My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience: A Stop in Lome, Togo?

From time to time, I will search for a particular flight only to find an interesting route or abnormality, and this happened when I was trying to figure out how I would fly home from East Africa, in particular, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines operates a flight from Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles (and JFK) with a stop in Lome, Togo, and I flew it. This is my 18 hour odd business class experience.

This article is part of my Trip Report: Starting Summer in East Africa including:

• My Comically Bad Luck Flying to Africa
• No Compensation for an Involuntary Business Class Downgrade?!?
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa B747-8 Economy IAD-FRA 
• My First Flight on the Queen: My Thoughts
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge FRA
• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge FRA 
• Review: Lufthansa A330 Business Class FRA-NBO
• Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham
• Review: Air Kenya into the Safari
• JW Marriott Masai Mara Review: Luxury in the Savannah, a Truly Unforgettable Safari
• Is the JW Marriott Masai Mara Worth $3k a Night?
• Review: Aspire Lounge Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO)
• Review: Kenya Airways NBO-ZNZ E190
• Exploring Tanzania: My Thoughts on Zanzibar
• When Flights Don’t Go as Planned: Delayed in Zanzibar
• Review: Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK
• Mt. Kilimanjaro Day Hike: My Thoughts
• Exploring Moshi, Tanzania: What Everyone Gets Wrong
• Review: Twiga Lounge by Aspire Lounge Kilimanjaro International Airport
• Weirdest Flight Delay I Have Ever Had… 
• Review: Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa Executive Regency Suite
• Exploring Addis Ababa: My Thoughts
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Addis Ababa
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine B787-8 Business Class ADD-IAD
• My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience: A Stop in Lome, Togo?

Booking the Ticket

As highlighted in my article, How I Booked 38 Hours in Business Class for $170, I redeemed 104,000 ANA MileageClub miles that I had transferred from American Express for a round-trip business class award from the US to Africa.

On my return, I needed to fly from Addis Ababa to Washington, D.C., to make it home for Memorial Day, which gave me a general time restraint. When I booked the ticket, there were a few options, including flying Ethiopian to Lagos and a United flight to Washington. This issue was that I would have had a 12-hour layover in Lagos, which meant I would red-eye into Washington, which is not ideal. 

The other main option, which I chose, was a direct, emphasis on that word, from Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles with a brief refueling stop in Lome, Togo (LFW). While not as ideal as a nonstop flight between the two cities, it decreased my chances of misconnecting and was the quickest route home.

This meant I would board an Ethiopian b787-8 and fly 6 hours across Africa, land, and refuel before flying another 12 or so hours to the United States. Even though I was stopping in Lome, this was the most convenient option. 

My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience

As you can read in my flight review, I enjoyed my time on board Ethiopian Airlines, which featured fantastic hospitality and was a comfortable ride for the long journey. This is the longest flight I have ever been on, clocking in at a total distance of 7,920 miles over 18 hours. 

The weird part was landing in Togo. From everything I read online, I did not expect that I was going to have to get off my 18-hour home, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner I was flying on. However, they instructed us to pick up our belongings and get off the aircraft upon landing. 

We got off the plane and were restricted to the small gate seating area for about 20-30 minutes since there was nowhere to get food or wander the airport. After all, when will I be back in Lome?

They announced boarding would begin again, inviting business class passengers to board first. They rechecked our boarding passes and passports. A surprising amount of clipboards and checklists compared to computers, but I made it back on board. 

I was surprised to see all new blankets and pillows left on the seat, as well as new amenity kits and water bottles. This surprised me as everyone took the same seat after returning to the plane. There may have been a few new passengers. However, not enough to make me think restocking the cabin was necessary. But hey, I got two amenity kits, so I am not complaining. 

Why Does Ethiopian Airlines Stop in Togo?

On the second leg of the flight, I spent quite some time talking with the Addis Ababa-based Ethiopian Airlines crew. They explained that due to the high altitude of Addis Ababa, something I was unaware of, the plane would not be able to take off full of passengers and cargo unless there was a stop. 

I figured the stop was due to refueling, so at least I was right there. Interestingly, some of the crew swapped out for new crew between the two flights, an interesting feat. I also believe that more passengers got on board. 

Further, Ethiopian offers another flight from Addis Ababa to Washington D.C. via Dublin, Ireland. However, on this stop, according to the crew, it is strictly refueling. No crew or passengers are allowed on or off the aircraft for security reasons. 

The Last Point

Getting off the plane for me in a foreign country, only to get back on, was a first for me. While the flight back home was long, it was enjoyable. 

Of course, I would have preferred a nonstop option or at least one I did not have to get off. However, if you are trying to get from Ethiopia to the U.S., I cannot imagine a better option than this direct flight. Despite being 18 hours, it was not a red eye, making adjusting time zones even easier. Overall, my 18 hour odd business class experience was a pleasant one.