Polish airline LOT is the Polish air carrier with the longest history of development among all airlines operating in the country. Polish Airlines is one of the three oldest aviation companies in Europe. The carrier has remained faithful to its original name and logo, aircraft design and internal politics. Polish Airlines is part of the Star Alliance, and also has a subsidiary structure EuroLOT, which deals with domestic passenger transportation in the country. The company's pilots received prestigious international awards and were recognized as the best in the aviation industry.
History of Polish Airlines
The history of LOT began in 1933, although the airline was founded in 1929. The first flights on airplanes, which would later become the property of the airline, were made in the early 1920s.
The rapid expansion of activities began in the 1930s, when new aircraft were added to the fleet. Then the air carrier began to operate flights abroad, becoming a member of the international association. In 1938, the first oceanic flight took place - from the USA to Poland.
During World War II, the company was forced to suspend operations, resuming in 1945. After the war, the company opens branches throughout the country and publishes the first timetable in the history of Polish civil aviation with information on the time of departure, arrival and type of aircraft.
In the 70s, the carrier launches transatlantic flights, and in the 80s it opens a new direction to Asia (Singapore).
Today LOT is recognized all over the world, it is a member of many associations in the field of air transportation. The airline is engaged not only in passenger transportation, but also in cargo transportation. The headquarters of Polish Airlines are located in Warsaw, and their home airports are assigned to Warsaw and Krakow.
Polish Airlines flights geography
The airline flies on three continents to 50 destinations in more than 30 countries around the world. The carrier offers passengers flights to Poland from Moscow and St. Petersburg, flights via Warsaw to Europe, Asia, USA, Canada and the Middle East.
Flights to Chicago, Toronto, New York and Beijing are strategic. The flight is carried out through the capital of Poland with a transfer at the Frederic Chopin airport. The transfer takes on average 1 hour and 25 minutes.
| Flights | Destinations (cities) |
|---|---|
| Internal | Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, Wroclaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Zielona Gora, Katowice, Lodz, Poznan, Rzeszow, Szczecin |
| CIS countries | Astana (Kazakhstan); Yerevan, Armenia); Kaliningrad, Moscow, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kiev, Lvov, Odessa, Kharkov, Zaporozhye (Ukraine); Minsk, Belarus). |
| International | Europe: Amsterdam (Holland); Athens, Greece); Barcelona, Madrid (Spain); Vienna, Austria); Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Brussels, Belgium); Budapest, Hungary); Bucharest (Romania); Venice, Milan, Rome (Italy); Vilnius (Lithuania); Geneva, Zurich (Switzerland); Dublin (Ireland); Zagreb (Croatia); Larnaca (Cyprus); Lyon, Nice, Paris (France); London, Manchester (England); Ljubljana (Slovenia); Copenhagen (Denmark); Oslo (Norway); Prague, Czech Republic); Riga, Latvia); Sofia (Bulgaria); Istanbul, Turkey); Stockholm, Sweden); Tallinn (Estonia); Tbilisi, Georgia); Helsinki (Finland). Asia and the Middle East: Beirut (Lebanon); Seoul (South Korea); Singapore (Singapore); Beijing, China); Tel Aviv (Israel); Tokyo, Japan). North America: Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Chicago (USA); Toronto (Canada). |
Airline fleet
The airline's air fleet includes about 70 aircraft of various brands, the average service life of which does not exceed 10 years. LOT's fleet includes aircraft from the American company Boeing and those from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
| Aircraft type | Quantity | Ordered | Number of places (classes) | Notes (edit) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NS | E-P | B | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-400 | 3 | - | 162 | No | No | 162 | - |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | - | 120 | 120 | The aircraft is leased from Blue Air. | ||
| Boeing 737-800 | 6 | - | 186 | 186 | Two aircraft are leased from Blue Air. | ||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 4 | 8 | 186 | 186 | The ordered planes should arrive by the end of 2019. | ||
| Boeing 787-8 | 8 | - | 213 | 21 | 18 | 252 | - |
| Boeing 787-9 | 4 | 4 | 249 | 21 | 24 | 294 | One of the aircraft is leased from Neos. |
| Bombardier CRJ900 | 5 | - | 90 | No | No | 90 | Operated by Nordica Airlines. |
| Bombardier Q400 | 12 | - | 78 | 78 | - | ||
| Embraer 170 | 6 | - | 70 | 70 | Starting customer. One of the liners in Star Alliance livery. | ||
| Embraer 175 | 12 | - | 82 | 82 | - | ||
| Embraer 190 | - | 4 | 106 | 106 | Deliveries of this airliner will begin in 2019. | ||
| Embraer 195 | 9 | 3 | 112/118 | 112/118 | The planes are due to arrive at the end of 2018. | ||
Service and services
Polish Airlines offers three classes of service for customers: Business, Economy Plus (economy premium class) and Economy.
| Business | Economy Plus | Economy |
|---|---|---|
| menu to choose from; baggage priority; visit to the Polonez business lounge at Warsaw airport; the right to priority boarding; a fully folding seat (54 cm) for each passenger; on long-haul flights, the chair turns into a bed (190 cm); bedding and a set of personal hygiene items for long-haul flights. | a comfortable chair with an adjustable headrest and footrest; the right to priority boarding; sleeping accessories and essential kits. | the backs of the chairs deviate; earphones are issued for long-distance flights. |
For long-haul flights, all passengers have the following options:
- individual display;
- audio and video system control panel;
- e-books, games;
- USB access for self-selection of entertainment.
Also, Polish Airlines offers passengers the following services:
- LOT Upgrade - an opportunity to travel in a high class at a pleasant price. More details here.
- "My favorite place". Those who fly often have already noticed the ideal place that the company allows to book when purchasing a ticket.
- "My extra baggage." If you know there will be extra baggage, then pay in advance with a 20% savings.
- "My premium menu". This is an opportunity to order delicacies and culinary delights on board.
- "My additional equipment". If you need to transport non-standard baggage, order this service online.
Baggage and carry-on baggage
| Checked baggage | Business Class | Premium Economy Class | Economy class |
|---|---|---|---|
Intercontinental route (Kazakhstan, Canada, Singapore, USA, South Korea, Japan) | 3 pieces of baggage, maximum 32 kg each | 2 pieces of baggage, maximum 23 kg each | 1 piece of baggage, maximum 23 kg |
Intercontinental flight to Beijing | 2 pieces of baggage, maximum 23 kg each | ||
Flights to mainland Eurasia (intercontinental) | |||
International flights (Europe, Middle East) | 2 pieces of baggage, maximum 23 kg each | 1 piece of baggage, maximum 23 kg | |
Domestic flights | - | - |
There is a list of items that are not allowed in your checked baggage:
- values, including money;
- precious metals and jewelry;
- documents and trade papers, passports and other valuable documents;
- electronics and optical devices, as well as medicines;
- harmful or explosive items that pose a threat to other passengers and aircraft crew;
- mercury, bacteria and viruses;
- corrosive substances.
Depending on the class selected, passengers can take on board the aircraft their carry-on baggage that meets the requirements of carriage.
| Class | Quantity and weight |
|---|---|
| Business | 2 pieces of luggage, up to 9 kg each |
| Premium Economy (for intercontinental flights) | 2 pieces of luggage, up to 6 kg each |
| Premium Economy (for international flights) | 1 piece of baggage, up to 8 kg |
Economy | 1 piece of baggage, up to 8 kg |
On flights from EU countries, you can carry limited quantities of liquids (100 ml) on board. All containers with liquids are placed in a plastic bag with a volume of no more than 1 liter.
How to transport pets
Polish Airlines allows dogs and cats to be transported as passenger baggage in the cabin or in the hold of an aircraft. In this case, the passenger undertakes to fulfill a number of conditions:
- The animal must be vaccinated, and current certificates from the veterinarian are required, taking into account the country of departure, destination and transit corridors.
- The animal must be transported in a cage.
- The maximum weight of an animal with equipment is 8 kg.
- The transportation of the animal must be notified at least 48 hours in advance. It is advisable to do this immediately when booking tickets.
- Pay for the service (transportation of small animals - 12-70 euros, large animals - 70-290 euros).
Bonus programs and promotions
The airline offers the Miles & More bonus program. This is a loyalty program for travelers who fly frequently.
Miles & More gives you the opportunity to earn miles on every flight you fly with Polish Airlines or other Star Alliance carriers. The accumulated miles can be spent on upgrades, award tickets with a special promotional code, and more.
The airline also has special offers - LOT Economy Simple and LOT Bus & Fly. LOT Economy Simple offers tickets at the lowest prices for passengers traveling with hand luggage only. Baggage piece must be paid separately.
LOT Bus & Fly is an offer for passengers flying to Warsaw for onward travel by bus to Lodz, Lublin, Bialystok, Kielce and Radom.
Polish Airlines offers discounts for infants and children from 2 to 11 years old. The discount for infants is 90% of the full ticket price as they do not occupy a separate seat on board. Children receive a discount of 25% of the total ticket price.
Check-in
Check-in is possible online 36 hours before departure. Check-in ends two hours before departure.
To check-in via the Internet, the passenger must indicate the ticket or booking number, as well as the surname.
Registration takes place here. At the last stage, you can choose the method of delivery of the boarding ticket - e-mail with the further opportunity to print the ticket or message to your smartphone.
A link with the Internet address where the boarding pass is available is sent to the phone via SMS. After saving the ticket to the device, the passenger has round-the-clock access to the ticket before departure.
Regular check-in for flights at the airport is open:
- two hours before departure - at Polish airports and other airports in Europe;
- three hours before departure from Canada, China, USA and other distant countries;
- 23 hours before departure from Warsaw to any destination.
Contact Information
Headquarters address: 43 02-146 Poland, Warsaw, st. Styznaya, 17.
The office in Moscow is located at Olympiyskiy prospect, 10, index 129090.
You can call the office by phone: +7 (495) 937-59-22.
Callsign - POLLOT, ICAO code - LOT, IATA code - LO. To clarify the details, also go to the official website in Russian.
Conclusion
LOT celebrates its 90th birthday in 2021. Over the entire period of its existence, the Polish Airlines carrier has made a major breakthrough in the industry and has become a popular company in the world. Thanks to the high level of service, each passenger can get to the desired city in complete comfort.
