The following is a review for a flight from Johannesburg to Washington, DC with a connection at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and refueling landing at Rome, Italy. The flight was provided by Ethiopian Airlines. There were two of us: me and my wife on this flight. Everything was on time. Enough legroom between the seats, I was able to stretch my legs and sleep for at least some time during the 14 hour second flight (19 hours in total for both flights). Very decent meals that included two lunches and one breakfast on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington and one lunch on the flight from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa. The lunch choices were beef, chicken and fish, I think the vegetarian option was available as well, accompanied with beans. The breakfast was a choice between egg and pancake, accompanied with a fruit salad. The egg breakfast was awesome, it came with a scrambled egg and a sausage. However, my wife mentioned unusual taste of the pancake breakfast meal, by all means those were not pancakes. What wasn't good: Externally initiated commercials on the infosystem screens, you couldn't turn the screen off. These commercials were accompanied by loud and annoying music, transmitted through the entire cabin. Obviously, there was no escape from this music as well. Additional moment: on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington, DC, we landed at Rome for refueling. This was totally fine and it was in the flight itinerary. But, the flight attendant asked me to straighten the seat while we were at the steady position during the refueling. I can't rationalize this order except that some people just like to be a boss of some kind. Keeping the light lit in the economy cabin while keeping it dimmed in the first class also didn't improve my and my wife's feelings. Overall, the services were very good and the flight, despite its longevity, went on very smoothly.
8.0 ExcellentVladimir A, Jun 2026JNB - ADD
Read more Ethiopian Air reviewsThe following is a review for a flight from Johannesburg to Washington, DC with a connection at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and refueling landing at Rome, Italy. The flight was provided by Ethiopian Airlines. There were two of us: me and my wife on this flight. Everything was on time. Enough legroom between the seats, I was able to stretch my legs and sleep for at least some time during the 14 hour second flight (19 hours in total for both flights). Very decent meals that included two lunches and one breakfast on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington and one lunch on the flight from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa. The lunch choices were beef, chicken and fish, I think the vegetarian option was available as well, accompanied with beans. The breakfast was a choice between egg and pancake, accompanied with a fruit salad. The egg breakfast was awesome, it came with a scrambled egg and a sausage. However, my wife mentioned unusual taste of the pancake breakfast meal, by all means those were not pancakes. What wasn't good: Externally initiated commercials on the infosystem screens, you couldn't turn the screen off. These commercials were accompanied by loud and annoying music, transmitted through the entire cabin. Obviously, there was no escape from this music as well. Additional moment: on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington, DC, we landed at Rome for refueling. This was totally fine and it was in the flight itinerary. But, the flight attendant asked me to straighten the seat while we were at the steady position during the refueling. I can't rationalize this order except that some people just like to be a boss of some kind. Keeping the light lit in the economy cabin while keeping it dimmed in the first class also didn't improve my and my wife's feelings. Overall, the services were very good and the flight, despite its longevity, went on very smoothly.
I paid for internet that did not work and had to pay more to have it
A bit chaotic boarding flight but over all good experience.
We had a good flight experience with this airline despite reading many negative comments
The crew were amazing. They should improve the inflight entertainment
The plane was ok, I was in business class and was surprised there were no pods and each seat was right next to another one. That said it was comfortable and the food and coffee were good. Entertainment wise again I was surprised to see only movies and no TV shows. Check-in at Toronto Pearson was an absolute disaster, which was especially disappointing as I was a business class passenger. There was no dedicated staffing for the business counter and four (4) airlines employees assisted one economy class passenger for about 15 minutes when one could have easily assisted me. Overall room for improvement, particularly in the on-ground experience and airplane infrastructure.
The plane was old and the luggage racks above us were visibly shaking during turbulence. Water was dripping on our heads during landing. Our flight was over 2 hours late departing but we were not updated or told what to expect as the screen at the gate continued to read “on time”
Check in took over an hour because printer was not working. Attendant did not know how to give free layover Addis Ababa hotel vouchers or update frequent flyer number. After repeated attempts, got voucher emailed. However hotel wanted printed voucher hence more delay. Bus time from hotel back to airport was printed 4:50 hours, but hotel reception called at 3 pm saying bus will leave at 4 pm. Then hotel reception called again saying 4:15 pm. We rushed at 4:15 pm and bus was not ready until 4:40 pm. Many audio outlets were not working in planes.
I have my baggage left either in Jeddah or Addis and undelivered to Abuja
They only gave us 30 minutes to make an international connecting flight. We didn’t make the connection but they did do a good job rebooking us despite the chaos. Our bags didn’t make it back and their process for customer support is pretty bad when it comes to luggage.
It was a horrible experience that I hope not to try it again. Rude stuff Poor food Always delayed schedules Lost baggages
Friendly staff from check in until the crew very helpful and smooth
Departed late Arrived about 40 minutes late The plane parked at the domestic terminal requiring transfer back to international arrivals
Very bad no tv no water no food absolute pathetic ! Couldn’t take zam zam ! No free zam zam water allowance! Dont travel
Poor airlines no infotainment system no food not even water was offered… absolutely not recommended! Nasmiles was not counted couldnt log in flynas app ! The app doesnt work with booking PNR! Please dont fly on these pathetic budget airlines!
Overall a poor experience…. No infotainment system no charging port no food was offered! Not recommended
It was hot inside as the air conditioner was not working and the crew members were not courteous
the seat you book will always be taken by someone else..…
Nothing The flight delayed for more than 3 hours as usual
In the future, it is preferable to provide free snacks
Kayak offered terrible customer service. The 2nd of 3 flights were cancelled and it took me an hour on the phone to try to cancel the other 2. I had to call back later to get someone to assist. I was calling internationally and an already stressful situation was made worse.
Moderate carrier , one of the flight attendant crashed my leg with the food table and never bothered to apologia but give you a lecture about how to sit in your seat.
If the flight was full I would have been more uncomfortable as the space was small. The seat in front of me was very close, I wear transition lenses and it was too close for a comfortable viewing experience. The foot room was not the best either. The row was empty so I had shoulder width space. The foot space in my opinion could be better, I am just 6ft tall, medium built and found the space mediocre. The AC on the flight could have been cooler. We were delaed on the tarmac and the air con was warm. Even in the air, it could have been cooler. Apart from that excellent service crew, we were delayed on the tarmac and water was offered to us which was of good temperature. The snacks offered were acceptable. Thanks for a safe and smooth journey.
Boarding from T3 is a nightmare for the transfer to the aircraft.
BEST air crew in the industry and service delivery takes it to the next level from great to AMAZING!!!
No TVs are working, in my local busses also not work sometimes. Is the both are same,,
The timing for this flight is really odd.. at 4.45AM If it was 1AM or 8AM it would be great. I guess its probably for European connecting flights with Emirates? Anyway, for a budget airline, the business class product in FlyDubai is quite decent. You even get Champagne, although 4AM is an off time to have it. The Throne seat for me while is great for privacy, sleeping isn't great for the foot extension. This flight is great for me due to its direct nature but if Emirates did it, I would choose that.
The quality is worse and worse , this business ticket pricing is overpriced !!!!
The Plane was very small.. domestic route will perfect not international
If I have a choice I would not use this airline. They moved by booking to Smart Wings, an airline they code share with. Changing terminals in buses and dealing with some of the staff associated with it is not the best experience. Having stated that I must share that the crew of Smart Wings airlines was polite.