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.
The flight was very smooth, however, the quality of food was mediocre.
It was a good experience - too many times checking at the airport - every time had to remove shoes , belt , laptop etc. that was a bit of exaggerated. The seat had a sharp metal plate -- which torn into my jeans.
Flight was delayed by two hours. This really messed things up because I missed my connecting flight in Addis. I had a meeting in Entebbe which was scrapped because my flight from Addis landed later in the day.
To the Ethiopian Airlines Customer Relations Team, I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding my recent travel experience with Ethiopian Airlines on flight 629/352. Unfortunately, the level of service provided fell significantly short of the standards I expected from your airline. I would like to highlight the following serious issues encountered during the journey: • Cabin Condition and Hygiene: The aircraft cabin was notably poorly maintained. The seating area was dirty, and there was a persistent, unpleasant odor throughout the flight, which made the environment very uncomfortable for passengers. • Inadequate Service: The overall level of service provided by the staff was unsatisfactory and did not reflect a professional passenger experience. • Baggage Loss: Upon arrival, I was informed that my luggage was lost. This is particularly distressing as it has caused significant personal inconvenience and disruption to my schedule. As a frequent traveler, I value reliability and a clean cabin environment. I request that you investigate these matters immediately, provide an update on the status of my missing baggage, and outline how you intend to compensate for these failures in service. I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to my lost luggage claim. Sincerely, Puguh
I will fly this going forward especially for ORD to EBB and the reverse.
We had a good flight experience with this airline despite reading many negative comments
The crew was not helping us in the airports ..Very bad experience..the washrooms are not meeting the expectations..need more good service... The hotel service was good but there is a very long wait time which wasted time to go through..
POSITIVES The hostesses were mostly pleasant, NEGATIVES The full flight wifi was horrible, hardly able to use it. My charger port was not working which made me use my neighbour's port which resulted in an accident which ruined her flight. During dinner, meat ran out when the cart got to us forcing us to eat vegetarian which was not great. We watched everyone around us eating meat. My wifi did not transfer to the second leg of my trip as they promised as they changed the plane. I was thrown off the window seat I booked for the 2nd leg of my journey as they changed planes, all done at my expense. This was not a cheap flight ($2600) which i hurriedly had to book to attend my mother's funeral who passed away suddenly. I was honestly disappointed with the whole saga as I heard Ethiopian Airlines was one of Africa's best.
I was a good, but long trip. The airline did a good job. I would use them again.
gave me complimentary food as the flight was not full and was attentive to my needs
The staff were helpful with good relationships at all levels.- check in,in flight. BUT 1. The food provided was OK but inadequate supply. 2.in selecting my seat during the preboarding check in,I requested Change of seat which I did BUT without advice was charge $$ for this change!!
Boarded late then sat on the Tarmac for 90 minutes for no reason
The plane was almost an hour delayed and then once we were on board, they said that captain didn’t have enough hours left in his day to fly us so they had to find another captain. Surely that could’ve been figured out out in advance. Incredibly frustrating because I missed my connection in Toronto, and it has a result missed the first day of my conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Delayed on tarmac and missed next Air Canada flight by few minutes. Theh should have waited for me.
Terrible… Luggage’s missing for 5-days. Not expedited despite notifying them that insulin and ozempic were in bags and required refrigeration. I’m extremely disappointed. Meds were useless upon delivery as ice pack had dissolved and meds were warm and not useable because their efficacy and potency are now questionable . I’m so disappointed and expecting a full refund for the checked in bags.
Flight issues, landing in Van rough. Attendant on flight to Vancouver was excellent. Delays in Edmonton not your fault but was frustrating
Bad experience flying with air Canada . Seats not comfortable . Checked bag was delayed and was bought home next day by airport employee. Had to buy toiletries since bag was delayed . No compensation was even suggested . Will not fly air canada again
No issues other than paying twice for my seat selection.
The plane in use lacked an entertainment system (perhaps because it was still being updated?). It was an overnight flight so it wasn't terrible but still. The actual seat was adequate but not great. As an economy flyer, food review is largely irrelevant. I am unhappy with this race to the bottom for services provided especially as it applies to baggage restrictions.