Uganda Airlines (UA) is a newbie in one of the most sophisticated industries in the world. This means that it has to compete with some of the most industrious companies one can imagine which is a factor that can tempt one to easily write off the national carrier of the Pearl of Africa.
But don’t be so quick because there is a lot that the airline has to offer some of which rank up there on the list of things that one looks out for in an air company when choosing to fly with them that you might very well be surprised by their details.
For instance, between 2021 and 2023, UA was recognized as having the youngest fleet (a fact that lessens the possibility of mechanical breakdown) by bodies as prestigious as Switzerland’s Ch-Aviation. This article then will be exploring several more of such upsides.
In compiling the details herein, I relied on reporting by reputable institutions as well as firsthand reviews from people that have traveled with the company’s planes. To be sure, not everything is alright so I will let you know what the limitations are as well so you can make up your mind.
What is Uganda Airlines?
Before we get into the depth of what to expect from UA, let us understand the company itself first. Incorporated as Uganda National Airlines Company, the flier first came into existence in January 2018, and following several foundational operations, it began flying in August the following year. So it has been five years or so.
During this time, UA has managed to gain accreditation in at least nineteen countries the most recent one being Britain for which the first flight from Kampala to London was in May this year. The other countries are; China, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda etc.
UA’s hub is what also doubles at its country’s only international airport i.e. Entebbe. As for the fleet, there seven aeroplanes in total; Wide body A330-800neos (two), Bombardier CRJ-900s (Bombardier CRJ-900s), and A320 (one).
Why you should fly Uganda Airlines
Comfort
A330-800neo is part of the latest long-haul planes released by Airbus so it is a modern machine in all senses of the word. As such, it optimizes for the features that have come to be understood as key for passenger comfort in aviation overtime.
When it comes to the seats in the economy class for instance, they have ample leg room and they can incline to rather unprecedented degrees. And of course, they come with entertainment locked to them. As for the business class people, they have flat beds to themselves and a place for storage of individual belongings.
The aeration is perfect too. The plane’s advanced system keeps on refreshing the cabin with new air thereby avoiding an atmosphere of stuffiness.
The sum of all this is that you will arrive to your destination as well rested as it can get amidst travel.
Direct flights to Kampala from other parts of the world
True, you will fly straight to Entebbe from several cities in the world on a number of planes but then you cannot always be sure. In majority of the cases, this happens because Uganda is the most efficient route from which to connect to the final destination.
This means that should that seize to be the case, then you would have to put up with the chaos of off-boarding and boarding planes again. In the worst of cases, routes get completely cancelled like British Airways did not so long ago.
This can mess you up big time especially if you happen to be a frequent flier whose schedule has come to be tailored around a particular airline’s flight.
While market forces can affect UA as well, it is more likely to be the most resilient company on this question since Entebbe is its operating hub meaning that it always comes first in their considerations. Moreover, as intimated on earlier, the journeys for direct routes are only increasing.
Affordable Prices
UA is undoubtedly one of the cheapest carriers out there. For its Entebbe-Gatwick route for instance, passengers are charged between $700-800 as opposed to the $1,000-1,200 that most of the other planes charge– if not more.
One of the reasons for this is that being a new initiative, UA is trying to attract customers which is an opportunity that you can take advantage of. Another very easy to forget factor however, is the fact that being that its fleet is new, the planes that it operates run on new and therefore more efficient technology.
This means that they don’t consume as much fuel for example. This gives Uganda Airlines a window to work with the prices that it is charging.
On top of this, Uganda Airlines has the “Crane Flyer Program” which is its way of rewarding customers that continue to support it. The way it works is that once you have registered yourself for the program, UA will take note of every time you travel with them or their partner airlines and accordingly award you points.
Once you’ve travelled up to a specified mark, you become eligible for a number of rewards including sits upgrades, free flights to choice destinations (both on the continent and outside it), ticket discounts etc. What is more, is that your points remain intact so long as you participate in an activity that qualifies you to earn points every two years.
Professionalism
The airline employs very professional staff. Not only because they are trained but also because they get it. The hosts and hostesses do not just smile plastically for instance. Instead, they are genuinely warm and welcoming.
They will eagerly help you settle in before take-off and when that part is catered for, they will go about duties like serving food diligently. And where inquiries arise, they will happily hear you out and take care of them.
This is extends to the areas of plane travel that sometimes go neglected and yet make a lasting impression on customers. The toilets for example, are very clean and stocked, the blankets “super soft” (as one reviewer put it), and the headphones actually work. You will be handed eye masks too, socks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
If this was a first impression of what Uganda was like for someone getting to know about the country for the first time, then it would be a perfect one.
Moreover, the airline understands this well so they will play for you a well curated video showcasing the beauties of the country including mountains, wild animals, and cultural traditions with a voice-over by the leader of one of the native traditional Kingdoms (Toro).
Saving time for International Travellers
Uganda Airlines has made several options possible even for people that are not coming to Kampala thereby helping them save hours and hours that they would have otherwise spent on flights that connect to different places first before heading to their cities.
Given the huge abilities of its fleet thus, the planes that cover Southern Africa-East Africa routes do not have to make lots of stopovers for fuel– they just make one.
This particular allowance has greatly benefited folks who are flying in or out of Kigali, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam etc. Those moving between West Africa and South Africa have as a result greatly benefited from UA as they don’t have to go via airports in Europe and the Middle East first.
Importantly, the places that they avoid here are so busy meaning that switching from plane to plane would have been further exacerbated there.
And then there is the speed at which the UA planes travel. It is fast enough that many people that have used it attest to arriving to their destinations on time including in instances where the flight took off later than it had been scheduled. Again, this owes to the fact that the Uganda Airlines fleet is very new and therefore in good mechanical condition.
Environmental consciousness
A big big moral dilemma for everyone who travels by air is the exacerbation of environmental challenges by the industry as it is common knowledge that it is high up on the list of things that are derailing green progress. On the other hand, the world has become too global for anyone to simply sit back until a model that is compatible with the first objective has been forged.
That said, there are efforts on already to weigh in on these challenges even when they are not yet 100% clean. This what UA taps into with its aeroplanes. Some use Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines which emit far fewer volumes of carbon in contrast to the engines that run majority of the air birds in the world.
There is no better time to walk the talk for the folks that have always wanted to do something about the environment. Think of it as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone for as we shared already, UA is a pretty good package on its own.
It is important to note too that it has become a common practice in the environment conscious age for customers to drive the direction in which producers of commodities move by deliberately supporting their competitors who are acting in line with this cause. UA then is just one other case for us to extend this mentality.
Food
UA food at its best redefines the whole notion of what we eat on planes. We all have grown into the thinking that in order to minimize spillage what we take in is supposed to be dry and often snack like. This comes at the cost of being satisfied and certainly hunger does not help things on a long distance.
Uganda Airlines has in its case dared to reimagine things to cover for this deficit. The foods served on the planes thus often include; rice, salad, sweet potatoes, matooke, and even meat with soup! As far as I can tell, the experiment seems to be working well as I have not seen anyone criticize it. To the contrary, people love it.
As you can tell, the selection is emblematic of the local experience thereby extending the theme of Ugandaness. But that is not all, cake and coffee are part of the course.
The taste of the meals is equally remarkable; moist cake, well-flavoured cake, warm food etc.
A blessing in disguise
While what I am about to share is not something that the company itself will be proud of, it is still to a great benefit of the passenger for the time that it stays.
I am talking about the fact that because UA is a company that is just getting on its feet, it tends to have a minimal following and so on most occasions, the planes’ cabins are never full. As we hope that things get better, here is how you can leverage the current moment.
- Last minute booking: If something comes up and you need to connect somewhere urgently, then checkout UA flights. They will very likely have seats sometimes at a discounted rate too.
- Stress free airport movement: Again, because the passengers are not many, you will pretty much have a smooth ride in otherwise congested airports since there will not be long lines to stand in and wait. If you have travelled a couple of times, I am sure you appreciate just what a relief this can be considering the exhaustion that moving long distances across contradicting time zones can be.
- Extra comfort: When on the inside, it is not uncommon to be the only person in three seats. If you are a loner, then you can use the space to whatever it is that you like. And let’s face it, everyone will have a time where they feel like sleeping on long journeys. Another very good way to work with this gap is if you are a person with disability or moving with a patient.
- More Luggage: Fewer people on board also means that there is more room for people to carry stuff. If you are traveling heavy, you know what to do. Some passengers have mentioned everyone on board being allowed the option of three bags.
The downside
And now, to the stuff that does not look so good with the carrier;
Communication
There have been several people that have complained about the communication protocols of the airline not being so good. Of course, this is a big problem considering just how much it can jeopardise people’s related logistical plans.
If one does not know in time that there will be a flight delay and they go ahead to book transport in the country they are headed only for them not to show up, a fine will still be met on them. Unfortunately, this is not a hypothetical but experiences of people that have flown with UA.
There have also been complaints of switching seats with no explanation or apologies being offered in the aftermath. This might look like a simple thing but if a person booked a front seat because of leg issues, the change may mean the difference between pain and delight during the time of the flight.
Dilapidated operating sections
There has been questions too about the places where passengers are meant to catch UA airlines for some airports. Reviewing section 25 at Gatwick thus, one passenger had this to say; “toilets were filthy dirty, and the floor seemed neglected for ages…”
This seems to be a direct result of the fact that the airline is just starting and so, it does not have the resources to afford better facilities. If one can be patient though, this would be compensated with the experience on the inside.
I’m an aeronautical engineer (B1.1 License), a fan of travel, technology, and entrepreneurship. I’m also interested in writing and programming.