Review: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class Lounge Addis Ababa
- Konrad Tillman
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Intro
Prior to my flight from Addis Ababa to London Heathrow on their brand new A350-1000 in business class, I had the opportunity to visit the Ethiopian Airlines "Flagship Lounge" in Addis Ababa.
Having been in this lounge multiple times in the past, it's certainly a nice place to spend some time before a flight, but you still have to remember that things operate in Addis at a slightly different pace compared to the likes of London Heathrow.
With champagne flutes, delicious food, and nap areas, this is a nice place to enjoy a couple of hours before a flight.
Location+Access
Addis Ababa is a relatively small airport, and while they plan to make it larger sometime in the future, it could be a while before they do so. Once clearing security/transit security, head over towards A Gates and follow the signs to gate A14. Just across the way is where you will find the beautiful business class lounge.
It's nice because if you are boarding from a remote stand (which is often the case here), the business class buses leave from the gate just across the way from the lounge, creating a flawless experience.
When it comes to access, Ethiopian Airlines doesn't* follow suit with the majority of worldwide carriers. The only way to get access is the following:
An outbound ticket in business class on Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Egypt Air, Emirates, and of course, Ethiopian Airlines.
Note: you do not get access if arriving in business class and departing in economy.
Note: you do not get access purely based on status; there is a separate lounge for those who are Star Alliance frequent flyers.
Some people might not be a fan of this concept, but it creates a more intimate environment instead of a madhouse, which is often the case in some airport lounges. There goes the saying, "if everyone has status, no one has status".
Seating
This lounge is a very large space offering plenty of seating across a variety of different rooms. As soon as you enter, there is a small area where someone comes in the evening to make tea (I think, I am not entirely sure and could be ever so wrong).
Moving along, on the right hand side of the lounge lies a small (ish) room to unwind and relax. If you are looking for something quieter during your stay, I have found this room to have the least amount of people, even during the evening bank of departures.
Weaving our way through the lounge, there is another place for sitting just opposite on the left-hand side. Located close to the buffet, it seems that this is more of a dining spot, from what I observed.
And finally, in the back is where you find most of the people sitting: the main room. With a large one-room layout, this is where you will find most of the more "comfortable" seats. So yes, if you are looking more comfortable seating, head towards the very back to the main room.
Dining
The area where Ethiopian Airlines shines is its dining options, which they offer throughout the lounge. In each of these small rooms, there are coffees as well as small buffets available, offering smaller items such as fruit and quick food.
However, towards the back of the lounge is where you will find the grand buffet with an unbelievable selection of hot foods. Throughout all my years in business class lounges, this is the best buffer (not including sit-down dining) that I have seen. There were 8 hot options, and extremely delicious!
Alternatively, if you are looking for exterior options, you can pick up outside food and bring it inside. I have an ongoing trend of getting a personal pizza from Pizza Hut when I am here, so that had to continue 😉.
Traditional soft drinks, coffee, tea, and water are available throughout the lounge (self-serve)
The Bar
Everyone loves a nice glass of champagne (not everyone...), and Ethiopian Airlines features a nice bar located towards the front of the lounge. Well, it's nice when someone is there, which seems to be infrequent...
I'll touch on service in a bit, but there were times when you wouldn't see a bartender behind the bar for 20-30 minutes. In my opinion, if it not going to be self-service, then a bartender should be present.
But if and when you can get a drink, you'll be happy to know that ET offers actual champagne flutes in this lounge. Few airlines do it, so this is another area which is exceptional.
Showers/Restrooms
I have to say that Ethiopian Airlines truly excels over a lot of their competition in Africa (outside of SA). Even their restrooms, which are located towards the middle of the lounge, are by the smoking room. They were kept clean, and there is constantly a friendly attendant monitoring them.
To take things further, next to the bathroom is where you will find the shower suites. Simply provide your boarding pass, and an attendant will show you the way to one of the five shower suites.
But it was a shower at the end of the day, and that is what matters. Few lounges on the continent offer showers, so credit to Ethiopian Airlines here.
Other Amenities
Aside from the free wifi that Ethiopian Airlines provides, there are a couple of other amenities throughout the lounge.
If you plan on traveling with children, there is a children's play area, which is the perfect way to occupy your kids before a flight. Conversely, if you are worried about children from an outsider's perspective, there doesn't seem to be too many in the lounge throughout the time I have spent here.
Feeling the need to take a nap due to some of the wild departure times out of Addis? Head over to the napping area/quiet room located in the back of the lounge. While no pillows or blankets are provided, these rest pods are comfortable enough to lie down on for an hour or two.
For smokers, there is a small smoking room as well inside. Don't worry, nonsmokers, it's enclosed and the smell doesn't leak out.
Service
Now for my biggest quirk of the lounge: the service. It's interesting, since I speak about the mostly* great service on Ethiopian Airlines, but the lounge seemed a bit different. It's not that the service was bad in any way, but it just wasn't polished. Here are a couple of examples that stood out to me:
The bartender would frequently leave to go talk with colleagues in the corner for upwards of 20 minutes at a time.
Plates and drinks would rarely be picked up, and never while you were at your seat. This isn't a big deal at all, but just something to note.
So yeah, I mean some of the staff were very nice, and others just seemed like they didn't want to be there. I obviously pick up on the finer details a lot more, as that is what I am looking for, but it's important to be honest.
Final Thoughts
The Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge is a pretty good lounge for worldwide standards, and probably one of the better lounges on the continent of Africa (the new SAA lounge is marvelous). If you are able to gain access (status won't get you in), you'll be treated to great food, plenty of seating, and a couple of glasses of champagne. Well, that is if the bartender doesn't walk off while you are trying to order 😅.
All in all, pretty good!
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