With an increasingly long-haul network, Ethiopian Airlines offers a competitive business class product on its services to Hong Kong, discovers Nick Walton.

Check In/The Lounge

I had checked in for my flight in Nairobi so proceeded directly to Ethiopian’s Cloud Nine Lounge, which, while very busy, was still a slice of serenity compared to the departures hall beyond. The spacious lounge has lounge and café-style seating, an extensive hot and cold buffet, a serviced bar at one end, and fairly good wifi. The lounge is exclusive to passengers of the airline’s Cloud Nine business class, with additional lounges available to Star Alliance and ShebaMiles gold and silver members.

Boarding

The boarding process was one of the most chaotic I’ve seen, but blame can’t be levelled on airport crew alone. No less than ten flights were scheduled to depart from our designated ‘gate’, which was simply a set of two elevators with a small business class corner roped off to the side. With boarding announcements virtually incoherent, and economy passengers summoned first, throngs of pushy French and British business passengers began demanding their boarding process commence. Staff remained patient – this is clearly the norm – but in the end, we boarded buses to the 787-8 at midnight despite a boarding time of 11.20pm on boarding passes. We begin taxiing minutes after taking our seat and crew continue to serve a welcome drink as the plane sways its way towards the runway.

The Seat

The Cloud Nine business class cabin of the 787 features 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, of which 80 per cent are occupied for our nine-hour flight. Seats are slightly angled towards the windows and convert into a lie-flat bed (Ethiopian’s first 10 787s came with an older business class that features a 179-degree recline). However, while the 22-inch wide seats are modern, and feature plenty of storage, personal air nozzles and 15.4-inch monitors, they lack privacy. The seat extends to an ottoman when in bed mode, with ottomans varying greatly across the cabin. The armrest between paired seats features a small shared table for drinks, seat controls and a remote for the entertainment system. Behind the headrests are AC and USB ports.

Service

Despite our hurried departure, the crew offer very good, if a little reserved, service, serving glasses of Champagne Lallier, hot towels and amenity kits before takeoff, quickly followed by pre-dinner drinks and a light dinner, due to the late departure. The amenity kit contains an eye mask, earplugs, socks, toothpaste and brush, a hairbrush and lip balm, delivered in a pouch Dopp kit-style bag. After dinner, the lights were dimmed with most passengers sleeping, and crew busying themselves in the galley.

Dining

The meal service began with a well-made gin and tonic, followed by prawns with a papaya salsa, with a summer salad on the side. A choice of braised chicken with saffron rice and sautéed vegetables; beef stew with polenta and green fried bananas; and savoury couscous with roasted seasonal vegetables followed. The chicken was the perfect comfort dish and was matches with a glass of Flagstone Poetry Chardonnay from South Africa. I opted for cheese and a glass of Sandman port instead of desert.

An hour and a half out of Hong Kong the crew offered a breakfast service but many passengers decided to make the most of the time to sleep. I opted for a cup of Ethiopian’s signature coffee, made from beans grown in the southwestern highlands. It was very good and the perfect pre-arrival beverage.

Entertainment

While it’s not on par with the likes of Cathay Pacific or Emirates’ systems, the in-flight entertainment selection covered all the major bases, with new release movies and classic television shows on offer. The supplied over-ear headphones are a bit clunky so be sure to bring your own if noise reduction is something you value.

Summary

With new aircraft, diligent service and wholesome catering, Ethiopian offers one of the best business class experiences linking Africa with Asia.

Hong Kong-Addis Ababa in Cloud Nine business class from US$1,940 per person. www.ethiopianairlines.com

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