Ethiopian Airlines

Customer Reviews

4 star Skytrax Rating
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Seat Comfort 12345
Staff Service 12345
Value for Money 12345
Customer rating from 591 reviews
5/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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8/10

"staff are gaining in confidence"

(Ireland)

Not Verified |   Our return from Africa. There was some confusion at Maputo concerning departure time & destination. It appeared that ET had combined two flights, so we went to Addis via Blantyre. The aircraft was a B737max replacing the advertised 787, so chosen seats were changed & were less comfortable. We were about an hour late arriving into Addis which caused passenger with tight connections much concern, however there were staff there to assist them. Addis was relatively uncrowded at around midnight. The A350 to London seemed very full, & moderately on time. Nice beds in Biz and a near silence led to a good sleep. Skipped dinner but breakfast was good. Cabin staff are gaining in confidence, especially on long haul
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteMaputo to Heathrow via Addis amAbaba
Date FlownNovember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"I still haven't received a response"

(Russian Federation)

Trip Verified | I use the airline's services all the time, but there was nothing like this before. On September 14-15, I flew on a flight from Moscow to Goma. I had 2 bags of luggage. In Goma, one bag with the most important things, hygiene supplies was lost. After that, I made a complaint and a waited 2 days. A number of goods that I was carrying were damaged. This can be confirmed by witnesses. No one called me that my luggage was found, I had to call myself and go to the airport twice. The bag was also damaged externally. I estimate my expenses for this and moral damage at $400. The airline's support does not work and responds to me. I left a complaint on the airline's website in early October, but I still haven't received a response.
AircraftBoeing 747
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMoscow to Goma
Date FlownSeptember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"flight were extremely cold"

(Belgium)

Trip Verified | Horrible airline. The staff can't smile or friendly ask you what you want to drink. It starts with the check-in which is chaotic. They have 4 groups but don't even respect it themselves. On board, plenty of overhead room. The IFE has a very basic selection of movies and TV shows, and not the latest ones. Most annoying was the fact that every show/movie automatically has Chinese subtitles, even if you don't like it. Food is basic but okay. Always choice between chicken and beef/fish. Drinks are given like twice a flight and if you call an attendant it takes a 5-10 minutes before they even give you a bit of attention (and not the happy one). The flight were extremely cold and anyway, you have to give back the blanket 30' before landing. Also Bole airport is not the cleanest airport.
AircraftBoeing 787 / 777
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCape Town to Brussels via Addis Ababa
Date FlownNovember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
8/10

"Nice flights, on time"

(Ireland)

Not Verified | Nice flights, on time and baggage got there too. The A350 is very good aircraft, smooth and quiet, ideal for a night flight. Biz was only half full. Catering was quite adequate but not exceptional, though the cheese board was good. Addis was slightly better than of late, and the biz security line was much appreciated. The 737 max second flight was totally full, but the biz seats large & comfortable. A good breakfast was served.
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon to Mombasa via Addis Ababa
Date FlownNovember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"wasting my money and time"

(United States)

Not Verified | Do not travel with this airline. They are terrible! This morning, I received an email informing me that my 11/26 flight is moved to 11/27. They do not offer ANYTHING to make up for THEIR MESS AND UNRELIABILITY. I have an Ivory Coast visa expiring on 11/26 which prevents me from overstaying on their territory. So basically, I am SCREWED. I have to cut my vacation short because of their nonsense. They are wasting my money and time! This is my first experience with this airline and I guarantee you this will be the last.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAbidjan to New York
Date FlownNovember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

“offered zero customer service”

(United States)

Trip Verified | We had two flights with Ethiopian Airways, 1. O’Hare to Addis Ababa and 2. Addis Ababa to Cape Town. Both flights we had a horrible experience. For the first flight the two of us initially purchased economy tickets but then upgraded to business class online for both passengers. At the check-in desk at O’Hare the workers informed us that 2 upgrades were placed under one name. They accused us of doing this and said our only options were for one of us to sit in economy or to pay the airport upgrade price, which was $500 more that what we paid for the online upgrade. After 20 minutes of arguing and speaking with a woman who identified herself as a supervisor, we surrendered and paid the airport upgrade fee so we did not miss our flight. Eventually I called and emailed Ethiopian Airlines and was refunded this. Why should customers have to fight for something we booked accurately AND paid for already? The online system couldn't have allowed me to do two upgrades on one person for one flight. It just is not possible. The second flight was the most jaw dropping events.....On 10/12 the plane flew from Cape Town from Addis Ababa relatively on time at around 1440. The captain announced overhead that we could not land because an aircraft on the runway had compromised the our ability to land (fuel or hydraulic fluid issue, which I learned several days later on my own). We flew around in circles for 45 minutes over Cape Town waiting for the runway to be cleared. The captain announced we would be landing in Cape Town shortly, workers were simply inspecting the runway to make sure conditions were optimal. Five minutes passed since the announcement and I noticed on the inflight 3D maps that the flight was rerouted heading north to Johannesburg. The captain did not inform us of this plan until 10 minutes after we were in route. How is this acceptable? What was supposed to be a 6 hour flight turned into TWO days of uncertainty, stress, no accommodations by Ethiopian Airways, and no guidance. Unexpected delays included; 45 minutes flying around Cape Town in attempts to land, a 120 minute unexpected flight to Johannesburg, 2.5hrs waiting on the plane in Johannesburg for a solution only to be told we needed to disembark, hours waiting to check into a hotel that was arranged by myself, TWO unplanned hotel nights in Johannesburg that were not compensated for, and a flight on 10/14 purchased by myself. Although this runway closure is not Ethiopian’s fault, the communication by Ethiopian was despicable. The were no instructions (hotel and future flight) or compensation given or even discussed. We were told we would be contacted via telephone for a future flight arrangement; however, two days later we heard nothing. In attempts to receive a departure flight out of Johannesburg, I called the customer service number 3 times; the evening of 10/12, the morning of 10/13, and the afternoon 10/13. On the morning of 10/13, I learned that the runway at CPT was open since it was noted on their social media. All customer service representatives said they had no information and we would be contacted. I gave up and purchased a flight to Cape Town with another airline. To this day and time we have not been contacted about a flight out of Johannesburg. Furthermore, while waiting on the plane for 2.5hrs in Johannesburg, the crew was far from apologetic and offered zero customer service.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAddis Ababa to Cape Town
Date FlownOctober 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"I would not recommend"

(South Africa)

Trip Verified | Plane from Milan to Addis was overcrowded with excessive amounts of hand luggage. The aircraft itself has not been maintained on the inside, MY ifE screen not working, some toilet not operational. None of our 4 flights departed on time with the third being so late that they had to delay our connecting flight without any effort to make up the time in the air. I would not recommend using this airline.
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMilano to Cape Town via Addis Ababa
Date FlownOctober 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"overpriced for what you get"

(Australia)

Not Verified | Worst flights ever. No ventilation above heads, we both came home unwell. Poor old movie with limited choice on small very old screens which my partners didn't work. Attendants didn't answer the call buttons and just switched them off. Food was awful. We flew from Ghana through Ethiopia and onto Singapore. Will never travel again as it is overpriced for what you get.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAccra to Singapore via Addis Ababa
Date FlownSeptember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"entertainment selection was dated"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | The first flight was reasonable with adequate legroom even for my 6' 2" tall husband and the food was ok. The entertainment selection was very dated with no new films and very poor music selection. The second flight was on an older plane with minimum leg room so very cramped and no seatback entertainment at all. The return flights were both A350 planes and on the first leg, when my meal tray was put on my tray table it slid off as the hinge was broken along with the seatback entertainment screen. The passenger information announcements were very difficult to hear and understand as they were spoken too quickly.
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteManchester to Dar Es Salaam via Addis Abba
Date FlownSeptember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
10/10

"Staff helpful as always"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Superb flight London to Addis Ababa overnight. Left stand at Heathrow exactly on time arrived Addis exactly on time. A350 is brilliant. Staff helpful as always. Pre ordered meals delivered efficiently. Look forward to trying the new Gatwick to Addis route next time.
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Addis Ababa
Date FlownSeptember 2023
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes