The Nairobi- New York direct flight was a huge boost to the Kenyan aviation industry after it's launch on October 28, 2018.
One of its selling points at the time was time effectiveness, cutting the trip to JFK International Airport in New York by at least six hours. It was also seen as a mechanism to foster trade and tourism between America and Africa being the fastest-ever connection between East Africa and America with a 15 hours duration eastbound and 14 hours westbound.
Unlike the other flights which involve several stopovers and take more hours, this is a 15-hour non-stop flight. However, the flight does not operate daily as earlier envisaged.
It happens three or four times a week with fewer passengers. This is because most passengers are jittery of the jet lag. Thus, they prefer flying to New York via stopover flights.
The long-haul flight entails 4 pilots, 12 flight attendants and 85 tons of fuel each way.
The flight has to wait until passengers are full board for Kenya Airways to avoid losses. Besides, over seven hours of the flight is above ocean waters where the climate keeps varying.
Perhaps, this is why most pilots and passengers do not prefer that route.