Aircraft: Boeing 777, Boeing 767, Airbus 350
Class: The Business class is called "Cloud Nine". I booked in "P" business class, which cost roughly the same as an economy ticket on Emirates within this booking period and on the same route (Can$1,700). While part of the Star Alliance, you receive no Miles and More on Lufthansa with this class ticket - you can earn Ethiopian's ShebaMiles, though.
When: Oct 2016.
The Airline: Ethiopian is Africa's largest airline and fastest-growing airline and has got a fleet of over 30 mostly-modern large Boeing and Airbus aircraft (Boeing767s, 787s and 777s, and the Airbus 350) and many smaller 737-type planes. Many of their pilots appear to be European and South African. The airline clearly is trying to emulate the Emirates model, using Addis Ababa as a transit hub to serve routes across the world, including Europe, Asia and the west coast of North America.
After reading many horror stories about Ethiopian Airlines' flight delays and poor service, I was a bit reluctant to book on Ethiopian, but the amazingly cheap fare convinced me to make the slight detour via Addis Ababa. The flying time between Dubai and Cape Town was a little longer than the direct flight on Emirates, as there was a stopover of two and four hours respectively in Addis Ababa.
The departure at 4 am from Dubai was not without its own problems. The check-in counters only opened three hours before departure, meaning that even business passengers could not check in and go to the lounges - considering that I arrived at the airport at 8 pm, it was a very uncomfortable five hour wait. The line-ups were long and most fellow-passengers were pushing trolleys laden with huge oversized containers filled with obviously commercial good meant for resale - clearly these weighed probably about 50-100 kg, making me wonder how my plane could ever take off with all that extra weight.
The business lounge in Dubai was jointly shared by Ethiopian and a few other airlines. Even at 2 am the lounge was fully stocked and plentiful hot dishes were just being replaced by hot breakfast items. There also were a great selection of wines and a cold buffet.
The first leg of my trip to Cape Town was on a newish Boeing 777, with only three other business class passengers. The business class seating layout was 2-2-2, with full flat-beds, large screen monitors and a huge number of movies and TV shows.
Champagne was served before take-off at 4 am and breakfast was served. Each passenger received a well-stocked vanity bag and I eventually collected three a different coloured bags on my four flights - these matched the dominating red colour scheme on the Ethiopian business cabins that I flew in. The flight was as smooth as one could hope for and the arrival in Addis Ababa was uneventful, with a separate bus waiting exclusively for the four of us.
The Bole International airport is a bit of an adventure by itself. Depending on your luck, you could go through the security gates in either an hour or two, or in 10 minutes. On my first visit the security area had three officials, with the one checking the x-ray machine while also getting up from her station to search items that she decided to flag - the line then came to a complete standstill while she meticulously searched by hand through a bag or a jacket of a less-than-amused 80-year old pensioner. This circus continued for about 90 minutes, without a supervisor in sight. On the second visit three weeks later, I walked through within minutes. There are a few restaurants and shops that only accept local currency and no credit cards.
The second and third flights to and from Cape Town were on a much older Boeing 767 and unfortunately, it looked like a scene frozen from a 1980 movie. The business cabin layout was 2-2-2 and the seats were dilapidated and came with a rudimentary fold-out monitor with about three movies - mine did not work anyway. The food selection was good and I had a taste of the slightly spicy and delicious Ethiopian national dish called "Injera bǝ wot", with other hot entrees and starters such as prawns and salmon. A wide selection of wines included French, South African and a good Ethiopian wine made from honey. The service friendly and attentive, a fact appreciated by myself and the three other passengers in the business cabin.
On my way back from Cape Town, we stopped in Johannesburg, but stayed on board for the hour's stop. A few more passengers got on board, but the cabin was still only about 20% full. The flight to Addis took six hours and on arrival I could access the Cloud Nine Lounge 2, which looked better than the Star Alliance lounge - food was OK, there were computers and newspapers, but the bathrooms need some serious upgrades.
The last leg from Addis Ababa to Dubai was on an ultra-modern Airbus 350, the world newest passenger plane. Once again the Cloud Nine cabin was about 5% full, the service was truly friendly and food and beverage selection was great.
The A350 has the biggest engines and entertainment monitors that I have ever seen on an airplane. The seats became fully-flat beds and were easy to extend and retract.The four-hour flight went smoothly, with stunning views of the Red Sea and the Arabian peninsula, and one almost wished it would last longer.
To conclude: Ethiopian Arline Business Class offered a very good product and was an absolute steal at the fare that I paid for it. It was vastly superior to Emirates economy for the same price and compared very well with Lufthansa's business class which I happened to fly the following day (thanks to an upgrade). The service and food were great, I could access adequate business lounges, they use mostly-modern aircraft, and the fares were more than competitive fares on this routes and on these dates.
