The first part of our journey from Zanzibar to Addis Ababa was already great – so join us now for this second part. Ethiopian Airlines offers a huge lounge with many amenities and a comfortable Airbus A350-900 with brand new Business Class. The service was quick and friendly, the food was good and the seats were very comfortable. Overall, we can highly recommend Ethiopian Airlines.
Intro
As mentioned in our last review, we were supposed to fly directly from Zanzibar to Frankfurt on Discover Airlines to get back home from our Christmas Safari & Beach vacation in Kenya and Tanzania. However, after our flight was canceled at the airport at very short notice, we got rebooked to Ethiopian Airlines including a stopover in Addis Ababa. The first flight from Zanzibar to the airline’s home airport left us really impressed. So if you are also interested in this part of our journey you can also read our review or watch the video on our YouTube channel.
After a short transit, we are flying on Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa to Frankfurt and will check out for you whether this flight can also inspire us as much as the last one did.
| Departure (planned) actual | 27.12.2023 – (00:05) 00:27 |
| Arrival (planned) actual | 27.12.2023 – (06:25) 06:04 |
| Flighttime | 6:37 h |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A350-900 |
| Delay | 22 minutes delay at departure 21 minutes early for arrival |
| Travel class | Business Class |
| Seats | 6A & 7C (7D) |
Table of contents
How to get there
We flew on a feeder flight with Ethiopian Airlines on the 777-200LR from Zanzibar to Addis Ababa and therefore can’t really say anything about the journey to Bole International Airport (ADD).
Departure Airport
For this review, we stay in the transit area of the international part of the airport. After passport and customs control, we first checked the display board and were super surprised at the huge route network Ethiopian Airlines has built up. Bole International Airport is the airline’s home airport and hub. From here, the carrier flies to all corners of the world and, just like Lufthansa, obviously pursues a very successful strategy of feeder flights on short-haul routes in order to successfully fill the long-haul flights.
The airport itself is really large and super modern, in keeping up with its role as a hub. There is everything you could wish for and, in contrast to some European airports, everything here is clean, tidy and well organized.
Check-in & Baggage Drop
Due to the brevity of the rebooking, we only received our boarding passes for the onward flight to Frankfurt in Addis Ababa. The nice lady at the lounge reception took care of this without any further problems. We hadn’t checked in any baggage, so there was no problem with not knowing if it is gonna be checked through to our final destination.
Lounge
Ethiopian Airlines refers to its Business Class as Cloud 9, and as guests in this travel class we were also allowed into the Sheba Cloud Nine Lounge.
The lounge itself is huge. There are lots of different seating options. You can choose whether you prefer to sit at tables, on armchairs or in relaxation loungers. The buffet is super large and the food really delicious. You can try local specialties and international dishes. The range of drinks is standard, but there is also a bar where you can order drinks from a bartender.
Also there is an extra area for families with small children, a movie theater, smoking-, praying- and meeting rooms, as well as massage facilities and showers. All in all, a super wide range of facilities that should provide something for everyone.
As we had been out all day and still plenty of time, we both took the opportunity and tried the showers. The rooms are rather small, but you’ll find everything you need. What’s better than starting a night flight freshly showered.
Boarding
Our gate was B5, but Ethiopian Airlines has a very special feature for its premium guests at its home airport. If you are traveling as a Business Class or Platinum / Gold Star Alliance status guest, you can take a seat right opposite the lounge at gate A12 at a designated waiting area and will then be taken directly to the aircraft on your own bus. This saves you the long queues at the actual gate and you can spend more time at the lounge.
Our plane was assigned an apron position, so we would have taken the bus across the airport anyway. What’s more, the airline timed the bus in a matter that premium passengers were the last to board. Accordingly, jus a few moments after boarding we already heard “boarding completed”! This also gives you even more time at the lounge. In general, it has a lot of that first class feeling!
Welcome
Once boarded the cabin, we were greeted by a friendly flight attendant and shown to our seats. As we were the last to board, the service (as on the last flight) went in quick succession. Right away we were asked if we would like a welcome drink and were greeted with a glass of champagne. Shortly afterwards, we were handed a cold towel and the menu.
The late boarding has many advantages, but also a small downside. There isn’t much time to arrive and settle in before the start, let alone relax or finish your welcome drink. As soon as we were seated, the plane was prepared for take-off. The whole procedure is of course very time-effective, but for us it also had the disadvantage that we could neither take photos of an empty cabin, nor did we really have time to take photos before take-off in a brightly lit cabin.
Start & Routing
From Addis Ababa, we flew north to Saudi Arabia and then along the Red Sea coast via the Sinai, across the Mediterranean to Greece. From there we flew across Europe to Frankfurt without any incidents. The entire flight was pleasantly calm and relaxed – without any turbulence.
Cabin & Seat
Ethiopian Airlines has installed staggered 1 – 2 – 1 seating in its brand new A350-900. So on each side of the aircraft the seats are arranged facing either the aisle or the window. The middle section alternates between double seats or single seat facing the aisle.
Fabi was booked in 6A right next to the window and I was booked in 7C in a window seat that has more distance to the window. I stayed in this seat for take-off, but as it was a complete night flight anyway and I felt the seat was somehow very much on a platter, I later sat in 7D for dinner and the nights sleep. It was actually the same seat only mirror-inverted, but strangely enough it felt better for me.
The seats directly by the window or the double seats in the middle of the cabin are super private and comfortable. The seats facing the aisle, on the other hand, feel very open and, in comparison, extremely little secluded. The middle seats can also be made a little more private by a divider between both seat if required.
There was a pillow, blanket and a bottle of water, as well as headphones ready for us at the seat. Unfortunately, there were no slippers provided.
However, the seats are basically great. There are plenty of storage options as well as power sockets for charging electronic devices.
Of course, the seat can also be transformed into a completely flat reclining bed at the touch of a button. There is plenty of space for your feet – but even more in row 1. So if you have big feet or like more room to sleep, try to get a seat from the first row. The armrests can be lowered completely on one side and folded up on the other. This increases the space in the upper body area when lying down.
The positions of the seat can be easily adjusted to the starting, lounge and reclining positions using just three heads.
Unfortunately, there are no individual air vents to regulate the temperature in the cabin at least a little.
The table is installed underneath the monitor and can be extended by pressing it. You can move it towards and away from you and also rotate it 90 degrees. This allows you to stand up easily even when the table is set.
Entertainment
The entertainment system was much easier to use than on the first flight from Zanzibar to Addis Ababa. The screen is very touch-sensitive and was super easy to operate. You have a huge selection of movies, series, music, games and information about the flight to choose from. Internet is also available on board. The prices were 25 dollars for the entire flight and 5 dollars for one hour.
Amenities
Shortly before departure, we were allowed to choose an amenity kit. Ethiopian Airlines offers two colors, which also appear in their logo. The contents are identical. So rather not selected according to female and male characteristics.
Competition
We are giving away two green and one red amenity kits among our readers. If you would like to take part, simply write a comment at the end of this post for the green kit or comment our Instagram post for the red one. You can also take part in both raffles – that will increases your chance of winning 😉
Food, Drinks & Snacks
Shortly after take-off, we were asked for our choice of main course and had our first round of drinks. Again on this flight, the crew were very efficient and the service went super quickly.
The starter was served directly to the table with the salad and a selection of bread rolls, the main course immediately afterwards. Our drinks were always refilled in a friendly manner. The dessert was offered from a trolley and we could have chosen freely. However, after the meal in the lounge, the sumptuous starter and main course and due to the late hour, I really couldn’t eat any more!
We thought it was great that the cabin was already quite dark during dinner so that some people could sleep, while others still ate.
Breakfast
After waking up, there was a choice of coffee or tea and a few pastries. However, there was no real breakfast. To be honest, that was okay for me, as it was still very early in the morning. But that can also be a disappointment. Anyways it felt strange.
Washrooms
About half the cabin was occupied by guests and the washrooms were very little frequented, even at peak times. The facilities were very standard and not really any different from those in Economy Class. They were only equipped with moisturizer and perfume as everything else you need is already available in your amenity kit.
Service at Ethiopian Airlines
The flight attendants were always very friendly and attentive. The food service was really fast on this flight as well. They were extremely professional, but somehow not as approachable as, for example, on Lufthansa. A quick chat or a little personal touch would have been great.
Nevertheless, they did a great job and we felt that we were in good hands.
Arrival
About 40 minutes before arrival in Frankfurt, the cabin was prepared for landing. There was a short announcement from the cockpit and we were a good 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
Our flight was assigned a position at the terminal and we were able to disembark fairly quick through the front door. Thanks to the new fully automated passport control, we were already outside the airport building and on the way to our car in less than half an hour after disembarking
Destination Airport
I don’t need to say much more about Frankfurt Airport. As Lufthansa’s main hub, the airline is of course represented here on a large scale. The airport also has long distances, but we always get through relatively quick – especially if you haven’t checked in any baggage.
Conclusion
This flight on Ethiopian Airlines was as great on the long haul as it was on the short haul. The cabin was brand new and the seats were good. Unfortunately, there are rather big differences between the different types of seats, but if you know where you want to sit and even get the seat, everything is great. The service was professional and really fast and attentive. The food was okay. Though Fabi didn’t like it, I thought it was okay. And the experience with the lounge in Addis Ababa really rounded off the flight.
All in all, a successful flight.
Points
We rank this flight as 9 out of 10 possible points. We deduct half a point for the not quite so good meal and another half point for the (in my opinion) unfavorable seat on my part.
Recommendation
We can really recommend Ethiopian Airlines from the bottom of our hearts! The cabin offers great seats for solo travelers and couples alike. And families can certainly have a great time here too.
Airline Homepage
Try them?
Yes! Absolutely. In our opinion, Ethiopian Airlines is the hidden gem of the Star Alliance!
YouTube Review
Fabi has of course also made a review of this flight which you can find on our YouTube channel. Check it out for more information about our trip.
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