Ethiopian Airlines | The new spirit of Africa.

We took ET852 TNR – ADD and ET859 ADD – JNB, both in J class as part of a miles redemption. Their business class sector is termed as Cloud Nine.

We had some issue with check in at TNR airport as the airline system did not allow us to check in direct to South Africa. They required a visa number if not they could not proceed, but the thing is we do not require a visa to enter South Africa, moreover we had onward boarding passes back to Singapore. After a long wait, our bags were checked to JNB while we were issued manual boarding passes. This is a rare one as it is not everyday someone writes your flight details on a ticket. We had free access to the lounge as biz class passengers, but by the time we were done with checkin and security, we barely had enough time, so we just proceeded straight to the boarding gate.

We had two flight segments on Ethiopian! TNR-ADD-JNB. We flew on the B737-800 instead of the originally scheduled MAX8 which is currently being grounded. Even though there was an unfortunate incident with Ethiopian in March this year, it does not mean that we should boycott the airline. No airline would want their plane to crash because it would result in loss of profits and a bad reputation. 

As TNR airport does not have aerobridges, we had to go through manual boarding. It was a short walk on the tarmac to the plane, so there was no need for a shuttle bus.

Inside the plane, we were greeted by the staff and showed to our seats. They helped us to stow our handcarry luggage and served us welcome drinks – champagne for me and orange juice for the lady.

After all passengers were boarded, we waited for about 10 minutes on the ground before the signal for take-off was cleared.We flew out of TNR over Tanzania, Kenya before entering Ethiopian airspace. Although there was a direct flight from TNR to JNB, it was really expensive so I chose to do a miles redemption instead and try out the J class in Ethiopian.

I had the chance to try different types of wine, including Port wine for dessert. It has been my favourite since my visit to Portugal, but not easily found everywhere.

We started off with appetisers of smoked beef filet with peppers and a mushroom salad.

For the main course, I had the Tso chicken with steamed rice. Ethiopians also like to eat rice just like us in Asia. This dish paired well with a French red wine, although a white one would lighten the taste so we can better enjoy the spices used in the dish.

My lady got the fragrant beef stew with roasted potatoes. Both options suited our tastebuds and the marinade used was enough for flavour, but not too overbearing.

For desserts, we were served an assortment of cheese and a slice of opera cake. This time round I had Port wine to pair with the food.

The service on Ethiopian was impeccable, they served us well and made sure we were comfortable during our flight. Through our communication, they even managed to prepare a birthday cake surprise for my wife in their Tana office and she was totally caught off guard. The pilot announced it to the whole cabin and everyone sang the birthday song for her with the lovely crew. I think it’s a memorable experience on Cloud 9 as they served us cake and champagne for the birthday celebration. The food was delicious as well and overall it was a pleasant flight. The crew were helpful in taking photos for us and willingly posed for a photo.

It was sunset when we touched down at ADD. It was a remote parking site so a shuttle bus reserved for the Cloud 9 Business class passengers sent us to the airport terminal. In our haste to exit the plane, I left behind a portable charger. We tried to get the ground crew to retrieve it for us but after going one round it was claimed that they did not find it.

The ground staff at ADD has got lots to work on. They took a long time to print our onward boarding pass to JNB due to some weird visa issue when we don’t need visa for SA and also the airport wifi was not working. The flight transfer was messy as there were no clear instructions given. At the lounge, I tried doro wot (Ethiopian spicy chicken stew) and it was yummy! You could also join in a group discussion on how to appreciate Ethiopian coffee.

For the ADD outgoing leg, I was quite tired by then, so I slept throughout the 4h flight to JNB and did not get to try the food on board.

So fly with Ethiopian airlines if you have the chance. I only had a stopover in Addis Ababa this time but Ethiopia is definitely on my list of countries to visit! Till next time.