Quantcast

Ethiopian Airlines' fifth-freedom route offers affordable fares between Copenhagen and Vienna

Flight made emergency landing in Denver after reported animal strike and engine fire
General Dynamics says G800 jet receives FAA, EASA certifications
United Airlines doubles down on Chicago roots with new O'Hare billboards
Gatwick airport strikes, Easter 2025: will my flight be cancelled?
Boarding passes and check-in could be scrapped in air travel shake-up
European air traffic warning means summer delays for holidaymakers
The EU rule change that could affect millions of Brits when their flight is delayed or cancelled
Delta Earnings Land Soon. Why They’re Key for Airline Stocks and the Economy.
Avelo Airlines to Operate Deportation Flights, Hiring Flight Attendants
Travel chaos 2025: all the strikes and disruption expected across Europe
Qatar Airways accelerates Starlink wifi implementation
Southwest Airlines extends flight schedule through early April 2025
Cathay Pacific reaches 3,400 pilots this year, with low resignation rate of 2.9%
Qatar Airways Nears Boeing 777 Fleet-Wide Starlink Upgrade
United receives FAA approval for first Starlink-equipped planes
50 New Routes Launching In April 2025
Qantas launches mammoth Asia flight sale including Bali and Japan
New Update from Air Canada, WestJet, American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue Airways, and Sunwing: Airline Capacity Between Canada and US Slashed as Bookings Plummet Seventy Per Cent
Delta Cuts Two Domestic Routes
United Airlines Technicians Reject ‘Dead on Arrival’ Contract Proposal, Teamsters Say
The State of the Asia Pacific Airline Industry
Spirit Airlines to add Detroit nonstop flight out of Bradley International Airport
Major airline to launch new direct flights from Scotland to North America
Ryanair launches new ‘prime’ membership which saves passengers more than £400 a year
Judge Orders Boeing to Trial on 737 MAX Case
Qantas’ free international Wi-Fi to switch on from next week
The real reason Southwest is charging for bags now
Air France-KLM in ongoing talks with Air Europa on potential stake, CEO says
Frontier Savagely Shades Southwest After They Eliminated Longstanding Free Bag Policy, Sparking Backlash
Frontier Wants You to 'Divorce Your Old Airline' After Southwest Changes
Ethiopian Airlines' fifth-freedom route offers affordable fares between Copenhagen and Vienna
Policy
Webp pno4lxv7wo81abjbmsmnebzhcydi
Jonathan E. Hendry U.S & Loyalty Journalist | Simple Flying

Ethiopian Airlines offers an extensive European network and a generous baggage allowance for short flights. The flight fare was under $150, a snack was served, and legroom was generous despite online check-in issues. The Boeing 787-9 provides a comfortable ride, despite outdated seats and a glitchy in-flight entertainment system (IFE). The crew was efficient, and the food service was well-received.

When looking at options for flights between Copenhagen Kastrup (CPH) and Vienna (VIE), one airline stood out. Ethiopian Airlines operates from its hub in Addis Ababa to Copenhagen via Vienna. It offers a fifth-freedom service between the two European cities, allowing passengers to book this part of the sector rather than continuing on to Addis Ababa.

The Addis Ababa-Vienna-Copenhagen route is not unique within Ethiopian's European network. The carrier has a wide variety of routes in Europe connecting onwards to Addis Ababa. This allows the carrier to ensure its aircraft all arrive in Ethiopia at the same time for its European arrivals bank as well as extending the number of destinations it serves.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

For this one-hour flight, I paid a little under $150. While more expensive than Ryanair, Ethiopian Airlines offers a very generous baggage allowance, and the opportunity to fly on the carrier’s widebody fleet was too exciting to pass up. Initially, I booked the flight on the assumption that I would be flying on one of Ethiopian’s six Boeing 777-200LRs, as indicated on my ticket. I later realized that the plane had been switched out for a Boeing 787-9.

Ethiopian Airlines’ baggage allowance is very generous indeed for such a short flight. Each passenger in economy class is entitled to two 23kg suitcases and a carry-on bag. Onboard, my ticket indicated that “snacks” would be served.

As I was not staying in Copenhagen and was traveling to the airport on the same day as my flight, it made sense to check in online. However, I noted two issues: despite it being an intra-Schengen flight, Ethiopian Airlines’ website does not permit the use of a European Union member state’s national ID for travel; also, an Australian passport was not accepted by the system online.

Given these issues, I checked in at the airport itself without major problems. Despite it being an intra-Schengen flight, passport control checks were carried out both in Copenhagen and Vienna due to onward travel requirements.

Today’s flight was operated by ET-AUQ, a six-year-old Boeing 787-9 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines leased from AerCap since June 2018. The aircraft has 285 economy class seats and 30 business class seats.

I arrived at the gate roughly an hour before departure where boarding cards were scanned and passports checked before boarding began smoothly.

The interior of the aircraft featured Ethiopian Airlines' green, red, and yellow color scheme but seemed somewhat outdated with ample legroom provided nonetheless.

Regarding hard product amenities like IFE systems: my screen lagged often with touchscreen capability failing; access through remote control struggled too; no headsets were provided making most content unusable except inflight map literature about Ethiopian Airlines games which did not work either

Crew members began snack/meal service immediately after takeoff offering drinks including some local brands along sandwiches vegetarian chicken options - choosing latter found excellent! Service though efficient lacked warmth except brief interaction regarding feedback beer choice

Crew ensured passengers paid attention safety video more rigorously compared other airlines asking those distracted remove headphones focus screen played

Soon after meal preparations landing commenced final checks completed stunning views Austrian landscape greeted arrival Vienna brief goodbye crew counted disembarking passengers creating queue slowed deboarding process followed passport control baggage reclaim exiting airport shortly thereafter

Overall experience positive especially considering generous baggage allowance inflight meal/snack service recommended if price right

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Various airlines around the world often assign Flight Number 1 to important or historical routes.

Apr 29, 2025

Eurowings, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, reported notable performance metrics in the first quarter of 2025, suggesting heightened customer satisfaction.

Apr 29, 2025

Attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro had been a long-standing aspiration for Matt Moffitt, who recently managed to visit during his three-month trip through South America.

Apr 29, 2025

Adding an authorized user to a credit card account offers potential benefits but also comes with risks.

Apr 29, 2025

Ahead of Memorial Day, Delta has unveiled its annual list of the most-searched international summer destinations, using data from Delta.com and the Fly Delta App.

Apr 29, 2025

FedEx Corp. released its 2025 FedEx Small Business Trade Index, offering insights on how U.S. small- and medium-sized business (SMB) leaders view global trade.

Apr 29, 2025