Anyone flown Ethiopian Airlines to LAX?

Redderneck

Their flight timings Dublin-Los Angeles ar excellent; the flights are the only direct connection available and the pricing is keen. Buuuut - Ethiopia would be regarded by the States as a high-risk point of origin, so I'm wondering has anyone got any direct experience of how getting through Customs & Immigration in LAX went? There's no preclearance at Dublin for this flight and if clearance is as much of a hassle as I suspect it might be, then maybe other options become more attractive.

Yamanoto

An East African point of origin won't necessarily translate into a whole heap of added hassle at your point of entry OP.

Delays at LAX are as likely to be encountered and endured by passengers inbound from the likes of AMS, CDG, FRA or LHR. Proviso being if you intended carrying items which would require secondary screening by CBP - that's where you do notice flights originating in parts of Africa or Asia are slower to process, due to the extra scrutiny of pax carrying a more exotic array of items in their baggage. Those folks are directed away from the main body of passengers though, so it won't impact you once you've collected baggage and are queueing to present your customs declaration form at the customs hall exit.

The Ethiopian element also shouldn't impact on the time it takes to negotiate the initial entry formalities with the CBP officer prior to collecting your bag. More often than not, it's the amount of flights landing at the terminal simultaneously and the staffing levels at the CBP booths which have the most significant effect on how quickly you get through the whole process.

Given the keen pricing and convenience of a direct hop to LA, I wouldn't think twice about travelling with Ethiopian tbh.

ProudDUB

I haven't gone to LA with Ethiopian, but I flew on them from Addis to Washington DC. I can't remember any additional customs and immigration hassle or drama or security screening, over and above what I experienced on other airlines & that was flying directly to the US from Ethiopia.

Redderneck

Thanks folks - the direct hop and arrival/deaprture timings make it a very attractive proposition right enough. Worth trying out I think.

kerry4sam

Already an active thread open in Aviation & Aircraft right here.

Thread Closed,
kerry4sam