So, to be honest, I wasn’t much looking forward to transiting through Addis Ababa. My last experience had been less than favourable – long queues, little to no seating and a very poor selection of shops. Well, I have to confess I was very pleasantly surprised. The international transit process was quick and smooth with numerous security gates open to facilitate speed. The old chaotic terminal has been replaced by a bright and airy space full of seating areas and the range of shops and eating areas, vastly improved. There was even a Pizza Hut under construction! This new terminal had really changed the whole experience for me.
To top it all off, the wonderful team at Ethiopian in the UK (thank you Sally and Tim) had facilitated the use of the business class lounge to enable us to get the whole experience of the airport. What strikes you first and draws you in to the Ethiopian Airlines lounge isn’t the very welcoming smell of Ethiopian coffee but the incredible view over the city, as the airport is just on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. If you are very lucky you might find one of the extremely comfy wingback chairs with their own footrests that are positioned to look out over the picture window wall and these surprising views. Of course once you have secured this premium seating, you need to head to the food. I was starving as I had slept through all my onboard meals. Breakfast is a range of cold meats, cheeses, fruit, pastries, toast and preserves. In addition you have a hot buffet comprising of a number of local dishes along with some traditional western dishes such as omelettes and hash browns. I opted for an unusual mix of hash browns, spinach and mushrooms and a tomato and pepper concasse. It actually worked rather well. This was followed by cheese, toast and organic Ethiopian honey. No-one should ever knock the combination of cheese and honey which I was first introduced to in Madrid.
The Ethiopian Airlines lounge is a calm and very spacious oasis. The walls are peppered with local artwork and there is a beautiful water feature as it’s centre point. There is even a very authentic Ethiopian lounge where you can immerse yourself in the coffee culture even if you are only transmitting through as we were.
What this recent trip showed us was that Ethiopian Airlines and the airport authorities have used the last couple of years wisely to really enhance and improve the guest airport experience. Put aside your old misconceptions and give them a go as we did.
www.ethiopianairlines.com/