Ethiopian Airlines offers SA expats the most affordable way to fly home

Thinking of heading ‘home’ to South Africa from the United Kingdom for a quick holiday?

If so, you’re in luck as Ethiopian Airlines is currently running a special on flights from Gatwick to Johannesburg!

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES NOW FLYING OUT OF GATWICK

South African expat Claire Roadley recently took full advantage of the ease of flying from Gatwick back to South Africa, as detailed below:

I have worked in the African travel industry for over 25 years, 23 of those based in the United Kingdom.

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 a recent opportunity arose for me to pop home for 10 days, 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.

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 three hours before and then went and relaxed in the Plaza Premium Lounge at North Terminal Departures. 

Because it was the first Ethiopian Airlines 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 10:10 in the morning which I really enjoyed as there is no pressure to sleep on a day flight. 

THE 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 20:40 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 two hours and 50 minutes layover in Addis, but by the time I had disembarked, queued, gone through two 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 International Airport at around 04:00 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 06:00 and 07:00. 

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 Johannesburg at 14:30 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 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 per person, but includes three hours of unlimited (delicious!) food, drinks and Wi-Fi. I got in with my Priority Pass for free.

You land in Ethiopia at about 20:45 with three and half hour’s stopover as the Gatwick flight departs Addis Ababa just after midnight at 00:15.

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 05:15 so you can be home to unload your bags of fizzers and Nik Naks in time for breakfast!  

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 Ababa (3 651 miles) was around seven and a half hours and then it was five and a half hours to Johannesburg – 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 £483 including taxes, but of course these prices fluctuate with demand.   

A lovely benefit of travelling with Ethiopian Airlines is you get 2 x 23kg 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!

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 Airlines currently flies from Gatwick to Addis Ababa 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.

SPECIAL OFFER

Good news!

Ethiopian Airlines is currently running a special until 31 August 2024.

From just £483 you can purchase an economy return ticket with 2 x 23kg luggage from Gatwick-Johannesburg-Gatwick.

Travel dates: 19 August-11 December 20224 and 28 December-31 December 2024 and 1 January-20 March 2025 and 15 April-30 June 2025. 

Don’t miss out!

Click HERE to book your trip on Ethiopian Airlines.

Disclosure: I travelled as a guest of Ethiopian Airlines, paying only for my taxes.