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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1/10

"Addis Ababa airport very old"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | London to Harare via Addis Ababa with 3 adults, a child 7 years and a toddler 14 months. Addis Ababa airport very old and quite dirty, not enough seating considering it’s one of the main points for transferring passengers to the rest of world. A lot of the same shops not a good variety or choices. Not a lot of food shops, a lot of souvenir shops and very expensive too. Plane service from staff bad, I don’t know if it’s a culture thing but some staff no thank you or please. They tell you how it is, it’s like they had no customer service training what so ever. One even rolled her eyes at me! When I ask them for water or if they have food for my tod (of course I had some, but I did request when booking flight), they say I will check and never come back to me with an answer. Flight attendants talk across the aisles and passing food and drinks to each other, over passengers heads. Very unprofessional and disorganised. Food choices and quality was poor, I know being in economy doesn’t help but I’ve seen and tasted better. When they run out of one option they say to me beef? Instead of apologising for running out of options and offering me beef. What if I had said no? Entertainment wasn’t bad. Seating was quite spacious (comparing to Virgin Atlantic). Plane from London to Addis Ababa was quite new so felt clean. Addis Ababa onwards plane condition quite old and tattered.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Harare via Addis Ababa
Date FlownApril 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"the worst customer service"

(Saudi Arabia)

Trip Verified | Cape Town to Riyadh via Addis Ababa. I fly regularly with Ethiopian Airlines for reasons of trip time. The staff are very friendly but the airline has the worst customer service. The return leg of the flight Cape Town - Addis Ababa - Riyadh flight was changed in itinerary in 2017 so that the all of the connecting international flights from Addis to Riyadh are 20 minutes after landing. The connecting flight includes a bus transfer to Terminal 2 and then a bus transfer from terminal 2 to terminal 1 (no direct option). This transfer time takes on average 40 minutes from time of landing (I have done this flight for 4 years 4-6 times a year) this means that the airline sells transfer / connecting flights that are impossible to catch. The first time I was caught out on this trip I ended up spending 9 hours in terminal 1 (a terminal that is not fit for international travellers in terms of cleanliness and facilities). On this occasion I had to wait 5 hours before anyone could tell me that a replacement flight could be obtained and waited an additional 4 hours for the next flight. The next time I flew this route after seeking assurance from the customer services that I could make the connecting flight, I ended up staying 24 hours and it took more than 12 hours before any representative could tell me; 1 if i would be getting another flight and 2 in this case a hotel. The local representative took my passport and returned it 12 hours later. Even now, if I phone and speak to supervisors of the airline they assure me that a 20 minute stopover on an international flight is acceptable. This means anyone on this flight will need the pilot to land in excess of 1 hour early. This is the issue with flights - however the real tragedy and stunning lack of assistance comes when trying to redeem airmiles. Having tried for 5 hours once with online assistance and 5 phone calls to Ethiopia South Africa and Saudi local offices, the transaction was not able to complete without a visit to a local branch - thus 3 hours online 2 hours of telephone calls and 1 and a half hours of trip to local office to get a single return flight – 6 and a half hours of time including lost working time. On a trip to South Africa in January this year I tried to upgrade my ticket to business class. This could not be achieved online so after 2 hours on the phone the assistant could not take payment of any of my credit cards. This left me with no option but to travel into central Cape Town to pay. On a separate occasion in the beginning of 2017 I received a (false) email message on a Saturday that my return flight to Saudi Arabia was being brought forward by 1 day. After 3 hours attempting to contact Ethiopian airlines locally and internationally (no answer local or on the international toll number) and a trip to the airport we found out the email was incorrect. I am not joking when I say that the list goes on. But systems that don’t work, false instructions impossible connections and lack of ability to contact or get assistance, staff not picking up telephones, local toll free numbers that do not work etc. mean that this airline is a disaster for the traveller.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCape Town to Riyadh via Addis Ababa
Date FlownJanuary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"the airport was dirty"

(Rwanda)

Trip Verified | Kigali to London via Addis Ababa. I will never fly Ethiopian airlines again. The worst service I have ever experienced, the airport was dirty, credit card machines were broken both times I was there, the bathrooms were overcrowded, and the staff were outright rude to passengers. I thought the cheaper price would be worth it, but now I know to pay slightly more and travel with another airline.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteKigali to London via Addis Ababa
Date FlownApril 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"traveling alone with a baby"

(Kenya)

Trip Verified | Tel Aviv to Nairobi via Addis Ababa. I was traveling alone with my 3 month old. At check in in Tel Aviv I requested to be given a seat on the 11th row (first row in economy) so that I could get a baby bed. 11th row is usually the first in economy for the Ethiopian Airlines flights I took. The check in woman told me the row was on an exit so she couldn't. So I asked for a window seat & she said all were booked. I was placed on row 12 in the middle column. When we boarded, I noticed there was no one on the seats on row 11 ahead of me. The row wasn't on an exit either and the other row 11 seats on the right and left were occupied each by a family with 2 kids each. Also, there were several unoccupied window seats. I checked in 3hrs before the flight & usually those travelling with infants & toddlers have to do a physical check in, not online. I was the only person traveling alone with a baby and mine was the youngest infant. I should have at least gotten some consideration if not first priority.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteTel Aviv to Nairobi via Addis Ababa
Date FlownApril 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
9/10

"definitely fly Ethiopian again"

(Thailand)

Trip Verified | Bangkok to Kiliminjaro via Addis Ababa Outbound flight to JRO via ADD and inbound to BKK via ADD were very smooth and on time. The cabin on the Boeing 787 is large, big windows and air humidity control, comfortable seats brightly colored in green upholstery all make for a pleasant journey. Even in economy class I received a travel kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, socks and a really useful eye-mask that actually helped me get to sleep and stay asleep. Food was served twice on the red-eye between BKK and ADD. I declined the first meal to sleep instead, but breakfast was acceptable with juices and hot coffee served. The terminal at ADD is a bit chaotic but was able to find restrooms, then a cafe with reasonably priced food and free wifi between flights. There are no lounges accessible with Priority Pass. Aside from Cloud 9 or Star Alliance lounges there are some open free areas with lounge beds that allow you to fully lie down and rest. Lunch between ADD and JRO, on an A330 this time, was tasty and went down well with red wine. Return flights were about the same in terms of food and flight comfort, and both legs were on the Dreamliner. Excellent IFE on the Dreamliner, plenty of choices of movies, documentaries and TV series. Service on all legs was good but FAs could have brought around liquid refreshments more often to keep us better hydrated. Great value for money and would definitely fly Ethiopian again on this route.
AircraftBoeing 787-8, A330
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBangkok to Kiliminjaro via Addis Ababa
Date FlownFebruary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
9/10

"nice, helpful and understanding"

(Canada)

Trip Verified | I was sceptical about booking Ethiopian Airlines because of the reviews I had read in the past. However, I decided to try them and see for myself. The flight was from Lagos, Nigeria to Toronto, Canada. I can testify that it was a wonderful experience. From the hostesses to the pilots, they were courteous! I travelled with my family and my toddler which was a handful. The hostesses were so nice, helpful and understanding! There was also entertainment kits for kids. They were always checking up on us to see if we needed anything. I am going to fly Ethiopian Airlines again and I recommend them to others.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLagos to Toronto
Date FlownFebruary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"no offers for compensation"

(South Africa)

Trip Verified | I booked return ticket from Cape Town to Dubai via Addis Ababa. When I was supposed to return to Cape Town on 4th February, there was a whole mess with misconnection, because the Dubai to Addis (ET601) was delayed and late. The connection time was too short, and on the flight, the flight attendants promised is that they made contact with Addis Ababa airport control room and that the Addis to Cape Town flight (ET 847) would wait for us. When we got to Addis Ababa, the flight ET847 already departed. We were booked into a terrible hotel. No apologies, no offers for compensation or upgrades. The attitude was, this happened and there is nothing we can do about it.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteDubai to Cape Town via Addis Ababa
Date FlownFebruary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
9/10

"flight was punctual, service excellent"

(Israel)

Trip Verified | In course of 12 days in January I flew 4 sectors with Ethiopian Airlines, Tel-Aviv to Addis, Addis to Nairobi and the same return. In each instance the flight was punctual, service excellent, food good and baggage successfully transferred at Addis. Certainly Bole International Airport at Addis is a confusing building, not my favourite place to transfer but once you know your way around it is tolerable. I have no hesitation in recommending Ethiopian Airlines as an excellent choice for travel.
AircraftBoeing 737-800
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteNairobi to Tel-Aviv. via Addis Abbaba
Date FlownJanuary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
9/10

"no hesitation in recommending"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | London to Zanzibar via Addis Ababa. My wife and I have travelled from UK to Zanzibar, typically once a year since 2001 and have just made our 17th such round trip, and for a second time with Ethiopian Airlines through Addis Abba. The service we received on all four legs was excellent with new A350 aircraft on all but ADD - ZNZ which was a Boeing 787-8, that although it was beginning to look a little tired in places, was nevertheless a great aircraft to fly on. However the A350 is even better and noticably quieter especially when climbing after takeoff. Our four flights took off on time and arrived either on time or early. The standard service in Economy was both efficient and courteous, and could put other better known airlines covering the same destination via the Middle East that we have used, to shame. The food and beverage offer was better than one often finds on long haul economy and was served with charm by attentive cabin crews that clearly they wanted to be of service. As one might expect on the such a modern fleet of aircraft, the touch-screen in-flight entertainment worked well, was intuitive to use, and offered an excellent range of films and audio. Ingeniously, some days before departure Ethiopian Airlines invited on line bids to upgrade to "Cloud 9" business class on each leg, and we made an "offer" for the upgrade on the final ADD-LHR leg which was accepted. This gave us access to the comfortable "Cloud 9" lounge for the 5 hour layover between flights on the return which was very welcome. At some 7800ft above sea level, Addis Abba airport is in fact a very acceptable airport hub, though without the glitz and resultant high prices often found. An unusual and welcome feature are the various "quiet" areas around the terminal to while-away time between flights that have chaise-longue to stretch out full length on, as well as more conventional seats It is perhaps unusual to experience an airline's "economy" and "business" class offerings back to back on similar A350 aircraft, but we can confirm that "Cloud 9" compares very well with other long haul airlines that we have used previously. Based on our experience we would have no hesitation in recommending Ethiopian Airlines as an effective way to reach the increasingly popular holiday destination of Zanzibar from the UK and would expect to use them again for our next trip there.
AircraftA350 / Boeing 787-8
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Zanzibar via Addis Ababa
Date FlownJanuary 2018
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"ignored requests to compensate expenses"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | Booked flights from Brussels to Seychelles with Ethiopian Airlines last year. Paid in full and received tickets, but month after this airline contacted me and told that they made a mistake with the tickets and I need to pay nearly half of what I have already paid if I want to have my tickets (govt taxes), otherwise they will be cancelled. I found out that Ethiopian Airlines breached IATA rules and issued tickets on Air Seychelles ticket stock. So about two months after they were issued, my tickets were cancelled and airline ignored all my requests to compensate expenses for already made travel arrangements. Facebook negatives comments were deleted by the airline straight away. They don't even know what good customer service means.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBrussels to Seychelles via Vienna
Date FlownJuly 2017
Value For Money 12345
no