This was my first flight on Ethiopian in almost 20 years. I was unsure what to expect and was apprehensive about transfers at DXB. To my pleasant surprise all went very well.
On Ground Service
I connected at DXB off EK 511 from Delhi. Picked up my ET boarding card without any hassles at the transfer desk. Having arrived into DXB in the afternoon, an obvious lean period, the transfer counters were deserted.
ET use the DNATA lounge next to Gate 108 in Terminal 1. The lounge was almost empty and quite comfortable. The spread of food and drinks was quite sumptuous. I helped myself to some rice and butter chicken....quite yummy! The stewards on hand were very attentive and efficient. The lounge has both Wi-Fi and a bank of four computer terminals. I decided to settle into one of the computer terminals for the remainder of my transit.
Boarding
ET J-Class passengers were the last to be called to board almost 10 minutes prior to departure. Since the gate was right next door, it was no hassle at all. Boarding was most efficient and judging by the pile of hand luggage being tagged at the gate, it seems that ET is rather strict with its carry-on policy.
Aircraft
Our aircraft for the flight was ET-AMK, apparently an ex-ATA 757-200. Boarding was via Door 2L. A photo of the interior can be found here:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ethio...28A/1407530/M/
The J-class cabin has 4 rows in a 2x2 arrangement. The tan leather seats make for a very pleasant looking interior. My seat 2K was most comfortable. Seat controls are all mechanical, but the seats do recline quite a bit. The seats and aircraft do unfortunately show quite a bit of wear and tear.
The load in J for this flight was 12/16.
Service Onboard
Within moments of arriving at my seat an attentive and attractive stewardess offered to take my coat and promptly brought back a tray with welcome drinks - I opted for the MOET Champagne. We had 3 senior (as in experience) ladies serving the forward cabin that afternoon, and they came back in short order with reading materials, menus, headphones, and amenity kits (very attractive green fabric boxes!).
Entertainment was all via overhead monitors - Fawlty Towers, Mr Bean and other such assorted programmes kept me sufficiently entertained for the next three and a half hours. Not having flown a 757 in a while, I had forgotten how noisy these aircraft are.....it was unfortunate in this sense that the headphones weren't noise canceling.
A hot meal and bar service were offered just after take-off. Ethiopian put on a lavish spread, even though service was preplated. For starters we were offered:
Green salad with a choice of dressing
Soup of the day (I skipped this but recall it being Pumpkin)
Main course selection:
Grilled Nile Perch
Tenderloin of Beef
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Vegetable Biriyani
Vegetarian Pasta
I went for the lamb and wasn't disappointed. The food was excellent, as was the service. The stewardess made sure that we were kept amply supplied with both food and drink for the duration of the flight. An after dinner service of Port and Cheeses and fruit was offered, together with desert (which I skipped).
We arrived in ADD on time, and with the usual efficiency that ET and the staff at the Visa on Arrival counter display at the airport, I was on my way to the hotel within 20 minutes of landing.
All in all....two thumbs up.....the only thing that would keep me flying ET long haul is their outdated cabins...other than that they are great value for money!
Dxb-add nov 14, 2008
