LOT Polish Airlines will be introducing all new cabins on its Boeing 787s, and that’s super exciting. This is only one of the announcements the airline made this week, as LOT also plans to expand its fleet by 50%, and plans to open a lounge in Chicago.
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LOT Polish Airlines updating Boeing 787 interiors
LOT Polish Airlines and aircraft seating manufacturer Recaro have announced a partnership, whereby the Star Alliance airline will finally be updating the cabins on some of its long haul aircraft.
LOT has a fleet of 15 Boeing 787s, including eight 787-8s (delivered between 2012 and 2017) and seven 787-9s (delivered in 2018 and 2019). Currently the airline is only committing to upgrading the interiors of its eight 787-8s, and there are no plans to upgrade the 787-9s.
The timeline for this work getting started is also quite disappointing. The 787-8s will be reconfigured between Q3 2026 and 2030, so we’ll likely have to wait more than three more years before the first refreshed aircraft is in service. Oy.
Here’s how Izabela Leszczyńska, LOT’s Product Director, describes the new cabins:
“In selecting RECARO Aircraft Seating as the exclusive seat supplier for our widebody fleet through 2030, we have prioritized passenger comfort and innovation. The partnership represents a milestone for both LOT Polish Airlines and RECARO, marking the first time we embark on this widebody project together. With production of the economy class seats to be based in Świebodzin, Poland, we embrace a synergy of excellence and craftsmanship. The CL6720, PL3530, and CL3810 series epitomize our commitment to providing a luxurious and comfortable travel experience across our business, premium, and economy classes. We believe this collaboration sets new standards in aviation and reflects our dedication to enhancing the journey for our valued passengers.”
Anyway, let’s go over the details of the cabin updates…
New LOT Polish Airlines 787 business class
LOT’s Boeing 787s will finally be getting business class seats with direct aisle access, as the airline will introduce Recaro’s CL6720 product. This is a fairly new product that recently debuted on both Air China and Iberia, and it’s a very competitive seat.
LOT intends to offer doors at these seats, and will also offer updated tech, including 17.3″ 4K personal televisions featuring bluetooth audio pairing. Expect seats to have AC power outlets, USB-A charging, and wireless charging.
LOT’s finishes look gorgeous, and this will be a huge upgrade over the carrier’s current business class, which is in a 2-2-2 configuration.
New LOT Polish Airlines 787 premium economy class
LOT’s Boeing 787s will be getting new premium economy seats, in the form of Recaro’s PL3530 product. The seats will feature ergonomic cushioning, adjustable recline, and a control panel. Furthermore, seats will have 13.3″ 4K personal televisions with bluetooth audio pairing. Seats will also have AC power outlets, plus USB-C charging.
New LOT Polish Airlines 787 economy class
LOT’s Boeing 787s will be getting new economy seats, with Recaro’s CL3810 product. The company promotes how these seats will have a six-way adjustable headrest, lumbar support, and recline options of up to six inches. Seats will have 13.3″ 4K personal televisions featuring bluetooth audio pairing. Seats will also have USB-C charging, but no AC power outlets.
LOT Polish Airlines adding Wi-Fi on 787s
Here’s something that passengers across cabins will appreciate. LOT intends to finally introduce Wi-Fi on its wide body aircraft for the first time. Specifically, the airline intends to partner with Viasat for inflight connectivity, which should offer great speeds.
My take on LOT Polish Airlines’ Boeing 787 refresh
LOT Polish Airlines’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner updates sound great. These cabins look competitive, both in terms of the seats, as well as the updated tech, ranging from bluetooth audio to Wi-Fi. I’m very excited to see all of this.
However, what I find absurd is the timeline — the airline is announcing this now, but only intends to reconfigure the first aircraft in roughly three years. Not only that, but the airline is only committing to reconfiguring roughly half of its Boeing 787 fleet.
So best case scenario, LOT will have updated the interiors on roughly half of its Boeing 787s by 2030. Yes, 2030. Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess if this actually does end up happening, since a lot can change in a few years (as the pandemic taught us).
I love the changes here, but hate the timeline…
Bottom line
LOT Polish Airlines will finally be introducing new cabins on its Boeing 787. This is exciting news, especially in business class, where the new cabins look like a massive improvement over the current cabins.
The only bad news is that this work will only start in the second half of 2026 (three years from now), and there are currently only plans for 787-8s to be reconfigured, and not 787-9s.
What do you make of LOT’s new Boeing 787 cabins?
I hope the seats in Premium Economy will, in their upright position, be perpendicular to the floor and not lean back as they do now. VERY VERY difficult to get out of the seats even in Premium Economy. Further, that console thing, in which the tray tables and the monitors, projects too far forward, also making it VERY VERY difficult to leave or enter a middle seat or a seat by the window. Flew back...
I hope the seats in Premium Economy will, in their upright position, be perpendicular to the floor and not lean back as they do now. VERY VERY difficult to get out of the seats even in Premium Economy. Further, that console thing, in which the tray tables and the monitors, projects too far forward, also making it VERY VERY difficult to leave or enter a middle seat or a seat by the window. Flew back yesterday from Warsaw and the current configuration is ridiculous and very uncomfortable, not worthy of "premium economy".
Business class has USB-A plugs whereas PE and Y have USB-C?! That must be a mistake. No one will still own a USB A cable in 2030
Beuatiful, for sure. But the rollout plans are disappointing.
I don’t think the retrofit is restricted to the 787-8s just because they are older. Most or all are owned by LOT while the 787-9s are leased and this may have something to do with this.
Being newer does not seem like a compelling reason to not upgrade a completely non competitive cabin.
The only cabin wide difference in the hard product is that the -9s have a slightly larger IFE screen and the inner...
I don’t think the retrofit is restricted to the 787-8s just because they are older. Most or all are owned by LOT while the 787-9s are leased and this may have something to do with this.
Being newer does not seem like a compelling reason to not upgrade a completely non competitive cabin.
The only cabin wide difference in the hard product is that the -9s have a slightly larger IFE screen and the inner side of the seats have a net that restricts items from falling into the seat. Other than that, row 1 has bulkhead mounted IFE monitors instead of the armrest monitors on fold away arms on the -8s. That’s it.
Besides, by 2030 the oldest -9s will be over 10 years old, so not exactly too new to upgrade.
I see Recaro I think uncomfortable.
As others have mentioned, it would be a lot better (pun intended, sorry) if they announced the new cabins shortly before installing them, not 3 years before. I think they wanna copy their Star Alliance partner in announcing new cabins a few years early in order to get a 5-star rating.
That being said, it’s nice to hear that 1-2-1 Business Class coming to LOT, and those cabins look a heck of a lot...
As others have mentioned, it would be a lot better (pun intended, sorry) if they announced the new cabins shortly before installing them, not 3 years before. I think they wanna copy their Star Alliance partner in announcing new cabins a few years early in order to get a 5-star rating.
That being said, it’s nice to hear that 1-2-1 Business Class coming to LOT, and those cabins look a heck of a lot more modern than what they’re replacing.
Lastly I have to say that the Business Class seat finishes vaguely remind me of SAS’s. Am I alone in thinking in this? Anyway, reminiscent of SAS or not, that’s a really good-looking forward cabin!
Isn't LOT about to be sold off to another another European Airline group or investor? I thought they were "next up" after SAS and TAP? Star Alliance must be shaking in their boots!
No, there is no such plan - LOT is not looking for an investor at the moment.
the Business seat looks tiny and extremely uncomfortable. Isn't an announcement three years ahead of new seating ... unusual?
That Economy Class looks more like Cattle Class. FO: 'Sir, we're breaking up'. CAPT: 'Livestock, I mean people. Duck and cover!. 'Biz class passengers will find a parachute under your seat'. What ever happened to that Polish mission to the sun? they planned to go at night so they wouldn't burn up, but I never heard any results.
LOT should have installed 1-2-1 seats when the 787 came out, not those 2-2-2.
Yesterday LOT announced whole new strategy for 2024-2028, incl adding up to 40 new airplanes, 530 pilots, 1100 cabin crew and 20 new destinations LOT wants to fly to ( not confirmed, just a wish list, incl SFO, IAD, BOS, YUL, KIX, PVG, CAN, HAN, BKK, SIN, IKA, RUH, AUH and plenty of European ones).
As for 787s, first the oldest, -8s will get new cabins. -9s are much newer, with newer IFE, so...
Yesterday LOT announced whole new strategy for 2024-2028, incl adding up to 40 new airplanes, 530 pilots, 1100 cabin crew and 20 new destinations LOT wants to fly to ( not confirmed, just a wish list, incl SFO, IAD, BOS, YUL, KIX, PVG, CAN, HAN, BKK, SIN, IKA, RUH, AUH and plenty of European ones).
As for 787s, first the oldest, -8s will get new cabins. -9s are much newer, with newer IFE, so they will have to wait. However, LOT announced they will need another 5-6 long haul airplanes ( rumors say maybe 787-10), and they will come with a new cabins too.
RECARO will also provide new seats for present LOT Fleet.
Funny that Polish state/PiS-oligarch/-kleptocrats controlled LOT is going with Recaro, a German seat manufacturer.
Not exactly what you'd expect after the last years of German-bashing and embargos on German suppliers coming from PiS.
LOT will have a their new Business Class flying before onestarhansa
They apparently have 8 787-8 planes and 7 787-9 planes so I'm guessing this is the -8 product and they haven't decided what to do yet with the -9 planes?
the 9s are newer so maybe they'll get retrofitted later.
They DO have 8 787-8s and 7 787-9s, not apparently. And since -8s are older, with older cabins and IFE, they will be retrofitted first.
I appreciate that the trend with fabric seats is ongoing.
As lovely as the finish is, I hope the airline industry would adopt more of the ANA/JAL new product announcement timeline, and less of the Lufthansa style announcement.
Literal proof that many people do not learn from others’ mistakes…
"RECARO Aircraft Seating as the exclusive seat supplier for our widebody fleet" suggests to me that the others will be retrofitted, although that is certainly ambiguous and could easily be overeager marketing sleight-of-hand.
In the last paragraph under the title Bottom line you wrote "The only bad news is that this work will only start in the second half of 2023 (three years from now)".
... Did you mean 2026? three years from now will be 2026.