Frequently asked questions

This is most probably due to the connection issue or when there is system failure. Please capture the screen and report it to our support team

Please contact our online customer support desk and we will process refund for the duplicate ticket. In the future please do not attempt to make payment for the second time without checking the status of the first payment.

Bank transfer is not a real time payment option  like credit card and sometimes the ticketing will take  long time to be completed. Please wait for 30 minute and contact our support team.

You can make a booking for up to three infants (ages 0-23 months) without a seat. However. each infant must be accompanied by an adult passenger. 

An infant ticket costs 10% of the adult's ticket fare. An infant does not have his/her own seat onboard. If you would like to purchase a seat for your infant (a child under 2 years of age), please contact our global contact center.

The ticket price then charged according to the child's ticket with child discount.

Currently you can book only Ethiopian airlines flights.

When duplicate bookings exist an auto warning message is sent to the 'oldest' booking or the flight booking that does not have a ticket number. The auto message will notify the agency or the passenger that there is a possible duplicate booking and  request them to clear the duplicate within  a certain period of time. If no action is taken on the duplicate booking by the passenger during the given time period, our system will check if the booking has been ticketed or not. If it has not been ticketed, the duplicate booking will be cancelled as per the original warning message.

Overbooked Flight means a flight where the number of passengers holding confirmed reservation and presented themselves for check-in within the required time limit exceeds the number of available seats on that flight/compartment.

• Passengers who have been re-protected on other means shall not be paid with DBC if the delay at point of arrival does not exceed four hours when compared to the original schedule.
• Carriage is denied for reasons beyond the control of ET he/she is not checked in before or at the latest check in time.
• The behavior, health condition or immigration status of the passenger as such entitles ET to refuse the passenger.
• He/she has refused to comply with the lawful instructions of ET
• He/she has refused to undergo security check
• Holding ID(Airline staff ticket) ticket or reduced rate ticket.
• Holding a ticket blacklisted as lost, stolen, fraudulent or otherwise suspicious.

Denied Boarding Compensation (DBC) will be paid to a passenger who: 

• Has a valid ticket purchased from ET or an agent of ET irrespective of whether the ticket is a document of ET or any other carrier having Interline Agreement with ET.
• Holds a confirmed and valid booking on that particular ET flight.
• Has presented himself/herself for check-in for the particular ET flight at the time and place specified by ET (before counter/check-in activity for the particular flight is closed) within the latest check in time or within the stations minimum connecting time (MCT) for connecting passengers and is in possession of the necessary travel documents.

All revenue tickets booked online will earn miles. Please ensure that the frequent flier number is provided in the form while booking.

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.

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.

Before finalizing the booking or making payment, you can modify your cities, travel dates & times along with your connection preference on Manage my booking page.

Currently, we can only handle new bookings made directly online. If you already have a ticket, please contact your travel agent or Ethiopian airlines ticket/reservations or contact us via email to confirm your travel dates.

The name on your booking must match the name on your passport or national ID. Inverting some letters or putting an abbreviated version of your name (such as Mike instead of Michael) is not acceptable. We want to make sure you’re the one flying and aren’t giving the ticket to someone else, as tickets are generally nontransferable. As soon as you notice the mistake, go to our website and submit the name change request by the following link.

https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa/services/help-and-contact/name-change-request

In the following situations name change is allowed, provided justifiable document like copy of marriage certificate &/or passport is presented with service charge of USD50.00.

• Reservation was booked under husband’s family name instead of maiden name, or vice versa.
• Passenger has more than one given name and the second name needs to be added as at the time of reservation only the first name was entered.
• It is not allowed to change Mr. X tickets with Mr. Y except in the conditions of above-mentioned cases.
• Only transposition error of first name, last name & middle name and or up to three letter changes are the kind of error allowed for making the original ticket as a form of payment (FOP) to the newly issued ticket.
• Only transposition error of first name, last name & middle name and or up to three letter changes are the kind of errors eligible for change under this provision.  
• To amend customer title for example from Mr. to Mrs./Ms. , from Mrs. to Ms. etc
• Tickets that are purchased from travel agencies are not entitled for name change.

 

When do you decide who gets upgraded?

 We will take a decision on upgrades [b/n 50 hours and 24 hours ] before departure. You will be notified by email as to whether your offer has been accepted or not.

 How do you assess my offer?

 We take several criteria into consideration when assessing upgrade requests. These include the value of your offer and the value of other offers for the same cabin class, your frequent flyer member status, the number of seats available in the higher cabin class and the number of passengers in the booking. Once our assessments have been made you will receive an email indicating whether your Upgrade request was successful or not.

 How can I increase my chances of being upgraded?

 You should submit the best offer price you are willing to pay. The only way to guarantee you travel in the higher cabin is to purchase a full ticket for travel there.

 How do I know if I’ve been upgraded?

 If your bid is successful, you will be notified by email b/n 50 and 24 hours  before the scheduled departure of each flight.

 Would you be sending me a confirmation SMS in the event my offer is successful?

 All communications around your request will be via email. You may however receive an SMS from your bank, if you have requested these, to advice of activity on your credit card, which is normal as we start the upgrade evaluation process.

 When will I know if I’ve been upgraded?

 If your offer has been accepted, you will receive an email confirming your upgrade within b/n 50 and 24 hours before the scheduled departure of your flight.

 How can I find out the current status of my request?

 In the email we sent confirming that we received your request there is a link to View the details, if you click this and select the appropriate flight you will see the status of your request in the top right corner of the display.

 What does it mean if I see an authorization for the upgrade amount on my card?

 As part of the upgrade decision process we may validate if the payment card provided has sufficient funds available. This is not a guarantee that you will be upgraded however is a step in the acceptance process.

 What happens if there is an authorization that’s declined by my bank?

 As part of the upgrade decision process we may validate if the payment card provided has sufficient funds available. If funds are not available, we will not proceed with the upgrade acceptance.

If this happens, you will receive an email from us with two options to make funds available for the upgrade:

1) Call your bank to approve the transaction and ensure funds are available, then click the email link to let us know

2) Click the link to provide us with new card details

 Once notified we will re-try the upgrade acceptance if there are seats available and if there is sufficient time to fulfill the upgrade prior to departure.

 What happens if I am not upgraded?

 You will receive an email around 24 hours prior to departure informing you that your offer was unsuccessful. No amount will be deducted from your card and you can travel in your booked cabin.

 If my offer is unsuccessful, will I be told why?

 No. Numerous factors impact the selection process and therefore we cannot specify why certain offers are unsuccessful.

 Can I transfer the upgrade to another flight if my bid is successful?

 Successful upgrades are non-transferable, non-refundable, and are valid only on the flight and date shown.

 Can I increase my offer after I find out I was not upgraded?

 No, if your offer has been unsuccessful, another offer cannot be made. It’s important to put your best offer forward initially for the best chance of being upgraded.

 How will my Frequent Flyer Status be recognized?

 We may recognize your loyalty by giving higher priority to requests made by [Gold and Silver] members.

When will I be charged?

 As part of the upgrade selection process we may authorize your card for the offered amount, we will only take payment after your upgrade has been confirmed. This will happen when your bid is accepted, which can be anytime between 50 hours and 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure time.

 Do I pay now for the upgrade?

 No, you only pay for the upgrade at the time when your bid is accepted. This can be anytime 50 hours and 24 hours to the scheduled departure time of each segment.

 Can I pay with two different cards?

 No, each upgrade for your booking reference can only be paid for in one transaction by the same credit card.

 What if I don’t have a credit card?

 In order to make a bid, a valid credit card is needed.

 Why do I have to give you my credit card information?

 Credit card information is needed to process your upgrade in the event your offer is accepted. We collect this now and it is stored securely with the payment processor to be used only in the case you are selected to be upgraded.

 Can I pay with points/ miles?

 Payment for [Cloud Nine Upgrade Program] must be paid for with a credit card. You may also be eligible to request an upgrade with miles; more information can be found www.ethiopianairlines.com

 Are there any taxes or fees to be paid when bidding for an Upgrade?

 The total amount shown on the offer confirmation screen includes all pre-payable airline taxes and fees. Excepted from this are any fees or charges your financial institution may impose for transactions with your payment card, please contact your card issuer for more information.

 Does it cost anything to make an offer to upgrade?

 We do not charge any booking fees or sign up fees for making an offer to be upgraded. 

What are the steps I need to follow to submit an offer?

 You may receive an email 7 days prior to the departure of your trip, inviting you to make an offer. Alternative, you can login to Manage My Booking online using your booking reference.

• Choose the flight sector you would like to upgrade, and move the slider to indicate your offer.
• Enter your contact and payment details in the fields provided.
• Review and submit your details.
• After completion, you will be emailed confirmation of your upgrade offer. You can use this email to modify or cancel your offer.

 What do I need to review?

 Please review the offer amounts and totals for each sector of your trip to ensure that each matches your intention. Please also verify you have entered the correct payment & contact information. You should also review and agree to the program Terms & Conditions.

 What are the terms & conditions?

 The terms and conditions are the full program details. They can be found on the “Review & Submit” page or on under the program section on our website. The terms & conditions must be agreed to before submitting your bid.

 Why do I need to agree to the terms & conditions?

 The terms & conditions spell out the full rules of the program and we cannot process your request until you indicate you have read and agree to these.

 What do I do if I don’t agree to the terms & conditions?

 If you do not agree to the terms & conditions you won’t be able to participate in the program.

 What do I do if I get an error when clicking to submit my request?

 Go back through the offer process and check that you have entered all details correctly. If you are still receiving an error message, you can contact us at upgrades@ethiopianairlines.com  

 What do I do if I didn’t get any email after submitting my request?

 Please wait [4 hours] as it may take time for the email to be generated. Also please check your spam folder on your email account.

 Can I call the airline to place a bid?

 No, this service is currently only available online.

 Can I change my offer to a higher or lower amount?

 Yes, you can change the amount up until the deadline noted in your upgrade requested email or up until your offer is accepted, whichever happens sooner. All you need to do to change your offer is click the link in the upgrade offer email and use the slider to select your new offer amount.

 What do I do if I need to change my payment card after I have submitted my offer?

 To change the credit card information, you must first cancel your request and then re-submit the offer via the button on the cancel confirmation screen or e-mail you receive.

 What do I do if I need to cancel my offer?

 You can cancel your offer by clicking on the cancel link in the upgrade requested e-mail you received when you submitted your bid.

 How do I change the amount offered?

 You can modify your offer by clicking on the modify link in the upgrade requested e-mail you received after submitting your bid.

 I forgot to make my offer before offer window closed. Can I still submit an offer?

 No, once the offer window has closed you are no longer able to submit an offer. All offers must be made at least [50 hours] prior to the departure date of each flight segment. 

Customers who make their booking through   https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/AA/EN/ may cancel their reservation without penalty by contacting  Global call center  or  local ticket office  up to 24 hours after the reservation is made, if the reservation was made seven days or more prior to the flight’s departure. This rule applies for passengers departing from US only.

Ethiopian airlines web sales engine allows booking one way and return in 5 simple steps with features such as interactive calendar, low fare option, flexible schedule options etc.

Online booking can be made at  www.ethiopainairlines.com  and on the mobile application two hours before the departure. However, credit card payment is possible 24 hour before the departure on ET website and 6 hours before the departure on the mobile application. Mobile and electronic wallet payment methods will applicable until 2 hours before the departure. .

You will need to pay online through your credit card or can pay in cash at Ethiopian ticket offices.

On purchase, the system will generate your itinerary receipt which is confirmation for your confirmed reservation and e-ticket issuance and display the same on the screen. On it, you will find the key information about your reservation and flights. You will need to print the page and produce it along with valid photo identification in order to enter the airport and for check-in.

Also, an email will be sent to the passengers email address which can also be printed and used to enter the airport and for check-in.

Go directly to the check-in counter. Your boarding pass will be issued against this itinerary receipt and the valid identification

A promo code or a promotional code is an alpha numeric code which relates to a special offer. Entering this code at the beginning of the booking process allows you to view search result specifically related to the offer or discount.