Ethiopian Airlines is a discount carrier, and it shows. We’ve had the displeasure now of utilizing them a few times in a few airports, and the experience has been consistent: rude or even hostile customer service, shabby and crowded planes, and miserly amenities. I suppose this is what it takes to remain one of the few profitable airlines in the region. Just take a flight on Kenya Airways though and the difference in the passenger experience comes into stark relief. All of that being said, our flight from Zanzibar to Seychelles was on Ethiopian and we had an overnight transit in Addis. When the tickets were booked, I had assumed it would be like any U.S. carrier and you’d be on your own to either roam the airport or find a nearby hotel and arrange transit. We came to find out that Ethiopian handles all of these logistics for you and they are included in the price of the (already inexpensive) plane ticket. Needless to say, we were all more than a bit concerned what the “hotel” would look like in this scenario.
When we touched down in Addis, we went to a separate counter with no line and received visa and hotel vouchers. After passing the ebola and yellow fever screening area, we received transit visas at no cost (instead of $50). Then we were escorted by airline staff to private vans that brought us to our hotel (Empire), which was a modern building that seems to have been converted from apartments or executive housing to a proper hotel with a basic complimentary breakfast and dinner. It was the only thing that airline managed to get right, and it did make our brief stay there comfortable and hassle free.
We skipped on the free dinner and caught a taxi to a well regarded place up the road: Yod Abbysinia Restaurant. It was only a short drive, but Addis doesn’t seem to be the town that a group of tourists should go strolling in at night. The restaurant was large, secure, and very crowded. There was dancing and music on stage that transitioned through many different acts throughout the meal. We got a large traditional Ethiopian spread for the four of us to share, which was quite good. A good local meal was my main goal to check off for the short stop that we had in Addis. With such a short stay, we’ll have to stop by again some day to take in some of the sights, but at this point we’re ready to head to our more relaxing part of the itinerary, the Seychelles.
