Flight Review: ET639 from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

January 12, 2026

Have you ever wondered how it is like to fly Africa's best airline on one of the world's busiest international routes? Last weekend, I experienced Ethiopian Airline's fifth-freedom route from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore (ET639), and was pleasantly surprised. The airline has been operating this route since 2012, as an extension of the Addis Ababa to Singapore service. Here is my experience:

Pricing:

On a typical day, one-way flights on Ethiopian costs SGD74, which is significantly cheaper than Singapore Airlines at prices of up to SGD180, but more expensive than Scoot which costs SGD27 at cheapest. However, Ethiopian Airlines is a full-service carrier with meals and checked baggage, unlike Scoot which is a low-cost carrier. They also do offer a greater checked baggage allowance than that of Singapore Airlines with two 23kg bags, compared to one 25kg bag for a standard ticket, and both airlines are Star Alliance members.

On The Ground:

Ethiopian Airlines operates from KLIA's Terminal 1, rather than the budget Terminal 2, where AirAsia and Scoot operate from, creating a more premium experience. Self check in counters are available for the airline, but bags can only be dropped at the counter. Boarding starts very early for this flight, as they try to depart as early as possible to not delay the Singapore-Addis Ababa sector. The boarding time stated was 10.20pm, but boarding started at as early as 9.40pm, with the final call announced by around 10pm. Nonetheless, the flight still departed at the scheduled timing of 11.05pm.

The Aircraft:

I flew on ET-AXL, a 6.1-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, delivered in December 2019. It features 315 seats, with 30 in Cloud Nine (Business) and 285 Economy. The aircraft was very clean, likely since it had been on the ground for over 5 hours before boarding, so sufficient time as given to clean. Might not be the case for the Singapore to Kuala Lumpur service though.

Their iconic green-coloured seats were quite comfy, with thick padding and fitted with a 6-way adjustable headrest. Each seat was fitted with a modern in-flight entertainment screen, with a wide selection of movies and games. The games, such as Monopoly, could even be played as multiplayer with other seat neighbours. The usual live flight-tracking was available too. The screen could be controlled using a remote (built into arm rest), or by touch. For the IFE, earphones are not provided with the seat, so you will need to request for it, but it is free. Do note that the airline also flies their 787-8s on the same route, which has an older IFE screen which may not be as enjoyable.

Meals & Service:

Despite the short hop, the crew still served chicken sandwiches onboard, which were very delicious. A complimentary drink was also offered, ranging from your typical soft drinks to alcoholic drinks. By the time I was served my sandwich, they had already began descending into Singapore, so it is likely that if turbulence occurs mid flight, meal service may be scrapped. Despite their crunch for time, the cabin crew were very accomodating to my requests, such as for in-flight purchases.

The flight landed on-time in Singapore after a short 45 minute hop.

In conclusion, the flight was worth it for the price. For the price of a low-cost carrier, I recieved a full-service experience, with generous baggage allowance, comfortable seats, modern IFE, meals, and great service. As an added bonus, it is likely that the flight would be empty for the fifth-freedom sector, so there is a high chance to get the entire row to yourself! Would definitely recommend.

© 2026 Planeopedia LLP
Written by: Sohail Sawlani
All Rights Reserved
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Sources

- Planespotters.net
- SeatGuru
- Flickr