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Frequently Asked Questions About Online Check-in

Click here to see FAQs related to online check-in.

Online check-in is a service offered by Ethiopian Airlines in which passengers can check-in their flights using our website, mobile App or social Bots within 48 hours prior to the departure of the flight from wherever you are.

You can select your preferred seats, update your travel preferences, access our additional services and print your boarding pass online. This is a great alternative to avoid long queues at the airport.

Online Check-In is available for All Ethiopian Airlines flights except from Ndjamena,Moscow and Bamako.

Yes, it is possible to online check-in group passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines website but not on the mobile applications, and Social bot. The maximum number of passengers who can be checked in at once is 10, and any additional passengers will be checked in the next batch of 10 until every passenger is checked in.

 Online check-in is unavailable for specific passenger categories who are required to proceed to the airport for check-in. This includes: 

  • passengers needing medical assistance, 

  • unaccompanied minors,  

  • those with tickets requiring additional payment,

  •  individuals with travel documents needing further verification at the check-in counter, 

  • pregnant mothers, 

  • and those requiring special assistance. For these passengers, the check-in process at the airport is necessary.

Online check-in is available between 48 to 2 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of a flight.

Online check-in is possible on all Ethiopian airlines-operated flights.

You only need your Passport (passport is not valid up to a minimum of six months), the E-ticket number or Booking Reference to make use of our online check-in services. Visa and other travel documents may also be requested as per the ADC rule.

You can Contact Us via email or contact the nearest Ethiopian airlines office at any time with regards to your check-in related issue. Please note that you may encounter issues at online check-in if your passport is not valid up to a minimum of six months.

Yes, you can check in for connecting flights with other airlines as long as the first sector is operated by Ethiopian Airlines. Please note these check-ins are subject to other airline policies and restrictions.

Online check-in for return flights can only be completed 48 hours before flight departure and after you have departed on the first sector of your flight. However, if one of your sectors is with another airline and you were not able to check in successfully on ethiopianairlines.com, you will need to visit the other airline’s website in order for you to check-in.

For domestic flights, please check in online from 2 days before departure to 1 hour before departure. For international flights, please check in online 48 hours before departure until 2 hours before departure. You cannot cancel your online check-in 2 hours or less before departure.

Yes. Boarding pass can be printed for each flight sector.

here are several possible reasons why you may not be able to check in online. Some of them are:-

  • You are not holding e-Ticket or you are originating from the following cities;- Moscow, Bamako & Ndjamena
  • If the Booking code/PNR is not ticketed or if the VCR/ticket status is anything else except OK
  • It is possible that you are checking in for your flight out of the normal sequence of your itinerary. You must check in for flights in the same sequence of your itinerary for e.g., if your flight itinerary is as follows: Nairobi - Addis Ababa - Hong Kong You must check in for Nairobi – Addis Ababa prior to checking in for Addis Ababa - Hong Kong.

Yes, you can check in your travelling companions if you make your bookings together, provided they share the same booking reference as yours in our record.

If  you fail to check in on time, you may be refused for carriage on your flight. This is in the interest of maintaining Ethiopian on-time performance and to ensure those on the flight who have connecting flights can make it on time.

  • Depending on your fare conditions, a failure to check in on time may also result in: The loss of the original fare value. You may be required to make a new booking and pay for a new ticket if you wish to travel, or
  • Pay a change fee penalty plus any difference between the fare of your new booking and the original fare

Passenger with no luggage shall arrive at the gate 30 minutes prior to boarding. If the passenger with baggage drop off shall arrive at web check-in counter at least 1 hour before departure for international flights and 45 minutes before departure for the domestic flight.

The airports listed below will allow you to use a digital boarding pass on your mobile ;-

  • Africa

Addis Ababa, Cape town, Cotonou, Conakry, Victoria falls,Nairbi,Yaounde,Maputo,Lagos,Luanda,Johansburg,Enugu,Duala, Dar Es Salaam and Abuja,

  • Europe

Vienna, Oslo, Millan, Marseille, London, Manchester, Istanbul, Geneva, Rome, Frankfurt, Moscow, Paris, Brussels, Stockholm,

  • Asia and Pacific

Hongkong

  • Middle east

Tel Aviv and Riyadh

  • USA and Canada

Toronto, Chicago and New York

  • Latin America

Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires

This is when the passenger booking is not qualified for online check-in. This could be when the booking is cancelled or it is not confirmed. Such error response will be displayed when there is a schedule change or last minute change on your flight.

Such error response will be displayed when the booking has a status of waiting list, reconfirmed or unable to confirm status. All flight segment should be in OK status to be able to qualify for online check-in.

This means when a given passenger is restricted to make online check-in and in this case he/she has to check-in at the airport. This happens when the passenger travel document requires further in person verification or when a given passenger is restricted to enter to the destination country.

Partial check-in happen when the first flight segment is checked in but the second flight segment is not. Some times if there are more than one passenger, the system will allow to check-in one passenger but not the other passenger. When this happen the traveler should check-in the remining flight segment at the airport.

This happen when the Booking reference is not correct or when the booking reference is a past date . The traveler can use his/her ticket number for check-in when he has incorrect booking reference.

This error happen when the passenger ticket is not eligible or it has status code other than OK such as NOGO,LFTD,RFND or CTRL. When the passenger ticket is used or refunded such error response will be displayed.

This includes various system error behind the scene and one or more system may not be working as expected. When the passenger get this response he/she should proceed and make their check-in at the airport.

1. Error: INHIBITED_SSR_FOUND
Cause: This error occurs when a booking has a special service request such as a Wheelchair, Stretcher, Medical case, Pet in the cabin, or extra seat passenger that is inhibited.

Solution: Any bookings having one of these requests will not be able to check-in and the passenger should go to the airport counter.

2. Error: Segment Restricted/Segment not eligible for Check-in
Cause: The system is unable to complete your check-in. The segment you are trying to check in is restricted for online check-in.

Solution: Please go to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es)

3. Error: Flight Not Initialized
Cause: This happens when the passenger flight is not yet ready for Check-in service

Solution: Please try again within 48 hours of your scheduled flight departure time. If the error continues, please contact us immediately

4. Error: Online check-in window is closed
Cause: This is when the Online check-in window is closed

Solution: Please proceed immediately to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es)

5. Error: CHECK_IN_WINDOW_NOT_YET_OPEN
Cause: This error occurs when the passenger is trying to check-in online before the allowed check-in time.

Solution: Please try again within 48 hours of your scheduled flight departure time.

6. Error: Invalid Passport Number
Cause: This could be due to incorrect document details.

Solution: Ensure that you have entered the correct document details and try again. If the error continues, please contact our global call center or proceed to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es)

7. Error: DOCUMENT_NUMBER_DUPLICATED
Cause: This is when 2 passengers enter the same document type and document ID on the same PNR.

Solution: Please ensure that you have entered the correct document details and try again. If the error continues, please contact our global call center for further assistance or proceed immediately to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es)

8. Error: Online Check-in not allowed
Cause: This error in most cases is due to an unpaid ancillary

Solution: Please contact our call center to complete the payment and check in to receive your boarding pass(es)

9. Error: Inhibited Station
Cause: Check-in is not allowed from the origin or your point of departure.

Solution: Please contact our call center or complete your check-in at the airport.

10. Error: Online Check-in is not allowed APP Error
Cause: The system is unable to complete your check-in at this time.

Solution: Please retry after some time. If the error continues, please contact our global call center for further assistance or proceed to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es).

11. Error: ASSOCIATED_PASSENGER_NOT_ELIGIBLE/ inhibited Passenger Type
Cause: Passengers like Infants, and unaccompanied minors are inhibited from using self-service check-in applications.
Solution: Please contact us immediately for further assistance or proceed immediately to the airport to complete the check-in formalities and receive your boarding pass(es).

 

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