My overnight journey from Addis Abba to Frankfurt on an Ethiopian Airlines A350-900 was quite anti-climatic, which I guess is all I could have wanted on a longhaul flight in economy class.
Ethiopian Airlines A350-900 Economy Class Review
I arrived at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport about three hours before my flight (the Hyatt graciously extended me a very late checkout) and found a separate entrance for Star Alliance Gold and “Cloud 9” business class passengers. At ADD, you pass through a security checkpoint upon entry in the terminal.
There were also separate security checkpoints and immigration counters for premium passengers.
While collecting my boarding pass, I inquired about business class upgrades. Sadly, there was no operational upgrade to business class on this flight! I did ask about purchasing an upgrade (business class was wide open), but the cost was over $2K, which struck me as absurd.
I visited the Plaza Premium Lounge and the Ethiopian Airlines Sheba Platinum Lounge before boarding my flight to Frankfurt.
Ethiopian Airlines 706
Addis Ababa (ADD) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Tuesday, April 9
Depart: 12:05 AM
Arrive: 06:25 AM
Duration: 07hr, 20min
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Distance: 3,318 miles
Seat: 23L (Economy Class)
Onboard, I found my seat in 23L, a window seat.
Seats
The Ethiopian Airlines A350-900 has 318 seats in economy class in a 3-3-3 configuration (plus 30 in business class). There is no first class or premium economy section. Ethiopian uses Collins Aerospace Pinnacle seats, which feature a four-way adjustable hammock-style headrest and a retractable bi-folding tray table. Seats are 18 inches wide and have a generous 32 inches of legroom (and a fairly generous recline of about 14º).
Seats also have universal A/C outlets (two for every three seats). Each video monitor also has a USB-A port. There are no individual air vents, only reading lights.
I really cannot sleep in economy class, but the 32 inches of legroom made it bearable, even with the middle seat occupied by a fairly tall guy.
Bedding included a blanket and pillow, which I did not use (I had my own neck pillow and small duvet that I carry when I travel in economy class).
Food + Drink
Dinner was served after takeoff, with a choice between fish or pasta (two Western entrees). I had fish, which was was a nondescript white fish and served with rice and tomato sauce, with crackers and cheese, a bread roll macaroni salad, and cookies on the side.
It tasted a bit “fishy” but was decent…though I was not even hungry and ate it out of habit. Bottles of Ethiopia’s classic Ambo speaking water were offered after dinner:
About 90 minutes before landing, just as the sun began to rise, a muffin was served with coffee or tea. The Ethiopian coffee was disappointingly weak and I may be a glutton when it comes to airline food, but I don’t eat packaged muffins.
Service
Service was not bad, nor was it great. It was not friendly, nor was not hostile. But it was efficient. Drinks and meals were served promptly, albeit not with any sort of smile or effort beyond, “fish or pasta?”
For a relatively short overnight flight, I suppose that’s fine, but Ethiopian hospitality is a beautiful thing and it is a shame it did not shine out a bit more on this flight.
Lavatory
The A350-900 has two lavatories in the front of the cabin, two between economy class cabins, and two more in the rear of the plane. I used the middle-cabin lavatory and found the ashtray hanging out, which seemed strange. The bathroom was otherwise tidy and had no extra amenities beyond soap.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Seatback screens (10.6 inches) offered a library of movies, TV shows, music, and games, but the selection was quite limited. Flimsy, disposable headphones were provided.
Internet passes were available onboard at a price of:
- 1 hour – 5 USD
- 2 hours – 10 USD
- flight pass – 25 USD
I bought a two-hour pass and it was slow, but functional.
It was a beautiful morning as we neared Frankfurt and as we passed over the city, it brought back many happy memories of my former life there.
CONCLUSION
We landed on time and while there was absolutely nothing that stood out about flying Ethiopian in economy class, at least the 32-inch legroom and power outlets was noticeably better than some European competitors. I generally like to avoid economy class if I can, but this was a perfect smooth, predictable, and anti-climatic flight, thus no complaints from me.
How do you still manage these overnight flights in Y…
It’s a good question…
Matt, I respect that you do still take and review Economy, instead of overlooking it in favor of only Business Class reviews. Most passengers are gonna be in Y to begin with, so your reviews there are actually more insightful to more people. Just wanted to recognize this and thank you for doing so.
Thank you @1990!
100% agree! Im an economy class traveller based in Africa and Ethiopian Air often comes up as a very cheap option flying out of our continent…..Ive often been tempted by the pricing, but thanks to this honest but I think fair review, I think Ill stick to paying a little more for Emirates or Qatar economy options.
When you’re flying overnight across continents in economy class, anti-climactic isn’t a bad end result.
Of course, hearing “You are being upgraded to business class” while at the airport is probably a much more desireable outcome 😉
Back before COVID when LH flew ADD – FRA I often got an upgrade to business or first without even asking. Despite many ET flights over more than 10 years, I’ve never gotten a comped upgrade.
I fly with Ethiopian Airlines twice a year and I must say l agree with your review. I have only ever been in Economy Class on my travels with Ethiopian Airlines, the food served on the airline was not good for me, I usually take many snacks on board. Thank You for Sharing your review on flying Economy Class.
Also:
“Seat: 23L (Economy Class)
Onboard, I found my seat in 21L, a window seat.”
Which was it?
23
I take that same flight several times a year. I pop a third of a sleeping pill to knock me out. I eat in the lounge so I skip meal service and crash after wheels up. I’ll have coffee in the morning but skip the muffin too, for breakfast in the LH lounge by UA’s Zed gates.
How about writing about your evaluation of the premium checking and lounge area? These are either new or vastly improved. It will help us if you share your views.
The check-in area in ADD is very nice – I appreciate the private entrance very much.
I found them to be very unhelpful. I lost a ring on a flight with EA, have asked the staff for assistance and was told to report it when I land. I’ve emailed their offices so many times without a single response.