After a great week in Awassa, it was time to return to Addis Ababa and we received an unexpected equipment upgrade on Ethiopian Airlines from a Q400 to a 737-800 for the 55-minute flight back to the capital.
Ethiopian Airlines 737-800 Economy Class Review
Ethiopian is known for equipment swaps and while I was expected another Q400 turboprop to take us back to Addis Ababa, a 737-800 landed instead. My round-trip ticket was $126 plus $66 in taxes for a total of $192 (USD).
Check-In
We showed up to the airport 90 minutes before our flight and that turned out to be very early…the airport is tiny, check-in took only a couple minutes (the “Cloud 9” business class line was roped off, so Star Alliance Gold members and everyone else had to use the standard check-in line). Furthermore, our flight was delayed…though no announcement was made.
Instead, that became clear when we made it past the security checkpoint and saw no aircraft on the ground. Our boarding time came and went, then our departure time came and went. Finally, we saw lights in the distance and a 737-800 landed. That was an unexpected surprise, but not an unpleasant one.
That aircraft was cleared and soon we were invited outside to board.
Ethiopian Airlines 175
Awassa (AWA) – Addis Ababa (ADD)
Sunday, April 7
Depart: 05:50 PM
Arrive: 06:45 PM
Duration: 00hr, 55min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Distance: 133 miles
Seat: 21L (Economy Class)
We finally boarded air stairs at 6:17 pm, nearly 30 minutes after scheduled departure.
Seat
The biggest surprise was walking onboard and seeing a business class cabin…even for a 55-minute flight I would have loved to sit in one of these seats, but the entire cabin remained empty and apparently Ethiopian does not sell business class seats on this particular domestic route (logically, because of the last minute aircraft swap).
Ethiopian’s 737-800 features 16 seats in business class arranged in the familiar 2-2 configuration, the same Rockwell Collins recliners you will find throughout narrowbody fleet. Seat pitch runs about 42 inches, which is more generous than with most US carriers.
Economy class consists of 138 seats in a 3-3 layout, with a pitch of about 30–31 inches depending on the row. It’s tight, but Ethiopian keeps the cabin reasonably well-padded, and the seats are not as hard as the slimlines that have metastasized across Europe and the USA. On shorter sectors, it’s more than tolerable, and the legroom is manageable unless you’re exceptionally tall or unlucky enough to be assigned a misaligned window seat.
There was a pillow and blanket at each seat and individual air vents in the overhead passenger service unit.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Ethiopian Airlines offers no Wi-Fi internet and no screens on its 737-800 fleet. Thankfully I had brought the (good) book along and it was also a beautiful evening to look out the window.
While browsing through the duty free catalog, I was surprised to see cigarettes so cheap…those could be sold for such a profit in much of the world!
Food + Drink
After takeoff, water bottles were distributed to each passenger, but that was the extent of in-flight service.
Lavatory
Because I had a window seat and the flight was so short, I did not get up to use the lavatory, but there is one in the front of the aircraft and two in the rear.
Service
The flight attendants performed a manual safety demonstration and were efficient in handing out water bottles, but otherwise remained seated for the flight.
CONCLUSION
Operationally, this domestic flight was like many Ethiopian flights: late and with a last-minute aircraft swap. But I am quite fond of the Ethiopian flag carrier and look forward to returning to Awassa.
But now, on to dinner in Addis Ababa.
That’s quite a swap! Matt you’re fearless. Thank you for these unique reviews. Like, this isn’t your typical travel blog post. (Let’s just say, Gary isn’t reviewing Ethiopian domestic flights…)
Thank you for this their service is not great, l travelled from Johannesburg to Manchester in November last year. My suitcase got lost and up to now the airline has not replied to messages.
Yes indeed, this is the worest airline i seen. When i was travel from London to Addiss Ababa i lost my bag. Airline do not bothered at all
No decent coffee at the airport?
Was the flight crowded? I believe the flight to ADD is the only route from that auport, no?
No coffee, no nothing.
And the flight was not crowded due to the equipment upgrade, though somehow I wound up with two guys next to me.
Let me be the first to say it – that is a horrible colour scheme for Economy class!!!!!
On the one hand, I agree. But on the other hand, it is unique and very recognizably ET.
You’re not the first to say it though.
That was a lucky swap, you might have got a Max8 instead of an 800!
Hi Matthew,
In your experience, do economy passengers have any recourse when airlines present them with awfully uncomfortable economy seats?
Or they just have to suck it up, however long the flight.
Not sure what can be done other than to avoid that carrier in the future.
Where you can really get burned on ET with equipment swaps is if you purchase a particular seat like bulkhead or exit row. I went from bulkhead to last row in economy on ADD – FRA because of a different configuration A350 swap out. Man I was pissed! I always charge it on credit card that allows me to dispute the charge. You can forget about getting a refund from ET. They really are a good airline but occasionally they fall back into third world habits.
That does look like a glorified bus! Thanks for the un-glamorous review, its good to have a oversight of all the airlines.
Be Thankfull for Ethiopian hospitalty and welcoming you every where you go.
I will never fly again with Ethiopian Airways on a domestic flight. My experience with them was absolutely dreadful. My daughter & I, flew from Gatwick Airport to Durban South Africa in April 2025 & was not impressed with anything. Our TV monitors didn’t work, they kept on making announcements about every half an hour, didn’t enjoy their food & most of all the hostesses weren’t hospitable at all. The chaos at Addis Abba, completely drained us, as hundreds of people were pushing & jumping queues, as there wasn’t any order of direction & the staff just didn’t seem to care or be hospitable to the elderly. NEVER AGAIN UNLESS AN EMERGENCY & no other flights available.