Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
CrimsonNL wrote:Hi Hirofumi!
Thanks for sharing, a nice report! An interesting read as I didn't really have an idea about the service on Ethiopian! The pictures of South Africa are really nice too
Martijn
tjcab wrote:Fantastic report. Thanks for sharing. Wonderful and comprehensive. Is that the new terminal i see at Addis? Greenish one (with the old DC3's in the frame)?
lychemsa wrote:Deserts look atrocious like on some US airlines. Food on South African was much better than what you got on Ethiopian.
C Class don't have Flat beds what I understand.
What scares me is that visitors to Ethiopia need a Yellow Fever shot.
I assume that on connections it is not required.
I loved Cape Town. Thanks for the pictures.
345tas wrote:A great report. I want to try ET.
Your photos of South Africa are stunning, you could sell them to the South African ministry of tourism.
PPVLC wrote:Thanks for your great report, it inspired me to give ET a try.
BuildingMyBento wrote:"Cost-cut" dessert? やれやれ...they'd probably at least give you a second energy bar if you asked.
lychemsa wrote:I assume you had the Yellow Fever shot? I heard that it hurts and one can feel bad for a few days. As it is the only Live Virus vaccination it is not recommended for those over 60.
If I fly on C I want to make sure I get a Flat Bed.
Robisintheair wrote:Thank you for your nice Trip Report! I was a Month ago also in Capetown and had my last dinner at Borschendal winery
eastafspot wrote:Lovely and enjoyable TR Hirofumi,
I'm heading off to CP for the third time in a few weeks, though It will be with Kenya Airways that sends a tiny EMB190 compared to your allmighty 777. interesting to learn ET that can fill this big bird! Do you remember the origins of the majority of the population on the ADD-CPT-ADD sectors?
Always nice to get an opup especially on a night and long haul flight, looks like your FF card is finally useful !
Passengers seated on the right side may have seen the Victoria Falls as on your picture you can notice Lake Kariba which is located downstream... you would have missed the Kili and the Mount Kenya then... quite hard decision!!
Excellent pictures from Stellenbosch and you with the crew member!
Many thanks for sharing, looking forward to more.
PPVLC wrote:Nope, I live in the UK, and thank you!
hirofumi wrote:eastafspot wrote:Lovely and enjoyable TR Hirofumi,
I'm heading off to CP for the third time in a few weeks, though It will be with Kenya Airways that sends a tiny EMB190 compared to your allmighty 777. interesting to learn ET that can fill this big bird! Do you remember the origins of the majority of the population on the ADD-CPT-ADD sectors?
Always nice to get an opup especially on a night and long haul flight, looks like your FF card is finally useful !
Passengers seated on the right side may have seen the Victoria Falls as on your picture you can notice Lake Kariba which is located downstream... you would have missed the Kili and the Mount Kenya then... quite hard decision!!
Excellent pictures from Stellenbosch and you with the crew member!
Many thanks for sharing, looking forward to more.
Hi Eastafspot, many thanks for your feedback. I believe your KQ flight will either stop at LVI or VFA? Hope you can get some good views of the waterfall! KQ offered very competitive Business Class fare out of BOM to CPT, so I was tempted to fly with them. Very curious about the products. It'll be great if you can share with us after you flight experience!
The ADD-CPT flight was almost full - I'd say the load factor was close to 90%. Most of the passengers were European tourists, and a few South Africans (I could tell by how crowded the immigration queues were). On the other hand JNB-ADD flight was a good mix of Africans, Europeans, and Asians and could figure it was mostly businessmen/women who were flying. Interesting difference.
About the sitting position - yes, it was a very difficult choice! Not only the right side would allow me to see the Victoria Falls but also that was the side for viewing Table Mountain as well. I couldn't resist Kilimanjaro though!
The area around Stellenbosch is quite beautiful - as well as Franschhoek. If you have the chance, have a visit, and wines are great too.
Once again, thanks for your comment.
gabrielchew wrote:Nice report, and a good selection of metal! Great that you were upgraded and got good *S treatment. When I flew ET I was also *S, but my boarding passes all showed *G, so maybe there is a bug in the system (still!) and it shows all *S as *G?
I'm surprised that CPT got a 77W...i've seen it a few times as a 737 operating via GBE!
eastafspot wrote:Yes indeed outbound via LVI inbound via VFA, I'll try my best to write 1 part or 2 but don't hold your breath
Thanks to you report, it now becomes obvious that ET is doing a better job on this specific route to Cape Town with a non-stop flight, lie-flat/full flat seat and a comprehensive IFE system, also ET does showcase local products like the "kolo" snack, the "Tej" drink and Injera (the latter for lunch/dinner times only)... Moreover, price wise, they were among the cheapest options right?
Good choice for the Kili as it may be one of your last times/photos you'll see the it with snow on the top! Due to drought (less forests near it) and climate changes, experts say that from 2020 onwards the snow will definitely melt down. Very sad
Yeah a day trip to Franschhoek was done to visit some wineries with the Hop-on Hop-off wine tram on the Green Line! Despite the «Wine Tram» being more or less a marketing stuff, as 90 % of the journey is done on a bus, it was a really nice day out where, at the end, walking a straight line became a real challenge...
Can you arrange some township visits in CP too?
hirofumi wrote:
The fares were very good out of Mumbai. Return Economy from BOM with CPT-in/JNB-out was USD450 in the cheapest Economy (simple JNB return would have been even cheaper!) and I could have added only USD150 to upgrade JNB-ADD-BOM sectors to Business Class. The upgrade was extremely tempting but it would be booked in "P" class, which cannot be accrued on most programs except for ET and CA. I needed to reach *G with TK so I decided to stick with Economy and receive miles instead.
Interesting note about the Kilimanjaro. That's sad indeed.
So you have been to the Cape Winelands. You know the beauty already
For the township tour in Cape Town, I've organized a private photography tour with a professional local cameraman as a guide. You can join a group tour that other tour operators organize I guess, but for the one I went to was more personal, visited a local bar and residence thanks to the connection the guide has with the locals. If you are into photography, I highly recommend this. I actually did 2 full days in Cape Town and the Winelands, all customized, and I hence I managed to take some good photos
eastafspot wrote:very rational for the upgrade declined!
Thanks for the infos and the link, much appreciated
SQueeze wrote:Thanks Hirofumi for the report on this route less travelled.
Stunning landscapes across Africa and thank you for pointing out the geographical features. I love looking out of the windows too.
And your cape town pics are simply wow. It's one of my Favourite city in the world too.
ADD looks like a disaster. I hope I don't have to go through it until the new terminal opens.
China is a strong player in African infrastructure so that explains the large presence of Chinese on the continent. I also saw Chinese newspapers at JnB airport recently
Anyway, ET looks like a decent airline. It's not 5* but I Guess the price is right and it is value for money,
cricket wrote:Great report, I flew ET years ago when they still had the ex-KLM 767's in their fleet. If I travel to Africa it might make sense over say an EK or EY but ET flies the 737 from DEL on a 7hr flight and that IMO is too long in a narrow body.
aeromoe wrote:Excellent report....I enjoyed reading very much. I need to visit Africa...maybe in 2018. Regards, Moe
VarunSolanki747 wrote:Lovely report! Great pics too! Will meet you next time if you come to Mumbai!!
TheGeordielad wrote:Great you showed a lot and included a lot of detail
Well done.
SeaDoo wrote:Thanks for the nice pictures you shared with us.