Flashback: Flying Ethiopian to Joburg
Ethiopian Airline’s service from London Gatwick to South Africa via Addis
I have worked in the African travel industry for over 25 years, 23 of those based in the UK. I have been very lucky to travel “home” to South Africa more times than I can count over this period, for a few family holidays - but mainly for work (lucky me!), hosting many travel agent and media trips across the African continent.
No matter how many times I visit, the minute my feet are back on UK soil I’m already thinking about my next trip. So, when an opportunity arose for me to pop home for 10 days in November last year, I jumped at the chance!
I live in West Sussex, a 10-minute drive away from Gatwick airport – so I was super excited to hear that Ethiopian Airlines were launching a new service out of our local airport on 21 November 2023. I was invited to give it a try – and didn’t need to think twice!
Online Check-in
I downloaded the app and checked in 72 hours before travel. They emailed me a few reminders in the lead up to my trip and I was given the option of bidding for an upgrade, to reserve extra legroom or to book an empty seat beside me ($90). Because it was the inaugural flight, I decided to take my chances, hoping it wouldn’t be full - and ended up having three seats in economy class - and a window to myself. I lifted up the arm rests and had a comfortable nap! I had the same on the way back, although the flight was a lot fuller.
What a Send Off
I always like to get to the airport with time to spare so I checked in at the North terminal 3 hours before and then went and relaxed in the Plaza Premium Lounge at North Terminal Departures. Because it was the first Ethiopian flight out of Gatwick, they gave us a bit of a send-off at the gates, doing a raffle for a free flight and a free Upgrade to Business Class, which certainly caused a bit of a buzz in the departure lounge. Their team gave a couple of short speeches, and we all got a delicious slice of celebratory cake and an iced aeroplane biscuit before boarding!
The aircraft was a fairly new looking Airbus A350-900. We departed at 10h10 in the morning which I really enjoyed as there is no pressure to sleep on a day flight.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight
There was a good selection of classic and new movies and TV series on the inflight entertainment as well as music etc. I ended up watching one of my favourite movies, Life as We Know It. Who doesn’t love a little bit of Josh Duhamel on a daytime flight? The crew were attentive and friendly, and the food was tasty. I’m not a big fan of eating on flights – but the curry and rice was good. My screen didn’t work on the return journey, but I took the chance to read a book from cover to cover (a rare treat for me), so it was not a problem.
Hello Addis Ababa
We landed at Addis Ababa’s Bole International airport around 20h40 that evening. I managed to navigate my way around the airport pretty well and there were plenty of transit signs in English to follow. It was my second time traveling via Bole, and I was pleasantly surprised at all the upgrades it is had since I was last there about a decade ago.
I only had 2 hours and 50 minutes layover in Addis, but by the time I had disembarked, queued, gone through 2 rounds of security and found my gate location - there wasn’t really enough time to find the lounge, so I just grabbed a couple of samosas and a cup of coffee at a café down by the departure gate which for us was C3. I also wanted to buy a cold drink from the little shop but be warned, they don’t take card payments, and you don’t get change if you pay with foreign currency. Very expensive bottle of Coke!
Another bit of advice I will share is don’t put on your mobile roaming. It seemed like there would be a minimal cost to quickly connect and let my family know I was fine – but I got a whopping bill for £40 the next day. So, stick to Wi-Fi only!
You land at OR Tambo at around 4am in the morning, which sounds early – but actually was so much better than joining the crowds off the direct flights which all seem to land between 6 and 7am. The airport was super quiet, and we barely had to queue at all for passport control - although baggage collection did take a little while to come through.
My trip Back to the UK
On the way home my flight departed Joburg at 14h30 on a Saturday which was quite convenient as we managed to avoid rush hour traffic. Check in and bag drops are at Gates B068 - B075 which is a little confusing as I initially tried to check in at International departures on the far left of the airport and then had to walk all the way to the opposite end. I did some quick shopping (beaded Christmas decorations, Johnny Clegg’s book and a big handful of peppermint crisps ) and then enjoyed a buffet lunch in the very swish Aspire lounge. It’s quite a new lounge and they have the most delicious mini milk tarts! Anyone can pay to access the lounge – Its about £26 pp but includes 3 hours of unlimited (delicious!) food, drinks and Wi-Fi. I got in with my Priority Pass for free.
You land in Ethiopia at about 20h45 with 3 and half hour’s stopover as the Gatwick flight departs Addis just after midnight at 00h15. The queues for security and security were quite long but moved fairly quickly. Thankfully, I had time to go and enjoy the Sheba Cloud Nine C9 Business Lounge, opposite gate A13. It is absolutely huge so seats a lot of people (and it was full, so clearly very popular!) and they have a hot buffet available despite being very late. I tried out some local delicacies, caught up on my emails and used the facilities. They have a special children’s room which looked handy for families, and you can even take part in a traditional Ethiopian Coffee ceremony as you walk in. If you are not traveling in Business Class, I’d recommend getting a Priority Pass which will give you access to the Plaza Premium Lounge – and many others around the world. The airport is very busy so finding a space to sit and relax is great. Alternatively, The Gold Lounge is available to Sheba Miles & Star Alliance members.
The flight lands at Gatwick at 05h15 so you can be home to unload your bags of fizzers and Niknaks in time for breakfast!
Addis Ababa -a Hub/Hive of Activity!
Addis Ababa is a hub – connecting over 62 destinations in Africa, not to mention hundreds globally.
The flying time from Gatwick to Addis (3,651 miles) was around 7 and a half hours and then it was 5 and a half hours to Joburg – so all in all 13 hours in the seat – so not too much longer than a direct flight (usually 11 hours direct to Joburg), but with the opportunity to break the journey and stretch your legs along the way – and save some money! Cape Town is just one hour extra.
An affordable option for expats visiting friends and family.
Travelling with Ethiopian Airways to Johannesburg is a very affordable and pretty straightforward. At the time of my trip, they were running a launch special of around £527 including taxes but of course these prices fluctuate with demand. A lovely benefit of travelling with Ethiopian is you get 2 x 23 kgs of luggage as standard so you can take an extra case for gifts and shopping! Be sure to sign up to their Sheba loyalty scheme to clock up your air miles. What I did enjoy was that warm African hospitality from start to finish. Your African adventure starts at Gatwick, which is not something you get when you are connecting via the Middle East or Europe. The routing is also far more direct as the crow/aircraft flies!
BOOK NOW on https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa
Lead in low season LGW JNB LGW economy: GBP507 inc. taxes
Lead in low season LGW JNB LGW business: GBP1530 inc. taxes
Why Gatwick?
Flying out of Gatwick is very convenient. Not only does it mean not having to stress about the traffic on the M25 – or trekking all the way to Heathrow, but it’s the UK's best-connected airport by train so very easy to get to. You can also get the National Express bus from Heathrow to Gatwick for around £25. Ethiopian currently flies from Gatwick to Addis three times every week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can of course also fly into Heathrow or Manchester – but Gatwick is a real winner if you live in the South of England.
Fun facts about Gatwick
First mentioned back to 1241, its name is derived from the words Goat Farm, with historical links to Gatwick Manor House.
The land where the airport sits today was first used as an aerodrome in the 1920s
It is London's second-busiest airport with around 450 departures a day during the summer period.
It serves 46 million passengers on around different 90 airlines to over 230 destinations globally.
Gatwick Airport was in Surrey until 1974 when they adjusted the county borders.
To book visit https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa
Disclosure - I travelled as a guest of Ethiopian Airlines, paying only for my taxes.
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