zhaobao

Hello - making a booking xxx to ADD to a domestic destination within Ethiopia on ET. Official MCT is one hour per https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/AA/EN/services/airport/minimum-connecting-time. If I am arriving at 6am, I wonder how long I would have to queue at immigration/baggage/customs. Not sure if I can manage to get the e visa working so may have to get visa on arrival as well. For those of you who have made this connection recently, or have landed at ADD from outside of Ethiopia on ET recently, what would you recommend ? Oh yeah, I would have to spend a few minutes at customs too as I want to register my cell phone so that I can buy a local sim card to use.

fbruno

The MCT submitted to the GDS'es for ET-ET connections in ADD is only 15 minutes.
Not sure if this is an error or not, but they anyway sell connections of 20 minutes on their website.
(Check e.g. DAR>NBO on 21NOV on the ET site, the first connection at 5am has only 20 minutes connecting time in ADD)

Probably people book this every now and then, so would think they're used to such a connections. Heard they even sometimes bus people from plane to plane, without going via the terminal.

B747-437B

I/D inter-terminal connections with just 1 hour are not workable at present because of the terminal construction work which makes landside transit from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 somewhat difficult.

If you are on an I/D connection within Terminal 1, it should be fine however.

I/I or D/D connections at Addis are workable with the 20 minute MCT, even between terminals as long as you stay airside. As noted, they will simply bus passengers directly between aircraft without even entering the terminal.

ET359

How does the I/D connecting process work at ADD ? I've never done it nor seen a blog about it, so I've always wondered

B747-437B

You clear immigration/customs and then transfer landside. Nothing special.

There used to be one flight to Dire Dawa and/or Jijiga (which continued on to either Hargeisa/Djibouti) that actually left from the international area, but I'm not sure if they still have that one.

zhaobao

Not knowing where the domestic flight departs means that we would have to assume that the connection may be inter-terminal... OK should I budget 2 hours then ?

B747-437B

All domestic flights depart from Terminal 1.

International flights could arrive at T1 or T2 depending on airline and route.

kpc

B747-437B or others. My transit time in Add in november has been reduced to 45 mins (previously 90 mins) due to a schedule change on the 2nd sector, travelling ET in J on both legs: Cpt-Add (ET846)-Kgl (ET821). MCT at ADD for I/I on ET is an incredible 20 mins if it can be believed according to: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa...onnecting-time Is 45mins realistic, and will my check bag make it? Do they still do tarmac bus transfers at ADD for int to int? Thanks

edit: Expert Flyer suggests MCT I/I is: 45 minutes
Minimum Connect Times

STANDARD .D/D...D/I...I/D...I/I.
ONLINE .30 1.00 1.00 .45
OFFLINE .30 1.00 1.00 .45

b_magee

Yup, 45 minutes is a very do-able connection. Bus transfers still happen for int to int (Saw it happen earlier this month due to a late inbound). I actually found that transfers within the terminal seem to be much smoother now that the security check has been relocated. Overall, ADD is a well-oiled machine for tight connections.

Are you travelling in J / Do you have *G status?

kpc

We are in J on ET on both legs. Does it make a difference? Is there a transit security to negotiate? Do we have to request the bus transfer (and how?) or does it occur automatically? Grateful for all insights as we have never been to Add before!...and quite nervous about the 45 min transit!!

ETStar

You'll make it unless delayed arriving from CPT. When leaving aircraft you may be met by staff calling for passengers to Kigali and other tight connections, they’ll rush you through.

In morning arrivals from North America, you’ll hear same staff calling for Accra, Nairobi and Cape Town passengers, these are some of the earliest departures and require fast tracking.

b_magee

There is transit security in the terminal in ADD, but J/*G gets a dedicated line (which is why I asked), though sometimes you can avoid it altogether (For example, inbound flights arriving at the terminal gates often have connecting passengers routing straight up to the departures area - Usually for North America / UK / Europe Flights). However, most of the gates are remote bus gates, so good chance you'll take a bus to the terminal (J has a dedicated bus!). And as ETStar stated, if it's a really really tight connection they may have someone calling out your destination when you step off the plane and rush you separately to your next flight (often directly to the plane, bypassing the terminal altogether)

They often don't even start calling out destinations in the Cloud Nine or Star Gold lounges until 20-30 minutes prior to departure time.

ADD is one of the few airports in the world where I don't sweat connections under an hour.

kpc

Thanks very much for the reassurance! Even with the original 90 min transit, if the inbound from Cpt is really late, i will be stuffed anyway. As it is on one PNR, I guess, ET would put me on the 1110 flight to Kigali the next am. Is there a hotel at Add?

Edit: Just looked through the delays for ET846 (Cpt to Add) on Flightradar 24...in the last one year, ET 846 was only delayed more than 25 minutes (so leaves 20 mins which is MCT at Add) 8 times!...meaning that it usually arrives on time or with minor delays

kpc

Just reading this thread: Connecting / transitting at Add

It sounds like it is up to ET ground staff to proactively offer the arriving plane to departing plane transfer bus service for tight connections. You cannot request it. Is this correct?

If a bus transfer service is not offered, I will likely be bussed (separate bus for J passengers) to the terminal and take an escalator up to mezzanine level terminal; I then follow the green connection signs to an escalator up to the departure level. From the video in the above link, the Fast Track security for Cloud (J) and Star Gold passengers) is to the left of the escalator, and opposite gate 10....and security check is done here (will there be a long Q at 10pm?), and then I can access any of the gates from 1-10 post security for my flight to Kigali. Thanks for any clarification .

ETStar

Correct. It’s not a service you request, it’s the airline being proactive to help it’s customers meet the connecting flights. It’s not possible.

10PM is prime time for the evening bank which starts at 9:45pm. Widebody upon widebody leaving during that time. From what I recall last time I flew out, one security check for all flights then you can go to gate. Unless North American flight where you have another set it security to go through.

For a relatively smaller airport, they pump many people through every day. And the issue is not just airport infrastructure and airline operations, but the people: language barriers, different levels of courtesy. Attitudes and entitlements.