What to expect on Ethiopian IAD-ADDin C?
 

Flying on a 777-300 IAD-ADD in seats 3L and K.
Online chatter seems to say that the airline is a little rundown but more than satisfactory.
I just hope they stock a good bar!

Thanks!

Wouldn't say the airline is run-down. Average age of their 777's is around 5 years, but of course are a bit older than their 787/A350 long-haul planes. Any complaints about something being run-down related to ET tend to be more directed to their ADD hub or regional fleet - but they are working on it.

Business class (Cloud Nine) on ET 777 is a lie flat seat with plenty of leg room, though in a bit of an odd 2-3-2 configuration as discussed here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...s-seats-5.html
They've been known to sub in 787 on short notice, but that route has been fairly solidly flown by their 777 fleet recently.

I've found service in cloud nine has always been top notch - friendly and attentive.

Spent 18 combined hours from ORD-ADD and ADD-JNB the other day.

They were my first two flights on ET and I loved it. The FAs came by frequently to top off beverages, and the meals were quite good in both size and taste.

I flew on a 788 and an A359, but surprisingly, both planes showed some wear and tear. Scuffs left by shoes were evident at the floor level and armrests showed peeling. Not the worst I've ever seen, and did not detract from the business class experience.

The ADD connection was not something I'd like to experience again, though. I had over an hour to connect, but the lines were so long that I still needed to be brought up to the front by an airline representative.

If parked at a remote stand, you'll get a dedicated bus as a business class passenger.

The 777s have (IMHO) the most comfortable seats in Cloud Nine of the entire fleet. The are true lie-flat seats with very comfortable padding, good leg space and good shoulder room as well. I sleep well on these (although I also sleep just fine in Economy Class exit rows, so maybe not the best example!).

3KL are the pair by the window, so you don't have to deal with the awful middle seat.

There is a small difference between the seats on the older pair of 77Ws (ET-APX/APY) and the newer pair (ET-ASK/ASL), which is that the IFE has a larger screen on the latter. That aside, the seats are identical (as are the seats on the 77L should that be swapped for any reason).

I particularly enjoy the Cloud Nine catering that features BOTH the Ethiopian traditional selection as well as an international menu selection (yes, you are invited to and even EXPECTED to eat two main courses). If you don't know Ethiopian food, just ask the crew to make up a selection for you - they love doing that and explaining what pairs best with what. Like most African airlines, the bar is free flowing and they take genuine pleasure in ensuring your glass is always topped up.

ET may be nothing fancy, but I've never walked away from an ET Cloud Nine experience with a negative impression. The crew do everything they can to make your flight pleasant (in sharp contrast to many other more "premium" carriers) and that goes a long way towards creating a positive memory.

I have only flown ET on EZE-GRU in Business but was very suprised how good service they provided on that short route. Very nice crew! Champagne and food was great :)

I thought one would be a bite-sized portion, but nope... both were full entrees. I had the spicy chicken stew as the Ethiopian National Food option, and I believe I had a regular chicken with boiled potatoes. I forgot the sauce, but it was yellow (not curry). I'm usually able to finish off most meals, but even I had to tap out.

The 2 entree option was only served from ADD-JNB; ORD-ADD only saw 1 main course followed by a canape about 6-7 hours in, and the pre-landing snack about an hour prior to landing.

Thanks all! Sounds like We're in for an enjoyable trip.

The itin says we stop somewhere on the way back for an hour. I assume that's for gas?

Yes. You will stop in Dublin for re-fuelling. The altitude of ADD proves to be a challenge, so the NA bound flights make a technical stop in Dublin. Usually around an hour. Cleaning crews will come through and make a sweep of the cabin and freshen up the lavs too.

What lounge does ET use at ORD? It is not listed on the *A lounge page.

I think it was the Air France/Skyteam lounge. I didn't use it as I wanted to get my steps in before such a long flight.

There is a SWISS lounge but it opens well after ET511 has departed.

So do they let you deplane?

Both the Swiss ans SAS lounges open for their operations, which are later than the ET mid-morning departures.

No. They aircraft doesn't even park near the terminal but rather in a remote spot for quickest turnaround time. There are sometimes 3-4 Ethiopian aircraft on ground together at Dublin depending on the day of week (Chicago, Washington, Toronto and Los Angeles flights) and only the Los Angeles one actually parks at the terminal since it carries local traffic.

See my bolded quote. "It opens well after ET511 has departed." In other words, someone on ET511 cannot access that lounge. So, the AF lounge it is.

ET has this on their site, but Chicago isn't listed:

https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/GA...ential/Lounges

Using the Star Alliance lounger finder tool, it recommends the United Club (which I don't recommend, as it's too far away and that the airport intra-train service is still down).

There's only 1 or 2 open lines for T5 security. Even though there were about 15 people ahead of me the other day, it took about 40 minutes to get through the checkpoint. It's too bad that there isn't a Gold Track offering for T5. One could take the T3-T5 shuttle, but there's limited operating hours and I didn't really feel like checking for the time every few minutes.