Ethiopian to Offer Nonstop Dreamliner Service Between Newark and Ivory Coast
Travelers originating in New York will soon have one more nonstop option to Africa. Beginning later this year, Ethiopian Airlines will begin operating a new route from Newark (EWR) to Addis Ababa (ADD) via Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (ABJ).
Ethiopian Airlines has received pick-up rights in ABJ, meaning it can drop off and pick up passengers in the city. When the route launches on May 10, 2018, passengers will be able to use the route to travel nonstop between NYC and Ivory Coast — with the option to continue on to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. The 3x weekly weekly service will be operated by one of the carrier's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on the following schedule:
- ET512 Addis Ababa (ADD) 8:30am Departure ⇒ Abidjan (ABJ) 11:45am Arrival
- ET512 Abidjan (ABJ) 12:45pm Departure ⇒ Newark (EWR) 7:15pm Arrival
- ET513 Newark (EWR) 9:15pm Departure ⇒ Abidjan (ABJ) 11:15am (+1) Arrival
- ET513 Abidjan (ABJ) 12:15pm Departure ⇒ Addis Ababa (ADD) 9:30pm Arrival
Ethiopian's 787, which it will fly on the EWR-ABJ-ADD route, offers two cabins: economy or Cloud Nine (business). The 24-seat business-class cabin offers 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. The seats are a bit outdated and aren't quite fully flat — they're only angle-flat at 170 degrees. In economy, you'll find 246 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, with each seat offering 33 inches of pitch and 17 inches of width.
Ethiopian already flies between Newark (EWR) and Addis Ababa (ADD) with a stop in Lomé, Togo (LFW). In order to accommodate the new 3x weekly service via ABJ, the Lomé route will be reduced to 4x weekly service, down from 5x weekly operations.
If you're looking to book the EWR-ABJ leg, there's plenty of availability in both business and economy. Ethiopian is a member of Star Alliance, so check on award availability through its partner, United. You can fly on the 10-hour route for 80,000 United MileagePlus miles + taxes and fees one-way in business, or 40,000 miles one-way in economy.
This is a great option for travelers originating in New York looking to get to Africa. Now, travelers have the option of transiting via Lomé or Abidjan on their way to Addis Ababa, with the option to stop in either on the way. Ethiopian also offers other fifth-freedom routes such as these, continuing on to ADD. For example, the carrier flies from Los Angeles (LAX) to ADD via Dublin (DUB).
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