Ethiopia Adoption Blog, Ethiopia Adoption Blog - Flying to Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines

04/27/07

Flying to Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines

Posted by : Mary Owlhaven in Ethiopia Adoption Blog at 06:12 am , 462 words, 830 views
Categories: Airlines

When flying to Ethiopia, perhaps the most popular and most consistently affordable airline option is Ethiopian Airlines. I have not personally flown Ethiopian. But if prices continue as they are, it will definitely be an option I will consider when we travel later this year.

Flights to Ethiopia leave the U.S. from Washington D.C./Dulles Airport. Ethiopian Airlines refuels in Rome, with no one getting off the plane, arriving in Addis about 18 hours after leaving Washington D.C. One really awesome advantage to Ethiopian is that you arrive in Ethiopia sooner. Depending on layovers, it is possible to get to Ethiopia from the western U.S. in 24-26 hours. Both Lufthansa and British Airways take more like 30-32 hours.

The Rome refuel stop on Ethiopian seems like it would be a nice break. But since you don't even get off the plane, in reality is is just more airplane time. Staying on one plane for 18 hours straight is not easy. I know that when we refueled (in Cairo on Lufthansa, and in Jordan on British Airways) all I wanted was to get going again. And it was during our refueling stop in Jordan that my usually mild-mannered 3 year old melted down and hollered, 'Get me off this stupid plane!" (mirroring my sentiments exactly!)

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Though some people have commented that the leg room on Ethiopian might be a little less than some other airlines, I have heard nothing but good things about the inflight-service. People say that the flight crew is extraordinarily kind and helpful, that the food is good, and that they felt very well taken care of.

One very important thing to know about Ethiopian, however, is that they tend to overbook. It is ESSENTIAL that you confirm your flights before you leave the US, AND at least once while you are in Ethiopia. If you do not reconfirm your homeward flight while you are in Ethiopia, your seat may be given to someone else. I personally know several people who got to the airport in Addis and discovered that their seat had been given away. If you opt to travel via Ethiopia, RECONFIRM in Addis!

Another thing to remember if you will be traveling between August and September of this year is that this year is the Ethiopian millenium. Many, many Ethiopian currently living in the US are expected to travel to Ethiopia to celebrate, which may make finding tickets challenging during August and September. Since many Ethiopians opt to use Ethiopian Airlines, this airline will probably be the most busy of the three, and might not be as good an option as the other two during the months surrounding the millenium.

I welcome feedback from travelers who have used Ethiopian Airlines.

Other airline options

British Airways
Lufthansa

6 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: sharonll2000 [Member]

I have flown Ethiopian Airlines twice and it truly is a no-frills airline, but it got me to and from my destination! We ALWAYS reconfirm TWICE in Addis. If you stay at the Ritmo Guest House, you can walk up the road to Adams Pavillion for lunch and reconfirm in the EA office there.

EA did leave Addis 3 hours late on our last trip and we missed our connecting flights in D.C., which caused us to spend 24 HOURS in the airport! Make sure you have at LEAST a 4-5 hour layover in D.C., on the return flight. I did talk to Susan Parr Travel about extending the layover time and she agreed that it would be best during busy travel times (Spring break, Cherry Blossom festival, holidays), and will book accordingly.

Sharon

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 07:07

Comment from: kchiarello [Member]

We flew Ethiopian this past February and have nothing but great things to say about this airline. The staff were all remarkably friendly, the plane in great shape, and the whole experience was just stress-free. We flew home business class to have more room, and not only did we have a bulkhead seat with a bassinet, but we noticed that the staff went out of their way to assist those with babies to bring them up front for a bassinet as well. We will DEFINITELY use Ethiopian again in the future.

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 08:47

Comment from: Anne [Member]

· http://wmfamily.typepad.com

We were happy with Ethiopian Air for our November 2006 trip. The positives were a shorter flight time overall than other airlines, good in-flight service, and nice plane. Business class (with bulkhead and bassinett) for the return trip was great, as it was just me and baby at that point -- we arrived in DC exactly on time, to the minute (what are the chances?).

I had a lot of trouble finding anyone staffing the EA office at Adam's Pavilion -- probably four trips there at different times of day only to find the door locked and lights out. I ended up spending a few hours at the EA office at the Hilton reconfirming my return ticket. That place was always packed to the rafters -- but it was my only choice.

I would happily fly Ethiopian Air again -- the positives far outweighed the negatives.

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 09:30

Comment from: RachelMac [Member]

We had a very positive Ethiopian Air experience two weeks ago. We had a huge mix-up on time of departure from WashDC (my fault) and the Ethiopian Air employee made sure we made it to the flight. The flights went smoothly, and the staff was incredibly considerate. I thought the food was excellent - full meals, in fact too much to eat at each meal. They brought warm towels to all passengers to "freshen up" in the morning and were very happy to help with water for bottles, etc., on the way home. The flight attendants were so sweet to the babies, complimenting and cooing to them and being very gracious about the noise and additional needs of so many American families with Ethiopian babies on the way back to the U.S. (There were about 20 families with newly-adopted Ethio children on the flight.) We did have trouble finding anyone staffing the Adams Pavilion EA office (in person or by phone), but got in quickly at the Hilton. I would absolutely recommend Ethiopian Air and will use them again for any future trips to Ethiopia. Rachel

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 10:40

Comment from: fourgoingon7 [Member]

My husband returned home last week on Ethiopoian Air. They were so kind to him and he did not even have babies with him. They could tell he was overly tired and cleared out a row for him in the back to sleep from Rome to Ethiopia. They went out of their way to keep him comfortable. We will fly them again!
Thank you for your updates Mary--You do such a great job...

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 10:43

Comment from: Brian [Member]

· http://onthefly.wordpress.com/

To us it seemed like a fast flight on the trip home was more important than going there, so I just wanted to let everyone know that there are other options (like taking United to London and then changing to EA) if your travel day there is booked, but your preferred return flight (AA direct to DC) is available.

It was a long layover in London (enough to take the tube into the city for lunch and a little sight seeing), but not having to change planes in a foreign city with 2 new kids on the way home, was definitely worth it.

Also, with older kids, the fact that the flight attendants speak Amharic can be useful.

Permalink 04/27/07 @ 12:15

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