dvs7310

TK isn't so bad for stranding people. Most of the time things go just fine. When irregular operations happen though, be prepared to fend for yourself. This is the case though with many, many carriers and certainly not limited to TK, ET, KQ, etc. I've flown TK many times and never had more than an hour delay with them, but every day is a different day, so you never know. I'm sure right now a lot of people never expected to get stranded by Lufthansa either, but nearly all of their flights are cancelled through Friday.

The reason that ET comes up so much is that they are possibly the most convenient long haul airline for Africa. It's not because of over the top service quality (though it's not bad at all) or spick and span planes however. Their hub in Addis Ababa positions them really well for connections, especially to Eastern and Southern Africa and also puts them in a really good place for intra-Africa connections if visiting more than one city/location.

Fortunately I haven't had to do this for quite a while now. Think last time they asked was the HK office in 2013 after an online purchase. Also Expedia has ET flights (albeit you forego the 5% discount ET gives you for buying on their own website), so by buying via Expedia you don't have to worry about ET's credit card policy at all.

Mike Jacoubowsky

There is always the issue buying tickets through a 3rd party as to how things will be handled if things go badly (irregular operations). For US domestic carriers, you're sometimes hosed if you call them direct but your ticket was purchased elsewhere. Don't know if the same thing applies buying tickets from ET direct vs Expedia etc. For all I know, it could be that you're actually better off having Expedia as an intermediary. I just don't know, but it's something to consider. Fortunately I didn't have any issues with irrops last year on my ET flights.

Sabasi

I've flown a lot of airlines to and from JRO/NBO internationally: BA, KQ, EK, QR, ET, TK, KL, PW. Never had a problem with any of them. As for the connecting airports right before reaching/right after leaving JRO/NBO, ADD is by far the worst of the lot (the others being NBO, LHR, DXB, DOH, IST, AMS).

Not sure how any astute travel would not know about ET's former stop in FCO (or the current stop in DUB) to refuel and/or take on new passengers. It has hardly been "unpublicized."

dvs7310

In my case, I wasn't saying that ADD is convenient for being a nice airport, you're right, it's a dump and that's being generous. Having said that, it is quite well located for many intra-Africa connections in the eastern and southern end of the continent, plus ET serves more cities than any other airline on the continent making ET via ADD ideal for buying a single ticket on a multi-city journey... (I'd be curious though who actually serves the most African cities vs intercontinental, I think KQ holds this title but their long haul destinations are quite limited.)

Sabasi

KQ: 49 African airports outside of Kenya
ET: 53 African airports outside of Ethiopia

rivlinm

I had great success booking 3 USA>JRO flights in March using AA miles on QR.

This was in J, but I'll get the fly the a350 from PHL. TK would have been my *A choice.

Return is JRO>ZNZ>NBO with stops in ZNZ and NBO.

Then booked a KQ award on Flying Blue for NBO>ACC before booking the ACC>USA ~1k J fare RT.

Not for everyone, but I'm pleased.

Mike Jacoubowsky

"Unpublicized" was poor wording on my part. I knew it stopped in Rome. It said so. What I didn't know was that you wouldn't be let off the plane, or even be allowed to walk around while being refueled. It was a surreal experience. Learned something new.

gnggng

I have just gotten an email from our safaria guide and was told NOT to use ET, or to connect in ADD. She lives in Tanzania and told me she thought they were both unsafe. Any thoughts on this?

Mike Jacoubowsky

At worst, ADD and to a lesser extent ET might be described as "sketchy" but I wouldn't consider either unsafe. Will it be what you're used to? Probably not. ADD is a glorified bus stop built around an upscale marketplace. I don't think it's threatening at all, but very interesting to walk through and see how things work. The main issue with ET is that they'll frequently switch planes on you (787s turn into 777s and vice versa) so watch your seat assignments. Then again, Turkish Airlines does the same thing on their intra-Euro routes. Not a big deal, you still get where you're going.

You can log onto flightaware and track flight times for any airlines/routes you're looking into, and see how reliable they are. I don't think ET is going to show up badly.

The value to ADD is the location. Great place to connect to all points in Africa. Would be nice if they made it easy to spend a couple days there and see the museums and a bit of the countryside. People tell me it's a beautiful country and as-yet not too touristy. From the standpoint of the scared-to-death westerner (not singling you out; I've had my moments too), Ethiopia rarely comes up as a place westerners are targeted. So far as I know or have been able to find out, no attacks on the airport. I'd rate ADD as a "safer" airport than NBO, based on past history. But odds are you're going to be fine at any of them.

Sabasi

Neither ADD nor ET is "unsafe." Ethiopia can be very unsafe for western people, in certain areas.

tomanova

We're doing TZ next June and I booked Qatar Airways IAH-DOH-JRO and ZNZ-DOH-IAH on the return. QR does a triangle stopping at both JRO and ZNZ on most days. Fares were $1400 each in economy, no status. I looked at NBO but did not want the 6 hour bus trip to Arusha with a border crossing. Also did not want to mess with DAR and Precision Air - cheaper on KLM but way more expensive than QR when you add in Precision.

HTH,
Tom

TomMM

I've flown ATL-AMS-JRO on DL/KLM and had a good flight. The AMS-JRO flight is actually AMS-JRO-DAR-AMS. On the return trip we had a ground stop at DAR where they serviced the plane and changed crew. We weren't allowed off the plane.


I'd be interested in hearing how that flight is. I've been in IAH a few times when that flight is boarding and I am always amazed at how many babies and very young children are on that flight.

Sabasi

QR flight attendants aggressively do not allow window shades to remain up during the day flight from DOH to anywhere in the US. This is a major disappointment for those who like to look out the window.

dvs7310

Coming from a guide living in Tanzania I find that remark to be laughable. ET is a fairly well run airline (with some quirks) and their safety record is much better than many other airlines that westerners don't think twice about. Security at ADD is very lax but so are many other airports. The city itself is quite safe and far safer than anywhere in Tanzania (aside from the lodges). There's a reason why when Obama visited a few months ago, extra security in Addis Ababa was noticeable but not impeding whatsoever, in Kenya on the other hand they pretty much shut down the city to ensure safety.

Basically I'd take what that guide said with a very large grain of salt. Lots of us in this forum fly ET frequently and while we complain about some of their quirks, safety isn't a perceived issue.

Sabasi

There are many safe places for non-Africans in Tanzania outside high priced lodges and hotels. I have no idea why the idea to the contrary persists.