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
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.
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 [I629/352] . 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
It was very bad experience with Ethiopian airlines . The flight was delayed in both ways . On the way coming back one of the crews dropped hot coffee on my whole body and other crew dropped used dirty glasses on top of me . The same crew that dropped hot coffee on me hit me with the food trolley on my knee while I was sleeping . I couldn’t sit properly due to the pain on my knee caused by those irresponsible crews . Very unprofessional airlines
Food was really not appealing. There was a blocked sink in the toilet. Toilet is cramped and the wall between the 2 toilets are not secured properly.
Plane was late with no information or announcement … had to walk up n downstairs.., had not communicated this … and ppl had suitcase to carry .
I still cannot find my luggage. I need my luggage.
My entertainment screen wasn't working and they couldn't fix it.
The flight was one hour late. The food is mediocre and the screen was broken
It is just ok, the sits are very uncomfortable, the temperature too low and there weren’t blankets. The food is mediocre and there are no screens to watch movies.
I've never been served three bread courses in a single meal before. Was really impressed by the novelty of that.
boarded in a mannerly process, Departed on time, the pilot pointed out my. Kilimanjaro, snack and drink provided-great 1 hour flight
Overall good experience but for long distances there really needs to be more room.
Got delayed for over 24 hours. Fight was cancelled. Was put up at a nice hotel whose kitchen was unfortunately not prepared for the sudden influx of guests The headphone jacks on the seat were loose and sound kept getting dropped over the headphones. Food was good though. Certain items (Amarula) were not available for purchase over the on-plane duty free. Had been told i would pick my luggage at my final destination*wrong* had to pick it up in JFK and recheck it and then got charged for it**** too tired to argue with the Delta staff on the issue.... after a 15 hr flight.
Flying portion was fine. Below average comfort. We had 2 canceled flights and got stuck in 2 cities which took us 3 days to get home. Kenya hasn’t done anything or even reached out to us after complaining.
Staff and service on board is always exemplary. Food however could be better.
I booked a round trip flight and boarded a Kenya Airways trip from New York (JFK) to Nairobi (JKIA). First flight from New York to Nairobi was uneventful with no issues. However, the return flight was beyond disappointing. To begin with I had paid an extra $60 each for premium seats (me and my wife) in economy aisle 15 (B & A). However, upon settling down in the middle seat, I noticed that the controller had been ripped off meaning I would not have access to some of the seat functionalities like the individual lighting etc. I proceeded to alert a flight attendant that the controller was missing and she politely responded to me by telling me if I need anything, to use my wife’s seat controller (on the window seat) to call for assistance and I would be assisted accordingly. I was surprised by the response that she gave as it felt like my comfort and request for a service that I paid for was undermined, but nonetheless I opted to play it nice and kept my calm. After this I engaged in a conversation with a passenger (Caucasian / White male) who sat next to me on the aisle seat. In the process of having this conversation I asked him if he had paid for his seat. He went ahead to politely tell me that he had been moved from a seat in the back by one of the flight attendants and had not paid any extra fees. During this conversation, he noticed that the charging docks were not working and he needed to charge his iPad to watch his Netflix show (it was on pause). Alarmed by this, he went ahead and flagged one of the flight attendants who without wasting any time acted astonished and as fast as lightning was able to find him a better seat a few rows in front. Please note, all the charging plugs were not working for the three seats. In summary, below are the reasons for the low rating: 1. Charging for a broken seat: Kenya Airways should not charge for a defective seat. If a seat is defective and is paid for, the airlines should work out a way to either refund the customer or move the customer to a better seat – regardless of skin color. 2. Below Par Customer Service: Do not debilitate a customer’s request especially when a paid for service is not delivered – regardless of skin color. Assuming that I am comfortable with having to either keep alerting the flight attendant or relying on my wife’s seat to perform some of the functionality I may need is ridiculous. 3. Biasness / Inequality / Prejudiced Behavior: The Caucasian/ White male was treated with more favor. Not only was he moved around to make sure he was comfortable (free of charge) but all his complaints were resolved immediately without any hesitance. On the contrary, I being a black man of African descent who had paid an additional premium for his seat, I was completely ignored and told to settle for what I got.
Excellent. They canceled our flight & put us up for the night. Then upgraded us. We are impressed
The flight attendants on this flight were incredible! One even gave me her own dinner when my special meal order wasn’t transferred due to a flight delay! She insisted and I was so grateful. That is going above and beyond! The issue I had with the flight was with Lufthansa support. I missed my connection due to a flight delay and they wouldn’t rebook online, only in person. This took a lot of time and visits to the airport waiting for a Lufthansa agent to arrive 5 hours later than posted and almost paying full-fare price for the new flights and refusal to add my special meal orders. It made for a challenging journey home and I didn’t feel valued as a customer.
I enjoyed the courtesy of the staff, and their professionalism. The food was pretty good and they took great care of us throughout the trip!
They should improve their time management and how to reschedule flights in order to avoid long stopovers
