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 612 reviews
5/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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4/10

“didn’t like the flight or the service”

(Poland)

Trip Verified | The staff had a rather average attitude. They were not amiable at all and seemed too busy to be attentive. I did not like their approach, and I did not feel special. The food was good, but the internet didn’t work. A flight attendant gave me another passenger’s login, but it still didn’t work. After landing, the flight attendants didn’t say goodbye to us and weren’t present at the doors. In general, I didn’t like the flight or the service.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteHong Kong to Bangkok
Date FlownAugust 2024
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

“appalling customer service experience”

(United States)

Not Verified | Stranded, Ignored, and Betrayed: Ethiopian Airlines’ Customer Service Nightmare, Why This Airline Is the Last Choice You Should Make for Your Holiday Travel. Imagine standing at an airport, anxiously awaiting a call from a loved one who is finally coming home—suddenly, your phone rings—they are panicked, telling you they have been denied boarding. No explanation. No warning. Nothing. This happened to my elderly mother, a woman in her 80s with limited mobility, who Ethiopian Airlines inexplicably refused to board her long-awaited flight from Accra to Atlanta on August 17, 2024. A nightmare followed: an appalling customer service experience that left her stranded in Ghana while the airline ignored our pleas. If you are considering Ethiopian Airlines, especially for the holiday season, heed this warning: their customer service ranks among the worst in the industry. They operate with no accountability, no empathy, and no respect for the people who trust them. The Shocking Refusal: Abandoning an Elderly Passenger My mother had been planning her visit to the U.S. for months. We booked her Ethiopian Airlines flight, code CFNFQS, scheduled for August 17th, and even arranged for their “Meet and Assist” service, designed to offer wheelchair assistance and attentive care for elderly passengers. Every detail was prepared, every arrangement secured—or so we thought. But when she arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ethiopian Airlines’ supervisor, (Edward A. Parker), blocked her from boarding. His vague reasoning? “Medical reasons”. However, he never explained further, nor did he provide any documentation or reach out to the family member who booked her ticket. The airline’s silence was chilling. Ethiopian Airlines had both my contact information and the option to explain why a paying, elderly customer with limited mobility was suddenly unfit to board. Yet they did nothing. No call, no email, no apology. Their complete disregard for my mother’s distress in Ghana went beyond poor customer service. It was inhumane. Desperate for Answers: Two Months of Silence In the aftermath, I contacted Ethiopian Airlines repeatedly, reaching out through every possible channel: emails to their CEO, messages to customer service, and calls to their Accra airport management. Surely, I thought, they would want to address such an egregious oversight. I was wrong. Weeks turned into months without a single response. The silence was deafening. Initially, I connected with Mrs. Meron Masresha, the Team Leader at Ethiopian Airlines' Global Customer Interaction Center at Bole International Airport. She forwarded my complaint to Mr. Abiy Solomon, the Accra Airport Services Manager, who even requested my nephew’s contact details to discuss the incident directly. After I provided them, Ethiopian Airlines vanished once again—no follow-up, no email, no acknowledgment. It was as though my mother’s traumatic experience did not exist. A Blatant Breach of Trust This debacle extended beyond a simple inconvenience; it shattered the very foundation of trust. Ethiopian Airlines’ refusal to respond or provide even basic compensation reveals their blatant disregard for their customers. Their policies state that denied boarding compensation applies when a passenger meets all check-in requirements and is refused boarding for reasons beyond their control. My mother fulfilled every requirement, yet received no compensation, no refund, and no answers.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAccra to Atlanta via Bole
Date FlownAugust 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
10/10

"appreciative of his persistence"

(United States)

Not Verified | Because of a very tight connection on our return we had a feeling we might struggle with our luggage arriving on time. None of our bags arrived in Chicago, three were returned to us within 2 days and the 3rd was lost for 3 weeks. While this was inconvenient and frustrating, I am incredibly grateful for the help of customer service agent Frew. He worked very closely with me for those three weeks keeping me posted as best he could on the whereabouts of my suitcase, which we learned had been misdirected. Just when I thought I'd lost my bag forever, Frew called to tell me it'd been found. I am appreciative of his persistence to my case and was overjoyed to reunite with my luggage. He remained optimistic and focused, which helped me to stay calm about this situation.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteChicago to Johannesburg via Addis Ababa
Date FlownSeptember 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"the most terrible company"

(Netherlands)

Not Verified | I started my trip at Antananarivo to Brussels, with a stop in Addis Ababa. At the airport of Antananarivo they could not give me a boarding card for the flight from Addis Ababa to Brussels. They told me to get a boarding card at Addis Ababa airport, but they checked in my luggage to Brussels. At Addis Ababa airport there were many people with problems as I had to wait for 2 hours at the customer service desk. They gave me a stand by ticket and said it would be no problem to get a seat, this was lie number 1. On the boarding card gate A10 was mentioned while on the screens B5 would be the gate to board for the flight ET730. I have asked customer service several times what the correct gate would be. They kept saying the correct gate was A10, even when boarding already started at B7, which was mentioned nowhere and was not on the screens, not even on the screen of gate B7, this was lie number 3. All customers with a stand by ticket, had to wait. Then they closed the door and the plane left without many standby by ticket travellers. Our seats were not secured, the plane was overbooked. After the plane left a supervisor promised us he would take care of an alternative flight, our luggage, compensation, and a place to sleep. Then he ran off and did nothing for us. According to the policy of Ethiopian Airlines they should offer us a hotel to stay. After a few hours I finally managed to get a boarding pass for a flight one day later. I had to spend the night and day at the airport, got no food or drinks, nothing. Ethiopian Airlines is by far the most terrible company I have had a flight with, or actually no flight with. The personnel are extremely rude and keep lying.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAntananarivo to Brussels via Addis Ababa
Date FlownAugust 2024
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
10/10

“staff very welcoming and supportive”

(Germany)

Not Verified | As disclaimer, I am a big fan of Ethiopian Airlines. They have such an amazing route network, and I just like the spirit onboard. On this trip, I once again was very happy with my choice. Here is why: The ticket fare was decent (and way cheaper than a major competitor), the flight times are just perfect (but I can easily sleep in planes), I liked the food and beverage service (incl. Habesha beer), the staff is very welcoming and supportive, and the coffee stop-over in Addis priceless. As an added (and very smart) bonus a free train ticket is included, so no need for silly short-distance flights to reach Frankfurt. OK, in-flight entertainment is just ok-ish, but I couldn't care less. I do look forward to my next trip with this airline.
AircraftA350
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLibreville to Frankfurt via Addis Ababa
Date FlownJuly 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
3/10

"airline is NEVER on time"

(Australia)

Not Verified | This airline is NEVER on time. Sadly there is no other choice to fly within the country and why they do not care for keeping to schedules. I have had bags not loaded on another trip with 2 hours sitting on the runway in Addis. They never give passengers any information about what is happening. Really bad customer service and not a good airline. Thankfully the in staff are lovely but don't fly with them if you are help it
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteHarar to Addis Ababa
Date FlownAugust 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

“did not load my luggage”

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | They did not load my luggage despite getting to the airport 3 hours before travel time. I got to Nairobi and my Luggage was on its way to Addis but only got it 3 days later.
AircraftBoeing 737
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypePremium Economy
RouteLondon to Nairobi via Addis Ababa
Date FlownJuly 2024
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

"they won't respond"

(South Africa)

Trip Verified | On their website they claim excellent customer service, daily updates on lost luggage and USD 100 compensation. I have received none of the above. 76 hours after landing, nothing. Don't bother to email, they won't respond. On a much smaller note, don't bother to pay extra for a special meal, mine wasn't booked.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCape Town to Gatwick via Addis Ababa
Date FlownJuly 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"the luggage was never loaded"

(Singapore)

Trip Verified | Our flight ET629 was delayed by over 5 hours owing to bad weather, resulting in our missed connection to Kigali. To cut a long story short, it was a nightmare to get ourselves on the next available flight. They had inexplicably put us on the following morning’s flight which would have meant that we missed 2 days of our tour instead of 1. They had the audacity initially to ask for additional payment of USD250 each for the earlier flight when we were prepared to downgrade from business to economy!. It was only with the intervention of 1 kind staff in ADD airport, that we managed ultimately to get on the next flight to Kigali. Arriving well past mid-night, we had a rude shock when we realised our luggage did not make it. This despite our conscientious checks at every leg of the travel with the ET staff. Every single one claimed that our luggage was loaded. It turned out that either every single one lied or the system was wrong. Through Star Alliance, we subsequently realised the luggage was never loaded in the first place from Bangkok. Adding insult to injury, not once did ET apologize for the ordeal or contact us. We only learnt that our luggage arrived the next morning when the Rwanda Lost Luggage personnel called our agent to inform him. We requested ET to provide us with official confirmation of the various delays (in support of our insurance claims) and was again sent on a “not so merry go round” with again “sympathetic noises made” but no action or follow up. On the return flight, they refused to check in our luggage to the final destination in Singapore, claiming that they could not do so as our final leg was with Singapore Airlines. This despite the fact that Singapore Airlines is part of Star Alliance. It should be noted that Singapore Airlines was able to check our luggage in from Singapore to Kigali. In a separate call with Singapore Airlines, the staff confirmed that ET should have checked the luggage in all the way to Singapore. So again, we were severely stressed as we had to clear customs in Bangkok, collect our bags and check in again for our flight to Singapore. All to be done within 2 hours. Lo and behold, we ran to the luggage belt only wait and subsequently see “Delayed Baggage” - no explanation, no apology. It was nothing short of a miracle for us to eventually make it on our Singapore Airline flight. To be fair, the service from the crew on board was good, the food was fair and the beverages good. But the rest of the ground staff (other than the one solitary gem - Amen) are a disgrace. I will not recommend anyone to take this airline.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteBangkok to Kigali via Addis Adaba
Date FlownJune 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
4/10

"Luggage is never on schedule"

(Qatar)

Not Verified | I lost part of luggage from the duty free shop from Bole to Buq, got into contact with the Doha office. The gentlemen promised to look into my issue and said it would take time. Nothing has been said about that. Recently I requested to change my travel dates and to my surprise I was charged QR 150 yet there were still 7 days before departure. The attendant called it a penalty. I thought I had come in early but alas. Luggage is never on schedule and yet there are no concessions. If you are paying by card there is a 10.0% surcharge they actually want cash. We cannot be forced to give them cash through shady rules. I await a day when there will be more flights on the African routes and we will see who will be stuck to blood suckers.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBulawayo to Hamad via Addis Ababa
Date FlownAugust 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