Business Class – Ethiopian Airlines (ET)
Flight

Business Class – Ethiopian Airlines (ET)

Ethiopian Airlines offers a solid Business Class on the A350 with lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 layout, good entertainment, and regular drink service. The cabin, however, shows signs of wear quickly. As a Miles & More redemption, the DXB-ADD-ZRH routing is an attractive value proposition thanks to low taxes and a long lie-flat rest period.

MU Written by Muellair
3.7 / 5

And once again we’re heading for Dubai, one is inclined to say, not directly, but from Dubai to Zurich. Why with Ethiopian Airlines? I would like to briefly describe this in this review.

Booking

I booked the flight via the Miles and More website, Dubai is in the same mileage zone as North Africa, so you can fly one-way to Europe in Business Class for 35,000 miles. Egypt Air mostly uses narrowbodies on this route (DXB-CAI) and then it would be three hours in a Swiss or Lufthansa A321, which is no fun. Swiss is of course also possible, but in contrast to Ethiopian Airlines, the fees and taxes inexplicably cost four times as much. On the plus side, with Ethiopian you can spend almost twice as much time in lie-flat business class. The final booked routing was DXB-ADD-MXP-ZRH, all with Ethiopian Airlines.

Aircraft on taxiway with passenger plane in background

Check-In

The check-in in Dubai went smoothly, but it is exciting to see what the fellow passengers check in for ADD and onward flights, as 4 pieces of luggage per person are sometimes not enough.

Security check and passport control

The security check and departure went smoothly and quickly. The electronic passport controls were also active, so you didn’t have to queue with a Swiss or EU passport

Boarding started on time, with Business Class guests and status customers first, the advantage being that you can use the overhead bins with hand baggage without them being full.

A review of the lounge in DXB can be found here, the Cloude 9 Lounge is described here

Cabin

The cabin in the Airbus A350 is mostly furnished in the Lufthansa familiar 2-2-2. The colors used (red) bring some life into the cabin, one is inclined to say.

Business class seating row with red seats and headrests in an airplane
Business class seat with pillow and armrest in an airplane
Business class seats with red cushions and headrests inside an airplane

The entertainment system has a generous selection of movies, series and music. The headphones are of average quality, but are sufficient for a short trip.

Control panel for seat positioning and headrest in an airplane
Business class seat with screen displaying video announcement
Headphones in plastic packaging on pillow
Power outlets and USB port in Ethiopian Airlines' business class

Unfortunately the cabins look used up very quickly, I don’t know what it could be.

Catering

When it came to the food, I opted for the meat.

Healthy salad plate with vegetables in white bowl on table
Healthy meal in business class with salad, meat dish, and bread
Table setting with rice, vegetables, and meat in sauce

The selection of drinks was good and there was a regular drinks service.

Business Class menu with various dishes
Glass with ice cubes on napkin with label
Business Class menu with dishes and desserts
Wine menu featuring three wine options: Champagne, white wine, and another white wine
Wine menus featuring various red wines and descriptions
Business Class drink menu on Ethiopian Airlines
Wine menus with descriptions of Spanish and French red wines and dessert wine
Non-alcoholic beverages menu for Business Class on Ethiopian Airlines
Glass of champagne on napkin with label

Conclusion

It’s fun to fly with Ethiopian, changing planes in ADD is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the last leg MXP-ZRH is also fun in a 787.

Rating Breakdown

Seat
3.5/5
Service
3.5/5
Verpflegung
3.5/5
Entertainment
3.5/5
Value
4.5/5
Overall 3.7 / 5

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Ethiopian AirlinesBusiness ClassAirbus A350Boeing 787Lie FlatDubaiAddis AbabaZurichMailandMiles And MoreStar AllianceAward Flight

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