I frankly would put 0% thought into the recent 737Max accident in terms of ET's safety, that could have happened to any carrier flying the plane. The more that comes out about that accident, I think Boeing and the FAA are to blame much more so than any single operator, Boeing failed on providing/requiring adequate training so airlines would buy the plane without re-certifying pilots.I think ET was just the unfortunate airline who got stuck with the airframe that had a massive fault early on, but from the sounds of it, sooner or later that could have well been SW, AA, UA, or any other highly regarded airline.

I've flown ET many times in business class and I like them, however be aware some 787's never got upgraded to new lie flat seats. All 777's are upgraded and all A350's were delivered that way. The airport in Addis is a dump but usually you don't have to spend too much time there. The flight banks are usually well timed for connections or are at the opposite side of the day where you get a hotel voucher and leave the airport anyway.