During a short layover at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, we visited the lounge of Ethiopian Airlines. This was the stopover on our Business Class flight on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Vienna (Austria) to Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania).
Ethiopian uses 3 lounges at Addis Ababa’s Terminal 2, which can make things a little confusing:
The Star Alliance Gold Lounge is designated for use by Star Alliance Gold members, including ShebaMiles Gold members (ShebaMiles is Ethiopian’s frequent flyer program).
The ShebaMiles Silver Lounge, located on the inside corridor away from the gates in the departure hall, is only accessible to passengers with ShebaMiles Silver status (silver is the tier one step above regular).
The Cloud Nine Lounge can be used by passengers flying Ethiopian Airlines’ Business Class who don’t have Star Alliance Gold or ShebaMiles status. In fact, it’s called Cloud Nine Lounge 2 because this is the lounge in Terminal 2, and there’s another Cloud Nine Lounge located in Terminal 1.
Since I don’t have status anymore with Star Alliance, I spent our layover in the Cloud Nine 2 Lounge. The lounge is quite large and features several separate seating areas with tons of comfortable loungers in addition to a corner with a few dining tables. The room’s walls and the seats are all red, reflecting one of Ethiopian’s 3 signature colors (the other two are green and yellow). At the end of the colorful and busy lounge is a quiet room where cell phone conversations are not allowed and where you can relax in a few seats with built-in massage functions.
The Cloud Nine 2 Lounge features a fairly large bar area and a buffet station, which offers a variety of refreshments, cold and hot snacks, including Ethiopian dishes and international dishes from the East and West. There’s also a traditional Ethiopian coffee station, which highlights the lounge experience since Ethiopian coffee is terrific.
The lounge provides complimentary and fast Wi-Fi, which is great since Ethiopian Airlines does not offer internet on its aircraft, so it’s the only place to check your emails while on route. You do not need to worry when to board your flights as Ethiopian Airlines staff members walk around the lounge and personally come to announce the departure time for each flight.
If you want to pick up a travel bargain, you should read our 7 sensational secrets that all travelers should know (but probably don’t).
Review by our friends at Luxury Travel Expert
Copyright Luxury Travel Diary 2014 - 2024. Duplication outside of luxurytraveldiary.com is forbidden.
Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.
