British Airways, Virgin Atlantic now charging half of KQ fares

Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have slashed their fares between London and Nairobi and both are now often half the price of equivalent Kenya Airways tickets.

Economy tickets between the two capitals can now be bought for as little as $318 each way, with even Premium economy fares on Virgin Atlantic going for around $1,163 return.

These prices are at levels not seen for a decade and are a response to plunging demand for air travel worldwide.

Flights to Dar es Salaam are also available with British Airways for as little as $372 each way, while flights to Addis Ababa are available for around $527 each way.

Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are offering the bargain fares to a number of African destinations as well as to the United States, Asia and Australia.

Searching the websites of the two companies reveals the bargains that can be had.

For example, a family wanting to take advantage of the half-term holidays in the UK in February could fly out to Nairobi on British Airways on Sunday, February 15 for $318 per person both ways with a return flight the following Sunday. An equivalent flight on Kenya Airways would cost nearly double — $612.

Virgin and BA are effectively engaged in a massive price war with other international carriers with some major airlines slashing their fares to their lowest levels since the 1980s.

Leading carriers have been forced to cut prices by up to 25 per cent amid fears that the economic downturn will lead to a post-Christmas slump.

British Airways announced its New Year sale with flights to more than 75 destinations coming down in price.

A return flight to New York is now just $401. Virgin Atlantic hit back by undercutting BA by $1.5 on fares to destinations including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Return tickets to India have also gone down hugely following last month’s terror attacks in Mumbai.

BA has reduced prices to Delhi by $188 to $556, Mumbai by $141 to $510 and Calcutta by $110 to $556. Big foreign carriers operating out of Britain, including Lufthansa and Emirates, are also reducing prices.

Richard Tams of BA said: “We know from research that customers still rate their annual holiday as extremely important even in these difficult economic times, but obviously they want to make the absolute most of their money and this is a great time for them to do just that.”

Airlines have been hit hard by the economic downturn.