Direct or via DXB
 

Planning our trip to Ethiopia ex-IAD, and wondering if the ease of a direct on ET J trumps a transit via DXB with EK J. The EK flight would add another 6 hours or so of travel/transit time, but arrive the same day. Sadly, right now no EK F seats are open right now. Opinions?

I’ve flown ET a few times. They are an okay airline. Fares are pretty good, they keep time often enough etc etc. Seats in J are bog standard, straight from the manufacturer. The local Ethiopian meals are a novelty, but route dependant I believe.

EK is a much, much better airline. You’ll get Chaffeur drive at IAD on a paid J fare. The seat IAD-DXB will be superior to ET’s. If you get an F fare, the DXB F lounge is well worth the extra time. I haven’t been to the J lounge in many years, but I believe at least one has been renovated. You’ll get an older 77W on the DXB-ADD, but (and some on here will disagree) I think that J seat is still better than the even the best ET seat.

I think the overall EK experience is far more polished and refined. I often fly from South Africa to West and East Africa via DXB, so in my opinion EK is worth the extra time.

Wow, that’s a LOT of extra time. / distance.
From your profile it appears you have a foothold in DXB as well, so I guess that you don’t just pass through the airport but also have some business to do in the UAE? (apologies for the personal question which you obviously don’t have to answer)

I don’t view it as massively different from flying to the Americas, Europe or Asia via DXB (or DOH) when there are more direct options (from JNB at least). It just looks weird to do on a map lol.

Yes, I do partly live in DXB so I can (and do) tag on, but even during periods where I didn’t, it still made sense for me. Overnight to DXB, and catch early morning banks to West and East Africa, usually there by lunchtime. Will fly direct for shorter trips of a day or two. It helps that I’m entitled to F for work trips. F on EK or J on a ET / KQ / SA / some other questionable African carrier?

The schedules into the rest of Africa from JNB are generally rough. Take DAR. I can fly 4Z (not daily) and lose either a weekend day or a work day, or fly Air Tanzania (no thanks: unreliable).

Would rather get a proper night’s sleep on EK, have breakfast and a shower in DXB, do emails to DAR in the morning, head straight to meetings that afternoon, rested and caught up.

I agree with all of this. I regularly fly EK into ADD, then use ET when I travel beyond ADD to African destinations not served by EK with a direct connection from DXB. I avoid using FZ.

​​​The DXB-ADD route now uses 777-200s (without F), as well as 777-300s, some with F. I always prefer to purchase an F fare, but the type of aeroplane on that route changes unpredictably now, so I have to go with the flow. I no longer live in Dubai, but EK is such a great airline, any extra time in the air is not a problem for me if I have to double back a bit to DXB.

‘Yeah I only used FZ during the pandemic. Great LCC but a poor full service airline in comparison to EK. The 4Z I referenced is Airlink, a South African airline, which does JNB - DAR direct. Although I think SA have returned to DAR too.