Ethiopian Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Frankfurt to Juba Via Addis Ababa. I am struggling to find a way to say anything positive about my experience with this airline. From the confusion on arrival in Addis as to where to take the next connection, got into the right terminal eventually, meeting unfriendly ground staff, business lounge had no urinal, one basin toilet that did not have water, and luggage that did not arrive with me at destination.

✅ Trip Verified | Mombasa to Kuala Lumpur via Addis Ababa. Ethiopian performed well again, check in slow at origin, some hassle over stopover in ADD but resolved in the end, smooth flight to ADD, special passport line in ADD, check in for next flight in ADD very convenient, lounge adequate, special boarding zone and boarding bus for business class passengers, smooth flight, on time arrival, transit in Singapore nuisance again, all transit passengers get off and be security checked again. Baggage arrived in KUL as priority.

✅ Trip Verified | Flew Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi via Addis Ababa. Had a very good experience with Ethiopian Airlines. Check in KUL very efficient, boarding smooth, transit in Singapore a hassle, why did transit passengers have to get off in the middle of the night to be security checked again? Flight very comfortable, arrived on time in ADD, transit lounge leave a lot to be desired, but boarding for connection very convenient with jetty and arrival on time in Nairobi. Bags arrived first as priority!

✅ Trip Verified | Madrid to Cape Town via Addis Ababa . Both flights were on time and cabin crew were friendly and helpful throughout. I chose Ethiopian based on routing and overall point to point travel time. I was a bit concerned, because my connecting time in Addis was just over one hour - tighter than I think I could do at any European airport. But Ethiopian managed this with flying colors! Not only that, the overall comfort level on the planes (787 and 777) was quite acceptable, better, I think, than what I would expect on an American carrier (though lower than on, say, Emirates). The aircraft inbound to Addis from Madrid wasn't as clean as it should have been (and the toilet paper ran out in one bathroom). The aircraft outbound from Addis was properly cleaned (probably they do that kind of servicing only in the home airport), though the food on that leg was substandard (worst dessert I've ever tasted, but I would consider that a small fault). I should note that the new terminal in Addis wasn't completely ready and it was literally impossible to get information on my connecting flight's departure gate from the monitors. In the end, I trusted my Madrid-printed boarding pass, which did the trick. Verdict: not top of the heap, but my first experience on Ethiopian was a generally positive experience. In fact, I've booked another trip from Europe to South Africa with them for later in the year.

✅ Trip Verified | Paris to Addis Ababa. Very good flight with good quality service. Poor amenity kit offered by Ethiopian but overall presentation very good for the price. Personnel very attentive, catering of good quality even if wine could be improve. Bigger concerned are concerning Addis Ababa airport very far from the quality you have on board! Lounge very far from any expectations of a 4 star airline!

✅ Trip Verified | Addis Ababa to London Heathrow. Found the entire on-the-ground experience in Addis to be a nightmare. Four really lengthy queues: security to get into terminal, passport control, gate security and then, finally and most unnecessary, a huge queue to check your boarding pass and passport at the gate. This was being done (extremely slowly) by a single (sometimes two) Ethiopian Airlines employee while a selection of her colleagues just watched. Seats themselves are fine, and the inflight entertainment was decent - good screen and a reasonable selection to choose from. However, the food was atrocious, definitely the worst food i've ever had on a long-haul flight. Dinner was a "chicken" sandwich with a plain cous cous side dish. The "chicken" was some form of luncheon meat, with a pink colour and a horrible flavour. Breakfast was a bland hot dish of "sausage" and scrambled eggs with some foul tinned-style fruit (not fresh). The cabin crew were for the most part ok, but there was an incident with a child vomiting across the aisle from me. Despite me alerting the crew, all they did was provide the mother with napkins to clean up and made no effort to clean the vomit from the carpet and back of the seat themselves. As a result the cabin smelt like vomit for the rest of the flight. Would definitely not recommend - there are better options for this journey, even if it involves a layover.

✅ Trip Verified | Had a very pleasant experience on our flight from Frankfurt to Windhoek via Addis Ababa on the new A350-900 / B787-800. Check-in swift and friendly staff. Boarding easy. Very child friendly. (Traveled with a 2 and an 8 year old). Departed on time and arrived 30 min ahead of schedule in ADD with a 2 hour layover going to WDH. Their new planes have very pleasant seats with good legroom an are very comfortable. Excellent IFE with allot of movies of choice. Food was good. Friendly flight attendants. Will be using Ethiopian on my future trips.

Not Verified | What a mistake! The flight to Cape Town was delayed from leaving Madrid as well as leaving Addis Ababa. We also had major delays heading back home and we even lost our connecting flight. Hundreds of passengers we realized were in the same position when we arrived at the Ethiopian Airline help desk, which only opened at 9.30am. This is definitely going to be the last time I book a flight through Ethiopian Airlines. I'd rather wait 5 hours in Dubai the next time I go to Cape Town, at least Emirates has never given us the same problem.

✅ Trip Verified | Travelled from FRA to KGL via ADD and BJM on 3-4 January 2019 on A350-900 for the first time – and 737 on the regional flights. Check-in in FRA was not easy, neither on line nor in Airport and I got a bad seat in the middle of a middle section 1 row away from the rear toilets – sat in 46 F. However, they granted me space of two seats as 1 passenger did not show up. Flight full and almost on time. In Addis, bus gating from remote stand took >50 Minutes to disembark the aircraft as they only provided disembarking from a single door in front. Furthermore, they provided only a single bus at a time for 300+ passengers. In FRA they failed to print out my second BP, this often happens with ET and is very annoying as one has to queue up again in Addis to get the second. In ADD, I went to Cloud Nine Lounge though I am at present ineligible without elite status and on economy ticket. However, the lounge reception were kind and let me in meanwhile they upgraded from economy to business for 15,000 miles for next leg to KGL over BJM. Cloud Nine Lounge was nice, X-mas decorations and only half full. The last trip became much more pleasurable and peaceful than the first one though on a much smaller, modest aircraft. Departure champagne given. Luggage arrived perfectly after having traveled 6 legs prior to final destination.

✅ Trip Verified | London to Johannesburg return via Addis return. I was unable to use the self check in service at home or at Heathrow Airport. It took 45 minutes to check in at Heathrow even though they were only two people ahead of me. They were there making enquiries about flights. I was allocated a middle seat next to the toilets, and I was sitting between two large men. The plane was over booked and some passengers sat with the flight attendants, they were very noisy and were chatting in loud voices with the attendants through out the journey. For the evening meal I was served a tiny roll with melted butter and a filling which was supposedly chicken and a cup of coffee. I was never asked to choose. I do not eat chicken or drink coffee. The flight attendants were not attentive and were very selective in the manner they treated passengers. I was not offered a blanket even though I asked for one several times. On my return I came via Addis on the 25th and arriving at Bole on the 26th of Nov at 5am. On arrival I noticed that I had left my residence card in Johannesburg when I tried to board the flight to London. The check in flight attendant ceased my passport, boarding pass and my baggage stickers. She left me seated at the departure lounge departure lounge until the plane had left. She did not explain what was to happen next but she refused to hand back any of my documents. After two hours she said I must go to the Interlink Desk down stairs and that she would meet me there. I waited for her at the Interlink desk and she never showed up, the staff were not aware of what was happening. They only came to know about my case late afternoon, even then no one could update me or tell me about what was happening. They Interlink staff said they had received my documents from check-in-attendant but they were not going to release my documents. I asked if I could fly back to Johannesburg to try and retrieve my missing document, but I was told I was not allowed to. I spent the day and half the at the airport being ignored. On the 26th late afternoon I was told I was booked on a flight back to Johannesburg. I asked about my luggage and was told the luggage 42kg had been sent to Johannesburg. The staff in Bole refused to hand over my passport but gave it to the flight attendants. When I arrived in Johannesburg I was escorted by two immigration staff off the flight. The immigration staff in Johannesburg handed me back my documents and let me go. I checked for my luggage at the Ethiopian desk, the staff there were not helpful they refused to note that my luggage was missing and advised me to check for it in Heathrow. I booked a direct flight with another airline and I tried to trace my luggage in Heathrow it had not arrived. I luggage remains missing, I have tried to make contact with Ethiopian Airlines in UK through the numbers provided on website and by writing emails to different offices both in UK and Addis both my emails and phone calls have not been answered. I have made several trips to Heathrow trying to make contact and I have been made aware that the desk is only open between 14.15 to 19.15. The phones listed are either in active or are not being answered. Its sad to note that a carrier as big as ET can provide such poor service.