Elevate Your Journey: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class

For this penultimate jaunt of my whirlwind trip to Paris and Cairo, I hopped aboard Ethiopian Airlines’ A350-900 business class for a 7-hour-and-35-minute flight from Addis Ababa (ADD) to London (LHR). Now, I’m not diving deep into this flight review, but I’ve got some juicy tidbits to share.

Why I’m Not Giving My Ethiopian Flight the Full Monty

You’re probably wondering why this isn’t a full flight review like the others in my trip series. Simple. In a previous adventure on Ethiopian’s A350 business class from Cairo to Addis Ababa, I did a deep dive. During that flight, I pretty much covered the same aircraft—yep, identical tail number and everything—the menu was déjà vu too. Why repeat myself?

Originally, my itinerary promised a Boeing 787-9 on the first leg and an Airbus A350-1000 on the second. But, in classic fashion, Ethiopian pulled a switcheroo—both flights got the A350-900 treatment. This post is all about the standout moments from that experience.

Even London Faces the Ethiopian Plane Swap Dance

Ethiopian Airlines has this quirk of swapping planes, and it happens in two ways:

• On regional flights, where the crew has a quick turnaround, the swaps can be as extreme as a 737 becoming a 777, or a 787 becoming an A350.
• On long hauls, where the crew rests over, swaps are more about cabin configs than aircraft types—think A350-1000 to A350-900 swaps or different cabin layouts within A350-900s.

London Heathrow is a prime destination for Ethiopian’s A350 business class, often boasting direct aisle access. Ideally. Instead of the anticipated 1-2-1 setup, I landed with 2-2-2. Irony? The coveted A350-900 sat at London Gatwick—a spot typically not known for such premium layouts.

Ethiopian’s Tiny Ups on Long Hauls

Back on my Cairo to Addis ababa flight, they rolled out a full bedding set paired with headphones.

What did this longer stretch offer? An amenity kit, for starters. Not to mention a quirky, free Wi-Fi snippet—the travel-tech equivalent of a fortune cookie note. Yes, a handwritten code on a scrap piece of paper, because… why not?

Ethiopian’s Culinary Selection: Safe, Not Sizzling

With a takeoff at 1:35 AM and a touchdown at 6:35 AM, I was curious about the inflight dining. These kind of hours make eating tricky—passengers just want sleep. Plus, most Ethiopian fliers are connecting with clocks all over the place.

My last Ethiopian business venture had marvelous Ethiopian cuisine, which was sadly MIA on this flight.

A post-takeoff snack? More mishmash than magic with everything from “Mexican” chicken soup to calzones. Nothing Ethiopian graced the menu.

I bit the bullet—or rather, some celery cauliflower soup and a vegetable calzone. Despite its presence on the menu, the negroni was more miss than hit in execution.

The dessert expedition included a cheese plate, fruit, and two dainty cake slices—served spontaneously, just because.

About 90 minutes before we hit the taxiway, breakfast rolled out. Not quite the chive-baked egg dish I ordered, but close: little egg bites with salsa, potatoes, and sausage, accompanied by cereal, fruit, and a croissant with coffee.

The full-on Ethiopian feast seems reserved for those ultra-long hauls or daytime whoppers.

Bottom Line

Disappointed by the Ethiopian Airlines plane swap? Kind of. But, to be fair, it’s not the journey’s fault—that’s just the airline nerd in me wanting to experience more variety. Ethiopian usually tries to feature its best business class on the London route, but… you know.

The flight itself was decent—not spectacular, not disastrous. The crew? Polite with good intentions. Meal service? Swift, albeit uninspired. For a deeper dive, see my full breakdown of Ethiopian’s A350 business class from the earlier escapade.

Now, what’s your take on Ethiopian Airlines’ overnight service? Prefer something more thrilling? Check out the Val Seny ski resort for some wild escapades!