Addis Ababa Airport

✅ Trip Verified | What a shambles this airport was for our very recent transits. The bus transfer from the incoming flight took forever and by the time we got to security the approximately ten wide column of people had to go down to one to go though security. When we got to the security screening there were no boxes to put liquids, laptops etc. into, and when someone eventually appeared with a stack of them it was a free for all as there wasn't enough to go round. Having survived security we had four hours before our connection to Dar Es Salaam. There were nowhere near enough seats and no air conditioning despite how warm it was. When the gate information came up, (C6 I think it was), we went to our departure gate to find there were two flights going from the same gate before ours, so there were hundreds of people waiting at our gate along with hundreds of others waiting for several other gates all in the same row. The electronic departure board stopped working, no staff to ask for information and another slow bus transfer out to the plane. The return experience was not much better although slightly better organised at security screening. Still not enough seats and still very hot in the main areas. When we went to our gate we had to wait to be admitted to gates A14 - 16 as again there were two flights leaving that area before ours. Seats were very difficult to get and when we finally went through to A15 we had to go through another security screening with shoes and belts off, again. When boarding started it was a free for all until a man appeared and stopped anyone who wasn't in zone 2, but as no announcement was made no-one knew it was boarding by zone number. He disappeared and a lady then appeared and held up three fingers which we assumed, correctly I'm pleased to say, that zone three could board, but again, no announcement. The one good point was no bus transfer. We hope we never have to transit through Bole again.

✅ Trip Verified | Few toilets in the boarding area and not enough seats. The shops were closed in the boarding area so buying a snack was a challenge. However, staff were helpful.

Not Verified | Why do you have to remove your shoes and bags checked twice. Whats worse is that the first check point is basically outside, must walk and stand on bare cold floors. Then this same process is repeated inside after customs. Many passengers, one person to check in.

✅ Trip Verified | Never transit here. Staff are not very helpful and don't know how to resolve the mess that they have caused. You literally have to plea your case. The only person I do want to acknowledge is Nuredin that managed to find my transit luggage after four hours of searching. Other transit staff don't know how to resolve problems.

Not Verified | The airport is inefficient and arranged in a terrible manner. A complete rethink is required. Also it really doest hurt to be friendly once in a while. Please also look at your airports e-hailing sections, which is so far from the airport building, and taxi sections. The latter is ridiculously priced.

Not Verified | Infrastructure not able to cope even in rush hours which do get a bit manic. Some staff need improved training on dealing with stressed out passengers. There is still an element of customer service missing in some instances though this occurs all over Ethiopia's tourist industry. Large space taken over by Sheba Miles as a Silver members lounge but because Sheba miles points are now so stingy and hard to earn. There are very few Silver customers and a large space is wasted. Well chair assistance is very patchy and lacks continuity.

Not Verified | Bole these days is a pleasant experience. The massively enlarged departure area is huge Domestic departure zone also very spacious. Yes it gets crowded in the rush hour periods when there can be 15/20 departures per hour.

Not Verified | We’ve been back and forth through Addis Ababa Airport multiple times. Ethiopia is a wonderful country. The airport is pretty good as far as airports in Africa. However, TSA is the problem. For health reasons, we always request pat downs to avoid the X-ray. They argued us down and wanted us to show some type of paperwork that says we can’t go through machines. We’ve been all over the world and my wife was a flight attendant for 10 years and we’ve never had a problem getting patted down instead of going through X-ray. We spoke to several managers after getting confirmation from the employees. No one is able to use common sense or think outside the box in this situation. You’re more likely to find something actually patting down another human than making them go through X-ray. Just because we weren’t in wheel chairs they didn’t understand “underlying conditions” people may have. It was stressful explaining they should have a simple option for those who don’t desire to be x-rayed. Uncalled for and they seem very lazy and mean for no reason. That was the worst thing about the whole trip.

✅ Trip Verified | Security checks, whether you are originating from Addis or in transit are shambolic, way overcrowded with undermanned lanes, security staff that constantly stop the screening to search individual bags, allowing lines to get longer and longer and machines that don't work half the time. Once airside, there are few decent places to eat and good luck getting a seat if you do find a place. The terminal is unbelievably congested at peak times and boarding seems to be chaotic, especially when the aircraft is at a remote stand and you have to be bussed to it. I have never had a pleasant experience at Bole Airport and would prefer to avoid it.

✅ Trip Verified | It is busy in the two 6 to 9 rush hours but do not be put off by comments by the few. I flew in from London on Ethiopian Feb 7th in morning rush hour. Everything smooth and efficient. Immigration Queue 5 minutes. Bags on carousel quickly unlike the pathetic 90 minutes it takes at Heathrow T2. Out in 50 minutes, 15 mins of which was waiting to get off from row 44 on the plane. I go through this airport at least once a month on domestic flights to Bahir Dar. Flights are well organised and efficient, and at least twice a year we fly out to London or for holidays in South Africa. Over past 20 years Ethiopian Airlines and the airport have grown immensely in quality and size. My only criticism would be the fact that those greeting international arrivals have to wait outside the building.