Hello fellow aviation enthusiasts!

In the middle of January I had the pleasure of flying aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner of Ethiopian Airlines. Flight ET706 would bring me from Addis Ababa to Frankfurt with a flight time of 6 hours and 55 minutes. Departure time from ADD would be 11:20 AM local time with arrival in FRA around 4 PM.

I will not post too many pictures from this flight, but if you are interested in lots of footage, then check out this video from the flight, which includes the safety demonstration, takeoff, landing and lots of inflight photos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KgOuv6bNzg


Having made seat reservations months in advance, it turned out that ET does not always follow these reservations. Since I did not get the initial seat I had reserved on the flight to Ethiopia, I made sure that I checked in online the day before departure from Ethiopia. I am glad I did this, as the initial seat, 29A, was already occupied. The only remaining window seat in the entire cabin would be seat 33L. This made me a bit nervous, since I knew one of the seat rows in the back of the plane did not have a window. Fortunately for me, those seats turned out to be in row 35.

On the day of departure everything from entering the airport, to check-in and passport control went smoothly. Bole Airport serves as the main port of entry to the country of Ethiopia and is the hub of the national airline which is wholly-owned by the Ethiopian government. The airport has two terminals, one international and one domestic. The international terminal is easy to navigate and during the morning rush hours there are plenty of flights to all over Africa, so at times it felt a bit congested. This became especially apparent at the security check-point. To put it mildly, there was seemingly no system, and there was only one scanner for 4 gates, with passengers to both Frankfurt, Ndjamena and Nairobi departing around the same time. Boarding started and we would be transported by bus to ET-AOS sparkling her beauty on a remote stand.

Boarding this beauty who would be taking me back to Europe




As I was one of the first passengers on-board I got to enjoy some apron views of ADD. I noticed that there were some discussions between fellow passengers and the crew, because people who traveled together had been split up and would not be seated together on this seven hour flight. It seemed like the effect of ET not caring for seat reservations and the likes, but luckily for me I was well seated in 33L.


Takeoff was rather turbulent and the climbing was slow. ADD is after all 2334 meters above sea-level, which probably contributed to the slow climb. There was barely a single cloud until we reached the Mediterranean Sea and that offered some spectacular views of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, and for hours the only thing you could see was the Sahara Desert. For a long time we followed the Blue Nile, and before I knew it I could see the Nile River itself. We followed the Nile until we reached Lake Nasser in Egypt.


Right before we reached Lake Nasser the cabin crew came through the cabin with the hot meals. There was a choice between chicken and fish. I opted for the chicken, which was spicy, but delicious. Actually, it was one of the best meals I have had on any long-haul flight in economy. Prior to this we were served a small snack of biscuits shaped as airplanes, which was a cool feature, as well as drinks. The second service was a muffin and drinks and that was served somewhere over the Adriatic Sea.


My entertainment, alongside the spectacular scenery, was the inflight maps. The IFE included lots of movies and music from all around the world, as well as several games and infomercials. No shortages in entertainment on this bird.


State-of-the-Art window shades   


Athens, alongside the Greek islands of Crete and Milos came into view across an otherwise cloudy European sky.


Landing in Frankfurt was just like any other arrival in Frankfurt, which from an aviation enthusiast's point of view is not a bad one. 

Even though the Dreamliner has its share of problems, it is truly a great experience to fly with. Ethiopian Airlines also offers great service, with friendly crew and on-time departures and arrivals. If you have the chance to fly with The New Spirit of Africa, I recommend you to do it. Not only that, but Ethiopia itself is a beautiful and peaceful country. I really recommend everyone to travel there, because it will be an adventure of a life-time.


Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
ILoveFigures

Great pix. Thanks for sharing, the food looks yummy too  

Thanks, I was just taking a look through the trip reports this evening as I am off to Ethiopia on the same route in March. Looking forward to my first 788 experience.

Hi there!

Glad to see you had a nice experience with Ethiopian and its' Dreamliner!

Also, I really loved the close-up shots from the ground. Those are really the best photos!

So, after your nearly 7 hours flight, did you notice any difference with your personal well-being compared to flying let say, a 747 or 737?

Bon Voyage,

AirAfreak  

Quoting AirAfreak (Reply 3):

When I think about it, I did feel more relaxed than I usually do when traveling long-haul. It is a very comfy plane to travel on, and it does feel very spacious. The leg-room on ET's Dreamliners is also very good, although there are foot-rests.

Quoting ILoveFigures (Thread starter): I will not post too many pictures from this flight,

Clearly you don't know your audience! 

Great report though! Im very eager to try ET!

Quoting cipango (Reply 5):

LOL! That's why I posted the video link. You can see all the cool stuff from the flight there.   

I recommend flying ET if you ever have the chance. Cool airline!

Thank you for sharing this great report!

ET look really good here. Will definitely consider flying them when I plan to visit Africa.

Thanks again!

Adam

Quoting ab486 (Reply 7):

They are a very nice airline indeed! =)

Hi Ilovefigures,
Excellent report. Though I will echo the comment that there is no need to cut down the number of photos!
I flew ET's 787 myself in March and April, and am currently compiling my report - it was interesting to see your perspective on a similar flight (mine were to and from Paris).
Thanks again
signol

Hi Ilovefigures,

Great trip report. Some nice shots during boarding, with clear colours.

The meal offered during you flight looks quite substantial and its good to learn that it was tasty.

Thanks for sharing. EN

A lot of people complain about the seats?

Did you find them uncomfortable?

Did you require vaccinations for Ethiopia?

Nice video. What camera do you use?

How was the weather in Ethiopia?

Thanks.

[Edited 2015-06-24 07:42:27]

Thanks for sharing your report   ET's 787 looks fantastic, and they seem like a fantastic airline as well. The food also looked really well presented for airline food. I look forward to flying on ET at some point.  

-rta

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 11):

The seats were comfortable and the interior of the plane is quite modern. I use Canon EOS 1100D. The weather was nice. Lots of sun, but not too hot because of the high elevation of Addis Ababa. I had to get vaccination for yellow fever, polio, hepatitis A and B. If I recall you should also get malaria pills if traveling in the southern parts of the country.

Quoting rta (Reply 12):

They are a very nice airline. They are my preferred airline when traveling to Africa.  

I did 4 sectors on their 787 last year in Y & J, and have another 2 sectors next week. ET 787s are tastefully done, and their bulkhead seats have loads of space. I like to fly them when I get the chance. 787s are tighter than anything else longhaul but on ET seems more bareable not least because unlike NZ/LA the seat base wasn't as hard as a concrete park bench.

Quoting ILoveFigures (Reply 13): I had to get vaccination for yellow fever, polio, hepatitis A and B

I'm sure the stipulation is only if flying from somewhere in the yellow fever zone. In my experience of crossing borders in Africa nobody asks until someone presents/makes visible their yellow vaccination book, then everyone after that will be checked until they get bored again. Several places I should have been asked I wasn't, and at other points where they needn't ask me they did.

Great trip report!

I always enjoy the experience of boarding the plane from the tarmac using stairs - unless it raining of course!

I bet being on the tarmac so close to those massive GE engines was just great!

Quoting aerorobnz (Reply 14):

I also liked their cabin. It didn't feel cramped at all to me. I have some flights coming up with ET myself. I can't wait to get onboard. 

I know, but it was highly recommended to take the vaccine at the vaccination clinic before traveling. Immigration didn't bother to check the yellow card though.

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 15):

Walking so closet those GE engines was such a delight. Stands with stairs are the best!