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Ethiopian
Airlines Wins Friends and Influences
People Worldwide
by
Jerry W. Bird
 How
many of our under 30 generation have read
his books, or even know about Dale
Carnegie, I could never guess. Yet this
one man's simple concepts have changed
millions of lives dramatically and
positively for generations, not just in
North America, but around the world. In my
opinion everyone should read at least one
of his inspiring books. Like Napoleon
Hill, another author who has inspired
folks around the world, he leads by
example. The management at Ethiopian
Airlines has the type of action-based
thinking and 'hands on' approach Carnegie
talks about on every page of his best
seller, "How to Win Friends and Influence
People."
Speaking
of winning friends, the way our
group
of 11 journalists was catered to during a
Tourism Ministry sponsored flight from the
USA to Addis Ababa -- and around the
country on its regional routes, left its
mark indelibly on each of us. Following
the Historic Route Tour to Lalibela,
Gondar, Bahir Dar-and Lake Tana, I had the
opportunity of working at the company's
head office for several days, laying the
foundation for this issue and an updated
(Post Congress) edition of Africa Travel
Magazine. That was when I experienced the
"Spirit of Ethiopian Airlines" first hand.
Now I
won't pretend to be a complete stranger to
the airline; a friend at ATA, Hagos
Legesse of New York, made me a gift that I
have treasured ever since. Born in
Ethiopia, Mr. Legesse is a well respected
travel consultant and served as an ATA
Director for many years. This timely gift
was a deluxe coffee table edition of
"Bringing Africa Together," a book that
tells the story of humble beginnings,
followed by the rise of Ethiopian Airlines
to world status, through decades of trials
and tribulations, peace and war. The
addition of direct flights to Addis Ababa
from Washington, DC and New York/ Newark,
is the latest feather in the airline's
cap.
If all
of this tender loving care (TLC) I spoke
of wasn't enough, on our return flight I
was presented with a beautiful silk
necktie compliments of the airline. I've
worn it with pride at every opportunity
ever since. This colorful piece of
wearable art bears a replica of a classic
stained glass window that adorns the
United Nations Conference Center in Addis
Ababa.
The design is by the artist Tekle (see his
profile in this issue). Having pioneered a
mighty "Air Bridge to Africa," Ethiopian
Airlines now flies to more African
destinations than any carrier in the
world. See the above map above for a quick
idea of its routes to and from the
continents. From what myself and
colleagues have experienced in my first
return flight, I am sure that Ethiopian
Airlines will continue to influence people
and win friends for generations to come.
Read more about Ethiopian Airlines in our
Fall 2000 Edition and on our Web
Site.
SEATTLE,
June 23, 2005 : Boeing [NYSE: BA]
and Ethiopian Airlines today announced the
delivery of the carrier's sixth 767-300ER.
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates an
all-Boeing jet fleet that includes four
757s, three Next-Generation 737-700s with
blended winglets and a single 737-200 in
operation. Ethiopian Airlines was the
first to bring jet service to the African
continent and will become one of the
world's first operators of Boeing's
revolutionary 787 Dreamliner in 2008. From
its home base in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian
flies to destinations across Africa,
Europe, America, Middle East/Gulf and
Asia, providing connectivity to 44
international and 30 domestic stops.
Website www.flyethiopian.com
Jerry W.
Bird is President of the Africa Travel
Association (ATA ) Canada Chapter, Editor
and Publisher of Africa Travel Magazine,
and Webmaster for the ATA site
www.africa-ata.org. He also publishes Air
Highways Magazine, the Journal of Open
Skies, featuring aviation, tourism,
transportation and business worldwide.
His
career began with the Edmonton Journal
Daily Newspaper in Western Canada and
later expanded into the full spectrum of
media - radio, television, magazines and
Internet. He has won international awards
for creativity in audio visual and print
production.
Contact africa@dowco.com
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