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Flying High On Cloud Nine: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class Review

ADDIS ABABA Following our review of Ethiopian Airlines economy class, this is the second of a three part series on on the airline, with this segment focusing on their business class service called Cloud Nine. NYCAviation had the opportunity to review this service on two international flights: Washington Dulles to Addis Ababa and Addis Ababa to Johannesburg. Ethiopian provided the flights to NYCA at no charge, flying on both legs in September 2011.

Part I: Addis to DC

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 501
Service to Addis Ababa from Washington Dulles
Boeing 777‐200LR ET‐ANR
Dep: 1201/EDT Arr: 0738/EAT
Seat 03H / Cloud Nine Business Class

Stepping onto the curb in a rainy Washington, DC, I made my way to the Ethiopian Airlines counter, which is tucked in the back off to one side. Check‐in was short and sweetabout 15 minutes start to finish. I took advantage of ETHs two‐checked‐bags policy and left one bag in their care. At the ticket counter I had been assigned seat 20B, but at the gate I was upgraded to seat 03H in Cloud Nine.

(Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren)

Boarding was a breeze. Cloud Nine passengers, members of ShebaMiles? and other preferred‐status folks boarded first. I was the third person to walk onto the large, new Boeing 777‐200LR (ET‐ANR). Ethiopians business class on the B772 (the airline has no first class) is configured as 2‐3‐2, with 03H in the middle section on the aisle. As the passengers settled in before we departed on this 12+ hour flight, drinks ranging from juice to liquor and copies of Le Monde and The Washington Post were offered.

Dulles was unusually slow that day, which allowed a nearly on‐time departure (about 10 minutes late) from Runway 33. A Saudi Arabian Airbus A340‐300 and the ever‐elusive Boeing 747SP on the remote ramp enhanced the view as the 777s wonderfully massive GE‐90 engines spooled up. We climbed out over the Washington Metro area and headed northeast.

Following an hour long power nap just after departure, I awoke to the sounds of drinks being served. A selection of juice, soda and top‐shelf liquor was offered along with salted airplane shaped crackers. Lunch service followed shortly thereafter.

The hors doeuvres were sweet chili bay scallops, citrus‐cured smoked salmon and sliced bresaola (air‐dried beef) served with salad and warm bread and butter. The beef was spicy and good. I dont eat fish and so passed up the other choices, but they looked excellent. A salad, also provided, was okay.

(Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren)

We were asked to choose an entre: beef, chicken, fish or vegetarian. I opted for the seasoned chicken breast with vegetables in teriyaki sauce and rice with asparagus. The meal was good and satisfyingthe chicken was tender and moist, the vegetables crisp and warm. It came with more bread and butter. After the meal, desserta slice of coconut cheesecake for me. Service was quick and friendly (perhaps too quick: While no one rushed me through a course, I couldnt help but feel a bit hurried), and capped off by the traditional coffee service.

Four hours in the sun was already setting. While much of the cabin settled in for the night, I went for the entertainment system. A wide selection of TV and movies in multiple languages are available along with games, flight tracking maps and other options. The touch screen is large; 15.4 inches wide. With the screen nestled into the seat back in front of you it requires a stretch to reach, but the tethered remote takes care of that. The remote itself is a bit less intuitive than I wouldve liked, and at times it was easier to use the touch screen than fiddle with it. The airline provided a bagged set of their own headphones, which got the job done. During the flight I watched a few movies, some TV, and played BlackJack? (a shame that it wasnt with real money).

(Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren)

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Ethiopian Joins Star Alliance With Big Growth In Mind

Ethiopian Joins Star Alliance With Big Growth In Mind
By Jens Flottau

Ethiopian Airlines is looking at Asia for future network expansion now that the airline has officially joined Star Alliance. We are considering Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou as additional destinations, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said on the sidelines of the official joining ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ethiopian, which was invited to join the alliance in late 2010, became the 28th Star member and was sponsored by Lufthansa through the process. It is also the third African airline to become part of Star after South African Airways and Egyptair. We have taken a large step forward in completing our Africa strategy, says Jaan Albrecht, the departing alliance CEO. Ethiopian fills a network gap in the middle of the continent that neither Egyptair nor SAA can fill on its own. The airline is one of a small group of African carriers that is growing its long-haul network in spite of the massive expansion of European and Middle Eastern carriers in the region. Its largest regional competitor is Kenya Airways.

Ethiopians long-haul growth plans are centered on its order for 10 Boeing 787-8s, the first of which is now due to arrive in mid-2012, three years later than planned. The delay was very painful for Ethiopian, but it was worth waiting for, Tewolde says.

Another growth project is running into delays as well. Last year, Ethiopian, Egyptair and SAA announced plans to set up one or more joint-venture airlines to be able to better cover Western Africa. Ethiopian has already set up ASKY, a joint venture with local investors in Togo that was planned to be used as the basis for an expanded effort. ASKY currently operates three Boeing 737-700s and one Bombardier Q400. While the plan to bring Egyptair and SAA in as additional investors and grow ASKY is still active, according to Tewolde, it seems to be very much on the back burner right now. The Ethiopian CEO concedes that in order to grow ASKY they would have to add bases in other West African countries, but it has not yet reached the stage where any particular site has been considered. We need more time for that, Tewolde says.

Given the Egyptian revolution earlier this year, Egyptair is still very much focused on getting load factors and traffic up to previous levels and building connecting markets through Cairo in order to be less dependent on local demand. The airline is also undergoing a leadership change that is making investment decisions more difficult right now.

SAA has had several unpleasant experiences in its history when it tried to invest in other African airlines and is taking a slow approach as well.

One factor that is making the ASKY expansion more complex is that Lagos, Nigeria, would be the obvious base from an economic point of view, but politics is making such a project a tough proposition.

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Ethiopian increases Star Alliance presence in Africa

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) on Tuesday became the 28th member of Star Alliance, as the alliance network in Africa grows. ET is Stars third carrier based in Africa, joining Egyptair and South African Airways (ATW Daily News, Sept. 28, 2010). ET serves 62 international and 17 domestic destinations.

“Today we have taken a large step forward in completing our Africa strategy,” said outgoing Star CEO Jaan Albrecht Tuesday at the signing ceremony at Addis Ababas Bole International Airport (ADD). “With Ethiopian Airlines now part of the Star Alliance network, we offer our customers the widest choice of flights connecting to, from and within Africa. Moreover, Ethiopian Airlines will bring the Star Alliance customer benefits to more markets across Africa, a region of the world in which air travel is enjoying steady growth rates.”

With the addition of ET, the Star Alliance network in Africa is growing to cover major commercial and political cities of the continent particularly in East, Central and West Africa. The 16 Star member carriers serving Africa offer more than 750 daily flights to over 110 destinations in 48 countries on the continent, with Addis Ababa, Cairo and Johannesburg serving as the main hubs.

We worked hard during the integration process to join the alliance, ET CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told ATW on the sidelines of the ceremony. ET has fulfilled around 80 necessary requirements to join Star in about 14 months.

ETs fleet of 48 aircraft comprises five Boeing 777-200LRs, 11 767-300ERs, seven 757-200s, two 757-200Fs, two 747Fs, two MD-11Fs, five 737-700NGs, six 737-800NGs and eight Bombardier Q400NGs.

The carrier has on order 10 787s (ATW Daily News, Jan. 21, 2010), 12 A350-900s and nine 737-800s.

The 787 touched down Sunday at ADD to kick off the Africa portion of Boeings Dream Tour, a six-month worldwide tour, before traveling to Nairobi, Kenya. During the four-day stop, ET executives and employees, government officials and other guests got the chance to view the airplane, including the interior.

“Ethiopian Airlines will be the first airline in Africa to operate this great new flying machine,” Gebremariam said. He told ATW, Besides the very painful delay of our [Boeing] 787 for nearly three years, it was worth the wait. We expect the first of four 787s to be delivered in July [2012]. By 2025, we want become the leading aviation group in Africa, which currently carries 18 million passengers and 710,000 tons cargo annually.

Gebremariam said the carriers 767 fleet retirement should be completed in 2013. One 767-300 is going out right now, another three 757-200s are leaving the fleet [in] February/March 2012, he said.

It is expected that Star will announce its new CEO Wednesday in Addis. The next Star members are expected to be Avianca/Taca and Copa Airlines, which are slated to join the alliance in the 2012 second quarter (ATW Daily News, Nov. 22).

01:54:16 pm, Categories: Ethiopian News, 466 words