From Addis Ababa to Awassa, I flew on a de Havilland Dash 8-400 operated by Ethiopian Airlines in economy class. At only 133 miles, it was a very short and uneventful flight.
Ethiopian Airlines Q400 Economy Class Review (ADD-AWA)
I was traveling on a separate ticket from Addis Ababa to Awassa, which cost 178 USD round-trip (booked about a week out). That made a lot more sense to me than paying 16K Aeroplan miles and about 50 USD had I used points. Business class (“Cloud 9”) was not sold on this route.
After landing in Addis Ababa from London and dealing with customs, we met our contact on the ground and walked over from Terminal 2 to the domestic terminal. It was a cool, cloudy April day. There was a checkpoint on the way in where your passport and itinerary were validated before you were allowed inside the terminal building.
Inside, we checked in for the flight at the Cloud 9 check-in desk due to our Star Gold status, then cleared security and waited for our flight at the domestic Ethiopian Airlines lounge.
The way boarding works in the domestic terminal in ADD is that all flights depart from remote stands, so a bus gate is assigned at the last minute. That means people all wait in the center of the terminal and when a gate is assigned, there is a mad dash for it…check out these pictures:
Our bus took us out to the Q400 that would take us down to Awassa…we spent about five minutes on the bus.
Ethiopian Airlines 175
Addis Ababa (ADD) – Awassa (AWA)
Tuesday, April 2
Depart: 11:50 AM
Arrive: 12:45 PM
Duration: 00hr, 55min
Aircraft: de Havilland Dash 8-400 (Q400)
Distance: 133 miles
Seat: 21A (Economy Class)
Onboard, I found my seat halfway through the aricraft.
Seat
The Ethiopian Q400 is configured with 78 seats in a 2-2 configuration, with row numbering starting at row 11. Seat pitch is 30 inches and seats are about 17 inches wide.
Although there was a curtain a few rows back, business class was not offered as a separate class of service on this flight.
There were no power plugs of any kind onboard. Overhead, there were personal air vents and reading lights.
My seat was adjacent to hte turboprop engine and it was very loud!
Food + Drink
A water bottle was placed in each seatback pocket…there was no food or beverage service in the air.
IFE + Wi-Fi
This aircraft offers no in-flight entertainment or Wi-Fi internet.
Lavatory
Due to the brief duration of the flight and because I was in the window seat, I did not get up to use the lavatory during the flight.
Landing In Awassa
We landed in Awassa and deplaned, walking into the terminal, where we waited about 10 minutes for our bus. I noticed some small single-engine jets in Ethiopian livery, which I cannot find much info…does anyone know if these are for mail routes or passenger service?
CONCLUSION
Overall, a smooth and uneventful domestic flight.
Wow! What a unique review! ‘Gold’ water! Cha-ching!