Ethiopian Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | I just landed from an Ethiopian airline ET516 from Lome to IAD. This was an 11 hr flight. Shortly after takeoff, the TV entertainment stopped working in my row of 3 seats. I glanced at a few other monitors and all seemed to be in my state. The tv screens didn’t respond to button presses or screen touch. This means, for the 11 hours, there was no entertainment. The button for overhead light also stopped working. For long swatches of time, the cabin was pitch black. I guess this was by design. Needless to say this experience was a nightmare. Ethiopian Airlines needs to do better.

✅ Trip Verified | HKG-BKK-ADD-LAD-ADD-VIE-CPH Ethiopian is not the worst airline I've ever flown, but it's definitely not very good. Cabin crew fluctuated between friendly and helpful, to unenthusiastic with a feeling that they had given up making an effort a long time ago. Most of the planes I flew were old. With touch screens that didn't work, and with a joystick where you press the buttons to control a mouse cursor that sloooowly moves across the screen. I felt like I was back in the 90's. The wifi did not work on roughly 75% of the flights I was on. When it did, the speeds were quite good. Toilets were, on some of the flights, disgusting. They were definitely not cleaned or refreshed regularly, and smelled really bad. On other flights they were okay. On the ADD-VIE-CPH leg the plane was a dreamliner, with more modern seats and screens. However, the inflight entertainment system was riddled with bugs. No movies would play without buffering and stuttering, making it impossible to watch for more than 10 seconds. Many screens were stuck in a neverending reboot sequence, even though the crew kept trying to reset them. On top of that, every time there was a crew announcement, the movie selection screen would reset, forcing you to scroll the list of movies all over again. Not that it mattered, as no movies were watchable due to the skipping and stuttering. On this leg, we were served a pasta salad with shrimp. I found a hair in my food, and made the cabin crew aware of this. They responded by offering me a new set of cutlery. When I asked for another pasta salad, the one I received had exactly one shrimp in it. I had the clear feeling that hair in the food would not be reported anywhere. There was no apology from the crew either. I was put on this itinerary by work, but I would never chose Ethiopian airlines for my own money.

✅ Trip Verified | Service was not there at all. Flight was delayed due to inbound flight arriving late which is understandable. But they took way too long to turnover and clean with no instructions or explanation on ground. Everyone was just waiting with no idea how long to wait. When we boarding, flight attendant sounded annoyed, pointing to which aisle. We got seated and saw a more senior flight attendant sitting till take off. After take off she didn’t do much as well. Safety demonstration was a short video. Crew didn’t bother checking and making sure I was secured. Aircraft was in a relatively poor condition. Bottom of the toilet door was already falling apart, 3 charging ports between us not working, leaning back function of my seat was rough, difficult to get it moving. Even a smoking sign is inverted. Table was dirty and we were seated first row with flight attendant not even asking if we wanted the entertainment. Flight attendant provided close to no service at all. Food was ok, just weird. Flight attendant came over and asked chicken or beef without telling us what was each. So we took a beef and a chicken. What’s funny was the beef was actually lamb. Meat was still ok. But the rice for the beef was hard. The other bread, biscuits, butter and cheese were the usual packaged stuff. Pasta salad tasted weird and chocolate cake was sweet. Towards the end of our flight, flight attendant were busy packing stuff. They even poured juices into the toilet. Prior to landing, flight attendant didn’t do landing checks to make sure things were secured. When we left, no goodbyes or a smile. Honestly expected much more from a full fledge and Africa best airline. Only compliment was the Singaporean stuff in Tokyo. Extremely friendly, polite and helpful.

Not Verified | It was the most uncomfortable flight and the service was terrible. We barely recieved a greeting when boarding. The in-flight device was sub-par and no wi-fi. We had a roundtrip from Atlanta to Lusaka and during my stay I had a death in my immediate family and had to change my departure date to attend the funeral. We went to Ethiopian Airlines office in Lusaka and they were very cold and lacked customer service. We waited for hours to speak with someone and it felt like they were deliberately ignoring us. After hours of waiting they asked for a death certificate and mind you thats not produced on the same day a person passes away. We returned at a later date with documentation and they refused to change my departure date and they informed me a change in date was impossible and if I missed my flight I would have to pay for a new ticket at full price so I ended up paying for another ticket at full price to stay for bereavement. Ethiopian staff were not empathetic and did not take into consideration that my initial ticket was already expense. On the flights the flight crew spoke in their native language and ignored everyone that did not speak their language. It was obvious they were not happy to service the passengers and only smiled when they spoke with their fellow Ethiopians.

✅ 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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