Stockholm To Cape Town/Johannesburg Business Class From €1,183 Roundtrip

Ethiopian Airlines 787

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We don’t often see super-cheap Business Class fares to South Africa so when some turn up that are bookable for travel between now and deep into 2018 it’s definitely worth taking note.

These Business Class fares are a little different to the fares that I normally post on Traveling For Miles as they’re not issued by one of the big 3 Middle East carriers or by one of the US or European transatlantic carriers – this time it’s Ethiopian Airlines that’s offering the great fares.

Stockholm – South Africa Business Class Fares – The Rules

  • Open returns not permitted and fares must be booked at least 7 days before departure
  • Minimum stay is 7 days
  • Maximum stay is 1 month from the departure date
  • Unlimited stopovers allowed in each direction at a cost of $70
  • No end date for the fare has been issued
  • The fares appear to be available through the end of the booking period (September)

Stockholm – Cape Town Business Class From €1,183 Roundtrip

The availability of the best fare starts out patchy in what’s left of 2017…

a screenshot of a flight schedule

…but availability gets better as we move in to 2018…

a calendar with numbers and numbers

….and it just gets better from there:

a calendar with numbers and numbers

a calendar with numbers and numbers

Example routing:

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The Aircraft:

In the above example the aircraft used is a 787 Dreamliner for all the sectors but, depending on the day of travel, you may also find at least one sector being operated by a 777.

Ethiopian has 19 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in its fleet but, as far as I can determine, only 6 of those aircraft have the newer Business Class seats fitted.

The older Business Class cabin offers a 2-2-2 layout with angle-flat seating (i.e the seat folds out into a 180 degree bed but it’s not quite parallel to the floor) while the newer Business Class cabin looks very similar (it’s still a 2-2-2 layout) but the seats are true lie-flat.

a row of seats in an airplaneEthiopian 787 Business Class – Image courtesy of Ethiopian

a row of seats in an airplane
Ethiopian 787 Business Class – Image courtesy of Ethiopian

Stockholm – Johannesburg Business Class From €1,183 Roundtrip

Just as with the Cape Town route the availability of the €1,183 fare starts off patchy in the remaining months of 2017….

a screenshot of a flight schedule

a screenshot of a calendar

…but availability is easy to find on just about all dates once you’re in to 2018:

a calendar with numbers and numbers

a calendar with numbers and numbers

Example Routing:

a white and black document with black text

The Aircraft:

The Stockholm – Addis Ababa sector is the same for both of the fares I’m discussing do, once again, a 787 is being used…but on the sector between Addis Ababa and Johannesburg its a shiny new Airbus A350 operating the route.

The Business Class cabin here is still in a 2-2-2 layout like on the Dreamliner but these seats are guaranteed to be true lie-flat seats.

a room with many monitorsEthiopian A350 Business Class – Image Courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines

a seat in a plane
Ethiopian A350 Business Class – Image Courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines

Where To Credit The Flights?

This is where we find a real downside to booking these Ethiopian fares as, despite being a member of the Star Alliance, these discounted Business Class fares will only earn miles in the airline’s own loyalty program or in Air China’s program:

a screenshot of a data

I can’t find these fares on United.com so that’s not an option here.

Bottom Line

There are truly fantastic fares for Business Class travel between Europe and South Africa…but some compromises do have to be made.

The chances are that the 787 you fly in will not have the latest Business Class seat and you’re not going to be earning any miles or elite qualifying currency that you value particularly highly.

All the reviews I’ve read on Ethiopian’s Business Class offering have been pretty positive so it’s not like you would be buying a truly sub-par product….you just won’t have a few of the more modern luxuries like all-aisle access seats if you book one of these fares.