Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is a Star Alliance member based in Addis Ababa (ADD) and is Africa’s largest airline by a wide margin. Its network blankets the continent and reaches North America, Europe, and Asia, which makes it the single most useful airline for award travel anywhere in Africa. It also runs a young fleet heavy on 787s and A350s.

Which miles can you use to book Ethiopian Airlines?

Because Ethiopian Airlines is in Star Alliance, you can book its award space with partner miles, including:

United MileagePlus: no fuel surcharges, and united.com is also the easiest place to search
Air Canada Aeroplan
Avianca LifeMiles: often the cheapest, no surcharges
Turkish Miles&Smiles

How to search for Ethiopian Airlines award space:

The easiest place to search is the United Airlines website. United displays Star Alliance partner availability, including Ethiopian Airlines, and you can search without holding any miles.

Step 1

Step 2

Select the Book Travel box and fill in your trip details:

Select either Round Trip or One Way
Enter your departure and arrival city. For Ethiopian Airlines, think routes through Addis Ababa (ADD), like IAD-ADD, ADD-NBO, ADD-CPT, or ADD-LHR
Enter your dates
Select the number of passengers
Select Award Travel

Then click Search.

Step 3

Pick the flight option that fits your schedule. Watch the connection times carefully, as some options have very long layovers.

If you would like to search a different day, use the calendar to scan nearby dates. Addis Ababa connections run overnight in big banks, so nearby dates often price and route very differently.

Make sure you select the Saver Award, as standard awards cost far more miles and usually can’t be booked with partner programs anyway.

Step 4

Choose your preferred flight and open its details. Write down the following information: flight number, dates, and cabin class.

Step 5

Now book with the program your miles live in. If it’s United miles, book right there on united.com. For other programs (Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Miles&Smiles), check their website first, since most can book Star Alliance partners online now. If the flight doesn’t show, call the program and read the agent the exact flights you found. They should be able to see and book the same space for you.

Tips before you book

For multi-stop trips within Africa, Ethiopian is usually the only Star Alliance option, and availability is generally good outside December.
If united.com shows nothing, cross-check the same route on aeroplan.com. Partner sites occasionally disagree on the last seat or two.