Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's largest carrier by fleet, network and passengers, and the state-owned flag carrier of Ethiopia. Its single hub is Addis Ababa Bole, a high-altitude junction that has grown into the main connecting point between Africa, Europe, the Gulf and Asia. If you are flying between, say, Europe and southern or eastern Africa, there is a fair chance the routing runs through Bole.

It is a Star Alliance member, so miles and status sit alongside United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and the rest of the group. The network is hub-and-spoke at scale: long widebody legs into Addis, then a dense web of intra-African and regional connections onward. The service is solid full-service rather than flashy, with a fleet kept deliberately modern. For point-to-point travellers it is a straightforward full-service airline; for connecting travellers it is one of the few realistic single-carrier ways across much of the continent.

The published cabin layouts lean heavily widebody, which matches how Ethiopian flies its long-haul network. The Airbus A350-1000 and A350-900 sit at the top, both two-cabin with Cloud Nine business ahead of a large economy cabin. Business is not laid out the same way on both: one runs a 1-2-1 arrangement with direct aisle access from every seat, the other a six-abreast 2-2-2, so the seat you get depends on which aircraft operates your route.

The two Dreamliners, the 787-8 and 787-9, and the two Boeing 777s, the 777-200LR and 777-300ER, carry the rest of the intercontinental flying, again as business plus economy. Closer to home, the 737 family covers regional and shorter international routes, and the De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 turboprop handles domestic and thinner regional legs. None of the published configurations carries a separate premium economy, so the choice on board is business or economy.

Cloud Nine is the business product, and it is not uniform across the fleet. On the newer widebodies you get a fully flat seat with direct aisle access in a 1-2-1 layout, which is the one to hope for on a long overnight. Older widebody business cabins use a 2-2-2 arrangement: still lie-flat, but a centre passenger has to step over a neighbour to reach the aisle. The dining leans into Ethiopian cooking, with injera and wot alongside Western options, and the Addis lounge runs a traditional coffee ceremony. The split is being progressively upgraded, so check the published cabin layout for your aircraft rather than assuming the route.

Economy is a conventional long-haul cabin: standard recline, personal screens on the widebodies, and meals included. Wi-fi is available on parts of the fleet rather than everywhere, so treat it as a bonus rather than a given. The narrowbody and Q400 flights are shorter and more functional, with business often a blocked-middle or slimline domestic seat rather than a flat bed.

In business, the layout decides comfort more than the row. On the 1-2-1 widebodies, solo travellers want a true window seat for aisle access without climbing, and couples are well served by the centre pair. On a 2-2-2 cabin, the aisle seat spares you stepping over a sleeping neighbour, while the window is better if you would rather not be disturbed. On any widebody the first row of a cabin gives more space but sits closest to the galley and its noise and foot traffic.

In economy, the usual rules apply. Forward of the wing is generally quieter, and the rows right behind a galley or bulkhead trade legroom uncertainty for early meal service and more passing crew. Exit rows offer more legroom but often have fixed armrests and reduced or no recline, and the last few rows back near the rear galleys and lavatories see the most disturbance. Check the published cabin layout for your specific aircraft before you choose, since Ethiopian flies several configurations on similar routes.