Ethiopian Airlines Fare Classes: ShebaMiles Status
Type the booking class letter from your Ethiopian Airlines ticket to see the qualifying segments it earns toward ShebaMiles status, as published by Ethiopian.
Ethiopian Airlines fare classes
Ethiopian publishes how each booking class counts toward Qualifying Segments, the flight-count route to ShebaMiles status. It does not publish the share of the distance each class earns in award miles as page text: that appears only inside its Earn Miles Calculator, which is why this chart has no award mile column and there is no cwsi.net calculator for Ethiopian.
| Fare | Cabin | Qualifying segments per international flight |
|---|---|---|
| Full credit (100%) | ||
| C | Business | 1 |
| J | Business | 1 |
| D | Not named by Ethiopian | 1 |
| P | Not named by Ethiopian | 1 |
| Y | Economy | 1 |
| G | Economy | 1 |
| S | Economy | 1 |
| B | Economy | 1 |
| Three quarters credit (75%) | ||
| M | Economy | 0.75 |
| K | Economy | 0.75 |
| L | Economy | 0.75 |
| V | Economy | 0.75 |
| Half credit (50%) | ||
| H | Economy | 0.5 |
| U | Economy | 0.5 |
| Q | Economy | 0.5 |
| T | Economy | 0.5 |
| Quarter credit (25%) | ||
| W | Economy | 0.25 |
| E | Economy | 0.25 |
| O | Economy | 0.25 |
Segments are counted per flight segment flown on an Ethiopian international flight, so Lagos to Addis Ababa to Dubai in H is two segments at 50%, or 1 segment in all. Ethiopian lists Y, G, S and B under Economy; its Earn Miles page lists C, D, J and P with them at full credit without naming their cabin. Only C and J are named Business, on Ethiopian's Air Congo partner page, so D and P show no cabin here. Ethiopian publishes no fare family names (Basic, Classic, Flex) on the pages used for this chart. Classes not listed above are not given a segment value by Ethiopian.
Ethiopian's Earn Miles CalculatorHow ShebaMiles are earned
- Award miles on Ethiopian Airlines flights are based on the non-stop great circle distance between the airports and the fare paid (the booking class). The class percentages are not published as page text; run the route through Ethiopian's Earn Miles Calculator (From, To, tier level, one way or round trip). Ethiopian publishes no minimum miles per flight on the pages used here.
- Tier bonus on Ethiopian Airlines flights, as a percentage of the base miles:
Tier Bonus miles Welcome none Blue none Silver 25% Gold 75% Platinum 100% - Not eligible: award tickets and upgrade awards earn no miles and count for no tier. Discounted tickets (employee, industry, agent, military or government, and highly discounted fares) earn nothing. A Platinum complimentary upgrade earns no miles and no tier credit for that flight.
- Upgrades: miles are credited on the original paid booking class for free, award and Plusgrade upgrades. A paid last-minute upgrade to Business from a normal revenue economy ticket is credited at the J class accrual rate, on Ethiopian's Earn Miles page.
- Air Congo domestic flights earn flat miles per flight: 300 in C and J, 200 in Y, G, S and B, 150 in L and V, 100 in H and U, and none in Z, I, R, X and N.
- Validity: miles are valid for three years. Bonus miles are not status miles, except the Cloud Nine (business) bonus on revenue tickets.
ShebaMiles status tiers
| Tier | Status Miles | Or Qualifying Segments | Star Alliance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 3,000 | 2 | none listed |
| Silver | 25,000 | 25 | none listed |
| Gold | 50,000 | 50 | Gold |
| Platinum | 100,000 | 80 | Gold |
- The year runs from 1 January to 31 December. Status is reviewed daily, so a tier starts as soon as you reach a threshold, and the same numbers upgrade or maintain it. Nothing carries over to the next year, and Ethiopian may change the thresholds at any time.
- Status Miles depend on the distance flown, the airline booked and the fare type. They are earned on Ethiopian and Star Alliance partner flights and cannot be spent. Purchased Status Miles also count (USD 125 per 1,000, up to 10,000 in 12 months).
- Qualifying Segments count Ethiopian international flights only, weighted by booking class as in the chart. Ethiopian domestic flights and all partner flights do not count; partner flights stopped counting on 1 January 2022.
- Award flights, ASKY revenue tickets, miles from non-airline partners, bought miles, most promotional bonus miles and compensation miles do not count toward a tier.
- ShebaMiles Platinum and Gold members are matched to Star Alliance Gold when they fly Star Alliance partner airlines.
- Extra baggage allowance (piece system: Blue 5 kg, Silver 1 piece of 23 kg, Gold 1 piece of 32 kg, Platinum 2 pieces of 23 kg) and complimentary upgrades are listed on Ethiopian's Program Benefits page.
Lounges at Addis Ababa
Ethiopian operates its lounges only at Addis Ababa Bole (ADD), Terminal 2, airside opposite Gate A13. Entry opens five hours before departure.
- Sheba Cloud Nine Lounge: all Cloud Nine (business) passengers departing Addis Ababa; open 24 hours.
- ShebaMiles Platinum and Star Alliance Gold Lounge: ShebaMiles Platinum members and Star Alliance Gold members from any carrier; open 24 hours, with one guest.
- ShebaMiles Silver Lounge: ShebaMiles Silver members only, in the inner corridor of the departure hall.
Passengers connecting onward in Economy are not eligible, even if they arrived in Business. At other airports, ShebaMiles Platinum and Gold members get First and Business Class lounges where Ethiopian has no dedicated lounge, and Star Alliance lounges when flying onward on a Star Alliance carrier; Ethiopian does not list the airports. Addis Ababa is not among the airports in the cwsi.net Lounge Finder.
Good to know
- How many ShebaMiles does an Ethiopian Airlines flight earn?
- Ethiopian bases the miles on the great circle distance you travelled and the fare paid (the booking class). The percentage for each booking class is shown only inside Ethiopian's own Earn Miles Calculator, so this page does not list it. Use that calculator for an exact figure.
- How do I get Blue, Silver, Gold or Platinum on ShebaMiles?
- Reach either the Status Miles or the Qualifying Segments in a calendar year: Blue 3,000 Status Miles or 2 segments, Silver 25,000 or 25, Gold 50,000 or 50, Platinum 100,000 or 80. Status is reviewed daily and the counts reset every 1 January.
- How many Qualifying Segments does each booking class earn?
- One segment for booking classes C, D, J, P, Y, G, S and B, 0.75 for M, K, L and V, 0.5 for H, U, Q and T, and 0.25 for W, E and O. Only international Ethiopian flights count; domestic flights, award tickets and partner flights do not.
- Do ShebaMiles tier members earn bonus miles?
- Yes, on Ethiopian Airlines flights: Silver earns 25% of the base miles as a bonus, Gold 75% and Platinum 100%. Blue and Welcome members earn no tier bonus.
- Which Ethiopian lounges are in Addis Ababa?
- All three are at Addis Ababa Bole (ADD), Terminal 2: the Sheba Cloud Nine Lounge for Cloud Nine (business) passengers, the ShebaMiles Platinum and Star Alliance Gold Lounge, and the ShebaMiles Silver Lounge for Silver members. Entry opens five hours before departure.
Source: Ethiopian Airlines. ShebaMiles: Earn Miles | Status and Benefits | Program Benefits | Program Updates | Terms and Conditions | Lounges at Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Airlines and ShebaMiles are trademarks of Ethiopian Airlines Group. This page is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by Ethiopian Airlines. Information is provided for reference only and may not reflect the most current program terms.
Crediting Ethiopian Airlines flights to another program? See what they earn with United MileagePlus or Aeroplan.
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