Frequently asked questions

The above error happens when there is a 3DS verification issue in your payment. Please make sure to use a 3DS enrolled card and if the problem persist please use another form of payment or another card.

We accept PayPal payment from all countries but there are currencies that are not directly supported by PayPal such as ETB,XAF,XOF and others.

You will not get the PayPal option if you are originating from these countries.

This happen when we encountered an issue when issuing your ticket  or sending confirmation email after ticketing. Please contact our office by providing your flight itinerary and your last name so the our support team will try to search your booking and contact you.

This is may be due to intermittent connectivity issues which are preventing us from getting a timely response from your issuing bank.

This may ultimately result in a time-out. If this happens to you, don't close your browser or tab while the page is loading. Instead, contact your  local Ethiopian Airlines office for assistance.

• Something they know: for example password or PIN
• Something they own : such as Cellphone or token
• and Something they are for example Fingerprint, Facial features and others

This happen when we encountered an issue when issuing your ticket, and your payment has been put on hold. Don't worry. In such cases, a request is usually sent immediately to your issuing bank to reverse the payment, and you should see this reversal in your statement in about 6 hours. You may speak to your issuing bank to learn more about the status of your transaction. If the held amount is not released after 6 hours, get in touch with your local Ethiopian Airlines office.

Please make sure you have the payment options and the currency you want to purchase and if you face any technical issue with your payment please contact our customer support desk.

Please note that we have various payment options on our mobile application.

This happen when you make two payment attempt and when both get successfully charged. Please  contact our support team for refunding one of the payment.

For a successful transaction with your credit / debit card:

• Ensure that you have sufficient credit or balance
• Ensure that your payment details have been correctly entered
• Ensure that your credit / debit card has not been reported stolen or used for fraudulent activity
• Ensure that the country of the issuing bank does not have currency or credit limitations
• Ensure that e-commerce transactions have been enabled for your credit / debit card
• For Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), ensure that your log-in credentials have been entered correctly
• For Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), ensure that your account has sufficient balance

Please select PayPal from the payment page > agree terms and condition and submit payment > login to your PayPal account > authorize payment.

If your PayPal payment status  is pending that means the payment is not successful and it needs to be canceled. Please report the incident to our support desk and proceed with a new request.

Please contact our support desk to get the link for payment.

• VISA Card
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Diners Club / Discover
• JCB Card
• China Union Pay
• UATP

That is due to cross broader fee. Foreign transaction fee is imposed by a credit card issuer on a transaction that takes place overseas or with a foreign merchant.

This happen when you select pay at agent option and try to make payment online. To make payment for hold bookings you have to select book now pay latter options

All transactions are subject to the approval of your issuing bank / payment provider. If your transaction was denied by your issuing bank, we won't be able to process your payment. Contact your issuing bank for information about why your transaction was declined. If your card has 3D-Secure, you must authenticate your transaction to complete payment. Your transaction will be declined if authentication fails.

Once you’re on the payment page, you’ll be required to enter several pieces of information to complete the payment.

• Choose "Credit/Debit Card" as Your Payment Method
  There will sometimes be an option to choose the type of credit card you’re using, e.g. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or a store credit card. If your credit card processor isn’t listed in the box, the merchant doesn’t accept that type of credit card. You’ll have to use another type of credit.
• Enter Your card details as it Appears on Your Credit/Debit Card
  Look at the credit card to verify that you’ve entered your name correctly. Then, enter your credit card information: the credit card number, expiration date, and security code. For Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, the three-digit security code will be printed at the back of the card after the credit/debit card number. The four-digit security code for American Express credit cards is printed on the front-right of the card, directly above the credit card number.
• Submit the Payment
  Once you've ensured that everything is accurate, select the button to submit your order. If your card is enrolled for 3D Secure authentication you will be redirected to the issuing bank page and requested to enter additional information

Our online system usually accept the currency of the departure country. From some countries we accept USD or EUR as a default currency but currency change is not possible on the website. However you can contact our support desk and they can convert the currency to USD.

For passengers selecting hold reservation and pay latter option the below ticket time table is applicable:-

A duplicate booking refers to more than one booking created for the same passenger name, for the same flight itinerary, and same travel date. Duplicate booking can be made when a passenger intentionally or unintentionally book the same journey through different agencies or booking platforms such website, mobile application, or with call center agents.

Duplicate bookings can lead to a reduction in seat availability for the airline and an increase in unnecessary waitlists.

If passengers share the same name, adding their middle name and title to the booking will prevent a duplicate booking warning message. If you notice a duplicate warning message on your booking please contact your local Ethiopian airlines office.

All paying passengers who have checked-in and already accepted for travel on a delayed flight are entitled for the compensation program regardless of their original reservation status and the following will be offered:

• Snacks and telephone calls will be offered depending on the delayed time.
• Meal will be offered during normal meal hours.
• Hotel accommodation may not be extended to local joining resident passengers. However, assistance may be given, if needed, in transportation.

• You will be re-routed to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or protected on the next Ethiopian flight.
• The cost of the ticket will be reimbursed without penalty for the part of the journey not made on Ethiopian.
• Telephone call, refreshment, meal and accommodation will be offered as per the table above.

Protection plan shall be made immediately for passengers with connecting flights beyond to their final destination.

Unaccompanied minor shall be rerouted as quickly as possible even on ET flights that are overbooked.

Passenger should not be rerouted via countries for which he/she holds no proper travel documents such as (transit) visa.

Passengers shall be protected to fly to their destinations by the fastest means available.

This program will not be availed for passengers if:

• Passenger did not show up at the airport for check-in (no-show passengers), regardless of there reservation status will not be entitled for this program.
• Early departure.
• Delayed flights on domestic services.
• Delayed flights beyond Ethiopian Airlines control such as:
   
• Adverse weather conditions
• Political turmoil at point of the passenger’s origin or destination
• Safety or Security concerns
• Industrial disputes
• Labor and other strikes
• ATC or/and other airport operational problems beyond ET’s control.

Delayed flight is any scheduled passenger flight departing or arriving behind its original schedule because of mechanical, operational or other reasons. A delay, cancellation or disruption is beyond Ethiopian Airlines control when it is caused by circumstances such as weather, strike, sudden airport closure or political situation.

• Schedule change, delay or cancellation, will be advised to all passengers preferably before they departed from home or hotel. If already at the airport they will be advised at the time of check-in or at the gate with apology. Please take care to provide us with accurate contact information.
• If the delay is extended and accurate information cannot be obtained (due to the nature & cause of the delay), the airline agent will take passengers’ contact and keep them informed about the developments. The information advice could be supported by technology like SMS, updating the information on the web site, etc…
• Real-time flight information is also available on Ethiopian Chatbot or through our mobile application and our website.
• For All departing and transit passengers Ethiopian Airlines will send a message free of charge to one of their relatives at the point of stopover or destination.(Please refer delayed/ cancelled flight compensation table)
• Passengers shall be updated on the situation every 15 minutes staring from 30 minutes before scheduled time of departure.
• Refreshment shall be given for a delay more than 2 hours. If however, the time of departure is close to breakfast, lunch or dinner time, the service shall be the appropriate meal.

There 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;- Bamako, Moscow & Ndjamena
• When origin point is offline point where ET is not the operating carrier
• 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.

The following types of passengers are not allowed to check in online and must proceed to the airport for check-in:

• Passengers requiring Medical Assistance
• Passengers whose ticket requires some additional payment
• Passengers with travel document that requires further verification at check-in counter
• Pregnant Mothers
• Wheel Chair Passengers and
• Passengers who require special assistance.

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

You can contact our Global Call Centre or 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.

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

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.

1.Error: Inhibited special service request

Cause:This error occur when a booking has an special service request such as wheelchair ,stretcher passenger, that is inhibited.

2. Error: Segment Restricted/Segment not eligible for Check-in

3. Error: Flight Not Initialized

4. Error: Online check-in window is closed

5. Error: CHECK_IN_WINDOW_NOT_YET_OPEN

6. Error: Segment not eligible for Check-in

7. Error: Invalid passport Number

8. Error: DOCUMENT_NUMBER_DUPLICATED

9. Error: Online Check-in not allowed

10. Error: Inhibited Station

11. Error: Online Check-in is not allowed APP Error

12. Error: ASSOCIATED_PASSENGER_NOT_ELIGIBLE/ inhibited Passenger Type

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.

If the ticket document is issued

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 3 hours or less before departure.

Since our tickets are non-transferable complete name change is not allowed on Ethiopian. However, you can correct the name on your ticket (subject to fees) if your  middle  or first name is misspelled on the ticket. This must be done before the first flight of your itinerary. We may request further evidence from you in respect of any request to change the name on your ticket.

If you need to update the name on your flight ticket due to marriage, divorce, or other legal name changes, you need to supply proof to our local ticket office. If your name has recently changed and the name on your ticket and your I.D. are different (or will be different by the time of your trip), bring documentation of the change (e.g., a marriage certificate or court order).” Just be sure to arrive at the airport with enough time for airport officials to review the paperwork. If you haven’t updated your driver’s license or passport with your new name, you don’t have to change it on your ticket. The name just needs to match the one on your travel documents.

No you cannot. Your name must be exactly the same as your passport or any other travel document. If you’ve misspelled name or have changed your name after you made your booking, there might be a need to change the names that were initially filled in while booking. 

For direct bookings, this must be done at least 24 hours before the departure of your flight. Passengers are required to visit Ethiopian airlines website,  contact our contact center or visit one of our ticket offices.

For bookings made through a travel agent, you will need to make the request with the travel agent.

Yes there is. Name change is allowed, provided justifiable document like copy of marriage certificate &/or passport is presented with service charge of USD50.

Are all of my flights eligible to upgrade?

Only those flights mentioned in the email or indicated after clicking the invite are eligible for an upgrade. The identification of eligible flights is made sole by the airline’s discretion.

How do I know if my flight is eligible?

You can verify your eligibility by providing your last name and booking reference in the Manage My Booking Section on our website (www.ethiopianairlines.com). Alternatively, we may send an email to all eligible passengers and invite them to make an offer 7 days prior to departure of the first sector of the booking. Please ensure that you provide your email address when making your reservation. Passenger can also check eligibility on the marketing page.

 Are there only certain destinations that the upgrade is applicable for?

 The following are list of destinations that are eligible for an upgrade.  However, we are constantly adding destinations to the program. So, we encourage you to check always your eligibility on our marketing page:  Addis Ababa- Dubai, Addis Ababa - Cairo, Addis Ababa – Paris De Gaulle, Addis Ababa –Cape town, Addis Ababa - Dublin, Addis Ababa - Frankfurt, Addis Ababa - London Heathrow, Addis Ababa- Kuala Lumpur, Addis Ababa- Hong Kong, Addis Ababa- Seoul, Addis Ababa- Shanghai, Addis Ababa- Sao Paulo, Addis Ababa- Nairobi, Addis Ababa- Toronto, Addis Ababa-Los Angeles, Addis Ababa-Madrid, Addis Ababa-Dammam, Addis Ababa-Doha, Addis Ababa-Kuwait, Addis Ababa-Muscat, Addis Ababa-Mumbai, Addis Ababa-Stockholm and Addis Ababa-Milan.

 Are there any specific reasons why I might not be eligible to make an upgrade offer?

 There are several different factors that may impact your eligibility to make an offer to upgrade, these include:

• If  you do not have a ticket yet
• If your reservation is not confirmed yet
• If your flight is not operated by Ethiopian airlines
• If the flight you are travelling on is not currently accepting offers
• If you are booked with an infant
• If  you are travelling with 8 or more passengers ( Total booked 9 or more passengers)
• If your ticket is not issued on ET Stock i.e. a ticket number with 071 Prefix

 Can I upgrade on partner airline flights?

 Right now only flights operated by Ethiopian airlines are eligible.

 Why is there a price range and not just one price?

 The program is a bid-based system built on the willingness of the passenger to pay for an upgrade. When submitting a bid, by moving the slider on the strength meter on the offer page, you see an indicator of how strong the bid is

 How do I select the upgrade amount I want to pay?

 Move the slider to show how much you would like to pay for each flight shown on the page

 Why do I need to pay per segment?

 Bids are accepted per flight segment, you may not be able to be upgraded on all segments.

 How much should I offer?

 All flights have a range from which you can select the value you want to offer. The strength meter, found on the offer page, can help you determine the strength or your offer. The gauge is to be used as a guide, not confirmation that your offer will be successful

Is there a minimum amount I must offer for an upgrade?

 Each flight has minimum and maximum assigned offer value and your offer must lie between these two values.

 Can I choose any amount I want?

 The system has a default minimum and maximum bid amount set. It will not accept any offer lower than the minimum amount or higher than the maximum amount.

 What do I do if the price I want to offer isn’t shown on the slider?

 If you do not wish to offer at least the minimum value you will not be able to participate in this program. There may be other upgrade options available to you, can contact us upgrades@ethiopianairlines.com

 Why is there a minimum amount?

 We have set a minimum amount per person to ensure that all offers are within the range we are able to consider to be upgraded.

 What is the strength meter for?

 This will let you know how strong the offer amount selected is. Offer amount is not the only indicator of the likelihood your upgrade will be accepted however it is an important component. Upgrades are selected at the discretion of the airline, based on availability; as such there is no guarantee that your offer will be accepted, even at the highest permitted offer amount.

 What does it mean if I make an offer amount that is at the top end of the dial?

 The strength meter is a guide that shows the strength of your offer amount. An offer in the green section means that the offer amount is strong but does not guarantee a successful bid.

 Can I select different upgrade amounts for different flights on my itinerary?

 Yes, simply use the slider to set how much you would like to pay for each flight shown on the page

 How can I increase my chances of being upgraded?

 There are many factors that determine whether or not an offer for an upgrade will be accepted. The main factors are the participation of other passengers booked on the same flight, the amount the passenger is willing to pay for the upgrade and the status of the airline’s Frequent Flyer Program.

 Can I make an offer to upgrade if I am travelling with a child?

 Yes, as long as the child is not an infant and the offer amount for the child is the same as the offer amount for the adult in the same booking.

 Is the amount per person or for my whole group?

 Your bid is per passenger on your booking reference, and all passengers on the same booking must participate.

 Can I bid for everyone in my group or just me?

 If there are multiple passengers in your booking you must bid to upgrade all of the passengers.

How do I make an offer just for me, not my travel companion?

 You need to split your booking so you and your travel companion will have a separate booking reference each. If you have booked via the airline, you can contact the reservation office and ask the agent to split your booking. If you have booked via travel trade, you can ask your travel agent to split your booking. Request for booking split should be done 3 days prior to the departure date to avoid the expiry of offer submission.

 What do I do if I have multiple flights on my itinerary?

 Offers are made for each sector of a journey so if you are travelling on more than one sector you will need to choose which you wish to upgrade on and make an offer for each.

 What do I do if the segment I want an upgrade on isn’t eligible?

 With this program, you can only place a bid on flight segments that are eligible to request an upgrade.

 What do I do if I don’t want to make an offer for a particular flight?

 If you do not wish to make an offer to upgrade on any flight, you can just ignore the invite you have received to make an offer. If you wish to make an offer on some segments but not others, you should move the bidding slider to the far left until you see “No Offer”. This means you do not wish to make an offer on this segment and won’t be considered to be upgraded.

 How do I know how many passengers are included in the offer?

 When you are going through the offer process, you will see how many passengers are included under “Your Offer” section. This should match the count of passengers booked together on your booking reference.

 How do I know which passengers are included in the offer?

 The offer is for all passengers on your booking reference.

 Is there a time limit to make an offer?

 The offer window closes 50 hours prior to the departure date of each flight. You can also make changes up until this time.

 Is there another way to make an offer?

 No, you can only make an offer through the invite email you have received or by login in to the Manage My Booking Section on the website.

 Can I make an offer if I don’t have a ticket yet?

 No, you must have made a reservation in order to request an upgrade 

Ethiopian Airlines Plus Grade Current Available Routes

How does this upgrade opportunity work?

After you have booked your flight ticket you may be invited to make an offer to upgrade to a higher class than was booked. The invitation will link you to a website where you can indicate which flights you would like to make an offer to be upgraded on.

  Step 1 – select how much money, per person, you wish to offer to be upgraded per flight

 Step 2 – enter your payment card information that will only be used if you are selected to be upgraded. You should also confirm or enter an email address on this page, this is what we will use to communicate with you about your request

 Step 3 – Review the details to ensure everything looks good, tick the box to agree to the terms and conditions, and submit your request

 You will receive an email confirming your request. You can use this to modify or cancel your offer up until the deadline shown by clicking the included link.

In the days prior to your flight we will notify you via email if your request for an upgrade has been successful or not. If your upgrade offer has been accepted, your credit card will be billed with the amount you offered and your flight will be rebooked to the higher cabin. On the day of travel you should check-in as a passenger traveling in the business class. If your upgrade offer is not accepted, you pay nothing and travel in your original booked cabin.

 How do I get invited?

 There are a number of ways you can access the upgrade site:

• Retrieve your booking in our Manage My Booking area and look for the banner  (Cloud Nine,Get Upgraded at Your Price)
• From our dedicated information page about the program here
• If an email address is associated with the booking, you may receive an email seven (7) days prior to travel

How do I participate if I don’t get an email/ see an invite?

Passengers travelling on tickets purchased by miles, Infant Tickets may not be eligible to participate. If your booking fits the designated criteria yet you have not been invited to participate, you can contact us  at upgrades@ethiopianairlines.com  

How do I stop receiving the upgrade invite email?

At the bottom of the email you will see an “Unsubscribe” link. If you do not want to receive upgrade invite emails from us you can click this to be removed from our mailing list

 What do I do if I accidentally clicked to unsubscribe?

 You can contact us at upgrades@ethiopianairlines.com  to be re-added to the mailing list

What do I do now I’m upgraded?

 There’s nothing more you need to do. Remember that the upgrade only applies for the flight segment indicated. The fare conditions of the original ticket, including cancellation policies, change fees and frequent flyer miles earned will continue to apply.

 What are the documents that I need to present at the airport?

 You should bring your new itinerary that was issued when your upgrade was successful.

 Do I have more baggage allowance?

 You will have additional baggage allowance for the sector that has been upgraded. Note that this applies only on the segment that has been upgraded.

 Can I check-in later than usual?

 You will follow the check-in rules of the cabin you have been upgraded to, find more about check-in times www.ethiopianairlines.com

 Can I use the lounge?

 Where we have a lounge available you can enjoy the available benefits of the cabin you have been upgraded to.

 Where is the lounge?

 Please visit our website to locate the lounge available for your trip. Alternatively, please ask a member of the staff at the airport for the location.

 Is there a limousine service?

 There is no limousine transfer included with the upgrade.

 Do I get a better meal?

 You will enjoy the services onboard of the cabin you have been upgraded to.

 Will my pre-ordered meal request be transferred to my upgraded cabin?

 All special requests recorded for the original flight ticket in will be transferred when you are upgraded to the next cabin, including special meals.

 Can I pick my seat?

 You cannot select a seat at the time of requesting an upgrade, however after your offer is accepted, you can login in to My Booking online using your booking reference, and pick your seat from the seat map.

 What do I do if the seat I want isn’t available?

 You can request your preferred seat during check-in or at the airport. Unfortunately we are not able to guarantee the availability of any specific seat or location in the cabin.

 What are the fare rules of the upgraded ticket?

 If your upgrade request is accepted, the ticket conditions of travel of your original ticket reservation (before the service class upgrade), will remain in force, including the conditions for minimum and maximum stay, cancellation, and changes. 

Why am I being offered an upgrade?

 From time to time, we have unsold seats in our Business class. Instead of flying them empty, we offer our passengers booked in Economy class the opportunity to make us an offer to upgrade to that premium seat. If you see an invitation to request an upgrade, your booking has one or more flights that are eligible to participate. The invite does not mean that you are guaranteed to be upgraded.

 Why should I upgrade?

Each of our cabins offers you a different level of service. Although you have purchased a ticket in your current cabin, you may wish to experience a higher level of service and comfort. You can find more information about each of our cabins here:

Cloud Nine service

Economy service

 How is this different to the other options for upgrading my ticket?

 If you were to adjust your ticket today to rebook your trip to a Business class on all segments, you would be charged the difference between the fare you have paid and the fare for the business class. Our upgrade program does not change the rules or cabin of your original ticket; it provides you the opportunity to experience a higher class of travel and is charged as a cost in addition to the fare you have already paid per segment upgraded.

 How is this different to buying a ticket outright in a Business class?

 When purchasing a ticket in business class your ticket will carry all of the rules of the business class and you will have a confirmed seat in that cabin. This is the only way to guarantee that you will travel in business class. This upgrade program uses unsold seats, if they are available in the days prior to departure of each flight sector, selecting the best offer/s for those seats to give you the experience of an upgrade.

 What do I get if I am selected to be upgraded? What is included in the upgrade?

 If you are upgraded, you will have the experience of flying in the higher cabin for that flight. This includes:

• Business Class Check-In
• Lounge Access (where available)
• Priority boarding
• A luxurious seat in our Business Class cabin
• Award winning business class service
• Priority baggage

What isn’t included in the upgrade?

The fare conditions of your original ticket remain unchanged, including cancellation policies, change fees and earned frequent flyer miles.

Will I earn additional business class bonus miles for the upgraded flight sector?

No. You will earn miles according to the type of fare you purchased for the economy class ticket and no additional bonus miles will be granted for the upgrade. This applies both for Sheba Miles members and Frequent Flyer members of Partner Airlines within Star Alliance.