our cancellation policies, aircraft seating configuration, and lavatory availability, please visit our website,
Kuwait Airways. This information is also available by contacting us in the United States at 1-201-582-9200.
Notifying Passengers of Itinerary Changes
Should your travel itinerary change, we will strive to notify you as quickly as possible. If you have a question about an upcoming flight, please call us in the United States at 1-201-582-9200.
Ensuring Responsiveness to Customer Complaints
Although we are committed to providing our customers with the best service possible, issues do arise. In such cases, we strive to address our customers' problems immediately. To that end, we have an employee solely responsible for monitoring flight delays, cancellations, and lengthy tarmac delays and determining how these events impact our passengers on an individual basis. This employee will have the ability to assist in determining which of our flights are ultimately cancelled or delayed when unforeseen circumstances arise.
If a passenger has an unsatisfactory experience on one of our flights or while interacting with one of our employees, they may file a formal complaint to our Customer Relations department. This department is dedicated to addressing complaints, comments, and concerns that are raised by our customers and will acknowledge in writing the receipt of each complaint regarding our scheduled passenger service within 30 days. If this initial communication does not fully address the concerns raised, we will send a substantive written response to the complainant within 60 days. We will personally read and acknowledge in writing every passenger complaint that is submitted.
Customer Relations can be reached immediately through an email or phone as below:
If you have questions about the process for filing complaints, please visit our website,
Kuwait Airways, where we have made available instructions for filing a customer complaint. Information on the customer complaint filing process is also available on each of our e-ticket confirmations and, upon request, at each ticket counter and boarding gate staffed by our employees.
Identifying the Services we Offer to Mitigate Passenger Inconveniences During Flight Cancellations and Diversions
When one of our flights is cancelled and you miss a connection, we offer various services to mitigate any inconvenience caused to you.
In the event of a cancellation or significant delay, we will do our best to reroute you on our next flight with available seats or on a flight with another carrier. Occasionally, one of our flights is forced to land at a different location than what was intended (i.e. because of severe weather or a medical emergency). We will try to inform you before departure if we believe such a diversion is possible. If the decision is made to divert after the aircraft is airborne, the flight crew will inform you. If your diverted flight is diverted and then cancelled, we will try to reroute you on another flight as soon as possible.
This Customer Service Plan does not create contractual or legal rights, nor legally bind Kuwait Airways for actions taken in conformance with this plan. Kuwait Airways' contractual rights and obligations are listed in the company's conditions of carriage and applicable tariffs. These resources provide customers with additional information on the matters discussed herein, and should be carefully reviewed to ensure that customers fully understand their rights and our obligations.
