Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge

I am always excited to check out the primary hub lounge for flag carriers. After concluding my East Africa trip, I flew Ethiopian Airlines back to the U.S., so I wanted to check out the Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge in Addis Ababa.

The lounge is not only massive in size but offers a variety of seating options and plenty of food choices while you wait for your flight. Here are some of my thoughts.

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?

Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Location and Access

The lounge is located in Addis Ababa Bole International Airport near gate A14. I found the location to be close to many European and U.S. departures.

After passing through security, turn left and proceed down the terminal. The lounge will stand out with clear markings. Note that there is another lounge with the entrance to the right for elite members, including Star Alliance Gold members.

Lounge access is reserved exclusively for passengers traveling on Star Alliance business class. For Addis Ababa, this means passengers flying in business class on board Ethiopian, Lufthansa, EgyptAir, and Turkish.

Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Space

After checking in, there is a space to the left for some Ethiopian coffee and a passageway to the bulk of the lounge. Walking down the hallway, you pass a children’s play area on the left, followed by more seating options on the right. 

Further back, there is a dining area with a buffet and plenty of seating. Once you make it to the back of the lounge, hosting the central seating area, there is yet another buffet.

This room had plenty of seating, both for dining and relaxing. The best seats seemed to be facing the city, but unfortunately, they were full. When I entered the lounge around 6:30 am, it was mostly empty, but by the time I left around 8:30, it was pretty packed. 

Rounding the corner of the lounge was a large area with a massive screen, although it was off, which would make sense to screen movies or sports events in the lounge. The room to the right was quiet, with plenty of lounge seating to catch some sleep during your time in the lounge. 

The lounge also had shower facilities, but I did not get a chance to check them out. The bathroom was packed during my visit, often with a wait outside the door for both the men’s and women’s bathrooms. This is something I have not seen before. 

The lounge was comfortable and spacious, perfect for relaxing before a flight. It felt on the newer side but showed bits of wear and tear here and there.

Food and Beverage

Given how early it was in the morning, I did not have much to eat in the lounge, but plenty of options were available. The food options were spread across two buffets, one with more common lounge food, particularly for Europeans and Americans, and the second with more Ethiopian cuisine. 

The first buffet had plenty of cold cuts, cheeses, fruits, and salad options. There were also several drinks here, ranging from juices to coffees. 

The buffet in the back of the lounge had a wide variety, especially in terms of warm foods. There were classic breakfast staples such as eggs or sausage and more traditional Ethiopian food such as injera. Here there were also plenty of pastries. (Excuse my lack of photographs, as it was still early in the morning.)

As I mentioned, there was a traditional Ethiopian coffee corner in the front of the lounge, but it was unoccupied throughout my visit, with no coffee being served.

The Last Point

If you have access, the Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge is undoubtedly worth a visit. There is room to spread out, have a snack (or an entire meal, given the variety), and even get some sleep before your flight. 

While the lounge could have benefited from features other flag carriers have implemented in their flagship lounges, such as a la carte dining with a server, I was thrilled with my visit. I recommend checking it out. 

Has anyone visited the elite member lounge next door? What were your comparative thoughts?