Hello from Warsaw! Last week I wrote about how I was trying to decide whether to fly LOT Polish Airlines’ Boeing 787 business class or Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777 first class across the Atlantic. I decided on the former (that’s what most of you voted for), so I just completed the 8hr20min flight from Chicago to Warsaw on the 787-9.
LOT is one of the less talked about Star Alliance airlines across the Atlantic, and for that matter, I hadn’t flown with the airline in many years, so I was curious to see how the experience is nowadays.
Well, it was more or less what I was expecting — the seats and entertainment aren’t terribly competitive, the food was quite good, and the service was well intentioned, though it could have been a LOT more Polish(ed). Don’t worry, I’ll be here all week/for the next decade. 😉
While I’ll have a full trip report soon, in this post I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the LOT business class experience.
In this post:
LOT Polish Airlines’ 787 business class seats are outdated
LOT’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners all have the same business class seats, which are fully flat and in a 2-2-2 configuration. At some point many years ago this was a cutting edge product, though that’s definitely not the case anymore.
Obviously you can get much more updated seats on other airlines, though in all honesty, this product isn’t half bad. Many might like this product if traveling with a companion (since you can sit next to them), and it’s also good not to have to squeeze your feet into some small footwell.
On this particular flight, the 24-seat cabin was also only half full, so each passenger could have a pair of seats to themselves if they wanted to. I wouldn’t love this product if I were seated next to a stranger on a full flight, but under the circumstances, I thought it was perfectly pleasant.
It’s not just that LOT hasn’t invested in new seats, but the airline also doesn’t offer Wi-Fi. Furthermore, while the entertainment selection has a decent number of movies and TV shows, it’s not the most updated library you’ll find. So definitely bring your own entertainment.
I intentionally made sure to fly LOT on an eastbound overnight flight where I intended to sleep, since this would be a very boring flight in the other direction.
LOT Polish Airlines’ business class food is quite good
LOT’s business class catering is fairly competitive, and is better than what you’ll find on some other airlines. However, the execution left a bit to be desired.
For the main meal, the menu indicated that there was an appetizer choice of pickled prawn with fennel puree or roasted carrot soup with parsley. I was just proactively brought the former, so I’m not sure if they ran out of the other option, or just assumed everyone wanted this, as I didn’t see any trays with soup.
For my main course, I selected the cheese ravioli with vegetable puttanesca sauce. On the plus side, the food was served on a large plate and was clearly plated in the galley. Furthermore, the ravioli tasted really good. However, I think a bit more attention to detail could’ve gone into the presentation. I’m not sure if they were trying to do some sort of plate art and got distracted, or just threw the sauce at the plate.
Perhaps the highlight of the LOT meal service is the after dinner trolley with cheese and several dessert options.
In the morning, I tried to order a cappuccino, which was listed on the menu as an option, yet the flight attendant informed me that they don’t actually have anything to froth milk with on the plane. Okay, then why are these kinds of things listed on the menu?
Then for breakfast there was the choice of a hot or cold option. I was just proactively brought the cold option.
I asked if the hot option was available, and I was informed it wasn’t. That’s a bit disappointing in a half full cabin, especially when they’re promoting after takeoff how you can still buy upgrades to business class.
I also noticed that after the door closed, a young guy (who I believe was a family member of a crew member, but I’m not sure) was moved to business class. Want to guess what he was eating? Yep, the hot option. It just seems like if you’re going to upgrade passengers after the door closes, you should prioritize those who were actually booked in the cabin.
About a minute later, the flight attendant returned to my seat with a hot option, which she had just removed from the tray of another passenger, who I guess no longer wanted it. That would typically be considered a no-no in the US, but…
Speaking of breakfast, I appreciate that the airline actually serves americanos that are quite good. The problem is that there’s only one machine onboard, and that’s where all coffee is served from. So with a half full cabin, it took about 15 minutes to get a cup of coffee, since everyone was having coffee. I imagine this would take even longer with a full cabin. Maybe it’s time to invest in a second machine?
So anyway, the food quality was quite decent, but there were so many little issues with the presentation, availability of items, etc., that it detracted from that the experience.
LOT Polish Airlines’ service is well intentioned
I know the above might make it sound like the service wasn’t good, but the crew was honestly extremely friendly and well intentioned. Both the purser and the business class flight attendant were attentive, constantly smiling, and seemed to enjoy their jobs.
Admittedly service was rough around the edges (as I’ve highlighted above), but the crew tried really hard, and there were very apologetic for any shortcomings. There were also some things they did really well, like pouring wine from the bottle at the seat, the purser thanking each passenger on descent for flying with LOT and offering them a Polish sweet, etc.
Bottom line
The LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787 business class experience was more or less what I expected. The seats are a bit outdated, the entertainment isn’t great, and there’s no Wi-Fi. However, the food tasted quite good, and the crew was friendly.
I do hope that LOT eventually invests in a better hard product, introduces Wi-Fi, and refines its service a bit, in which case this would be a very competitive product.
Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to fly with LOT again on an eastbound flight if the airline had a schedule that was convenient for me, and especially if I was traveling with someone. However, I wouldn’t seek out the airline either.
What do you make of the LOT business class experience?
We just took this flight from Toronto to Warsaw. We had similar food experiences, with some items missing. The worst part was no veggie appetizer option for my wife (I enjoyed the smoked duck). Our entertainment experience was worse, though. Neither of our headphone jacks worked properly. The seats are not only outdated, but the cushions were flat. We would avoid this airline for overseas business class.
Great review! Flew LOT WAW-ORD back in 2015? Yes, seats were outdated even then (but tons of legroom, could have brought our dog, and honestly better than Lufthansa's product, and i really enjoy DHL). Food was great ( I will need to look at my pix to remember what it was) as was the service and staff. Would fly LOT again in a heartbeat, as noted below, decent but notextraordinary
It has been already announced a while ago that setup for the transatlatic flights for LOT will be updated by 2026, incl. WiFi;) they invest a lot in the exchange and upgrade of the fleet over the past years. There has been already quite a change for the EU flights, incl. retiring all dash 8 (however I have to admit these had the most comfortable seans ever!). Enjoy flying PLL LOT, they will be better and better :)
I just flew on a full business class cabin from Zurich via Warsaw to Tokyo and had a very pleasant experience with LOT. I know the seats they are using do have a bad reputation but I prefer these compared to SAS, Lufthansa, Austrian or Swiss business class seats (my other European Star Alliance options between Switzerland and Japan), because you can actually move your feet and legs when fully reclined and even sleep sideways...
I just flew on a full business class cabin from Zurich via Warsaw to Tokyo and had a very pleasant experience with LOT. I know the seats they are using do have a bad reputation but I prefer these compared to SAS, Lufthansa, Austrian or Swiss business class seats (my other European Star Alliance options between Switzerland and Japan), because you can actually move your feet and legs when fully reclined and even sleep sideways with legs slightly angled. Sitting next to a stranger was no problem, as the stranger turned out to be quite nice and so did the crew. Very attentive, refilling the drinks during meal service, going around the cabin all the time, checking if anybody needed something. The food was very good, DO&CO catering does the job for Austrian and so did it here. There was a Western and Japanese option, for both dinner and pre-arrival meal. As it was an overnight flight, I was sleeping and missed the entertainment system and snacks in the galley. After waking up, one of the attendants came by immediately and asked me if I wanted something to drink and then served the pre-arrival meal. Such attention I have only experienced on Asiana so far. Overall it was a very nice experience and Warsaw is a very convenient airport for changing flights. In the end I paid approximately half of what a Swiss or Lufthansa business class ticket would have cost me for this route, so overall I recommend flying with LOT. What you get for your money is definitely worth it.
This is interesting review thanks. I have not flown LOT since 2007 - so my memories are therefore really outdated. On the return flight (about which I have more distinct memories) I traveled in coach WAW-ORD on a (even back then) older B767. I remember that the food service was supplemented by my Polish seatmate with beverages and snacks brought from home (and looked more appealing than the in-flight service meal offerings cabbage stew and...
This is interesting review thanks. I have not flown LOT since 2007 - so my memories are therefore really outdated. On the return flight (about which I have more distinct memories) I traveled in coach WAW-ORD on a (even back then) older B767. I remember that the food service was supplemented by my Polish seatmate with beverages and snacks brought from home (and looked more appealing than the in-flight service meal offerings cabbage stew and a polish beer) but what I really remember is the IFE. There was a single projector/screen at the front of the coach cabin and the film selection was a cartoon feature - that had no dialogue which presumably did not require any expensive translation or sub-title costs. It was a better tri than my Air Afrique experience back in the early 1990s but not even close to this report description which comparatively is extremally positive. Thx.
Missed the report on which wines are served in business - or maybe they serve only ice cold vodka?
Forgot something.Maybe the editor can add it. And the cabin crew did luckily not lock the dimmable windows and if one preferred could change them back to semi-dark on a day flight.Luckily usually not the only one who prefers that and sleeping masks are in the kit if it is available.
Solo traveller in C mostly. It is annoying to have someone close be if this person is not really well behaved but as I normally need a lot of space for my legs and feet while sleeping I love seats that give you that sort of legroom. So like it for that. They do have however a tendency to be inconsistent. I.e. out of BUD (they do BUD-ICN and I think JFK as well) there...
Solo traveller in C mostly. It is annoying to have someone close be if this person is not really well behaved but as I normally need a lot of space for my legs and feet while sleeping I love seats that give you that sort of legroom. So like it for that. They do have however a tendency to be inconsistent. I.e. out of BUD (they do BUD-ICN and I think JFK as well) there is never an amenity kit. Not sure if the plane routing WAW-ICN-BUD-ICN-WAW is the reason. I like however that out of BUD they have as local food. Crew is Hungarian then except for purser. Agree that shortcomings as to product which is annoying but then for the price I pay to fly on C with them it is alright. I would not choose them if they charge more than many competitors most likely but they are a good option for large people around the hip and/or that prefer not a tiny cubicle. That said got a sweetspot maybe as of all airlines during the past years even a rebooking of a cheap Eco fare was easy, respectively recommendations were mad how to do best. But was told others were not so lucky.In C there was no issue
I believe their catering partner is DO&CO hence better than most airline food.
I flew Warsaw to Los Angeles via Lot Business Class (12 hours). I was booked in an economy seat and bid for a business class seat. I agree with much of this review although I had better luck with food choices (mostly). And eventually the flight crew learned that I want ice in my water, not just 1 or 2 cubes. All in all, definitely worth the $1200 bid (in addition to what I already...
I flew Warsaw to Los Angeles via Lot Business Class (12 hours). I was booked in an economy seat and bid for a business class seat. I agree with much of this review although I had better luck with food choices (mostly). And eventually the flight crew learned that I want ice in my water, not just 1 or 2 cubes. All in all, definitely worth the $1200 bid (in addition to what I already had paid).
Do choose one of the middle seats though. I am too short and too old to go from my window seat to the aisle when the passenger next to me was in the full flat position.
The food looks like random stuff you put on your plate at the lounge buffet.
LOT is decent but nothing extraordinary. I agree would fly with them if schedule is convenient for me. Relatively often they have available seats to redeem. It can be particularly helpful with Miami - I found more flights ridiculously expensive. Airport hotels are very good, cheap and within 2 min walk. Super easy airport to transit too. And Warsaw itself is worth to visit.
Thanks for taking one for the team!
I appreciate that you are doing these reviews for us and not just for the luxe experiences.
Would never pass up an experience on SQ. Even their J experience is far far more superior.
Pretty much as I expected; I would still fly them with low expectations with hopefully a low load. I thing a centre seat with aisle access would be good insurance against disturbance.
on a night flight.
The photo of the made-up bed seems to show it with not a fully-flat seat. Are they not fully-flat or has this particular seat gone a bit 'saggy'?
Lastly, I suspect that LOT flights originating in...
Pretty much as I expected; I would still fly them with low expectations with hopefully a low load. I thing a centre seat with aisle access would be good insurance against disturbance.
on a night flight.
The photo of the made-up bed seems to show it with not a fully-flat seat. Are they not fully-flat or has this particular seat gone a bit 'saggy'?
Lastly, I suspect that LOT flights originating in Poland would have more extensive/authentic Polish catering than Chicago. The meagre mains on offer smacks of cost-cutting to me.
Which route did you fly?
See above. Chicago to Warsaw.
How would you rank all the *A options to Europe all else being equal (layover, pricing, etc)?
@ Alec-14 -- That's an excellent topic, perhaps for a more in-depth post. Let me put some thought into it, and I'll see what I can come up with.
@Ben- Upgrades paid upgrades offered after takeoff... Curious if anybody took the offer and how much were they charging?
@ nomad_dc -- No one took the offer, though unfortunately I don't know how much they were charging. Figure it would have been weird to ask, but I sure was curious! Proactively promoting upgrades after takeoff is an interesting concept for sure.
Usually between $300 to $400(closer to $400, JFK-WAW), depends on route.
Mmmmmmm... korovka!
At some point in 2024 they will replace the seats, and they will no longer be so open. They will also provide wifi.
Re family member being moved to business class - yes, I always witness a lot of "wild upgrades" on LOT.
There's a thread on FlyerTalk where someone posted an article claiming that LOT is upgrading its 787 seats. It will of course take a few years.
From my recent experience with LOT on domestic and intereuropean flights, they at least still serve a good snack in Economy and free water/coffee/tea. The LOT Lounge Polonez in Warsaw I thought had VERY nice food, with salmon filet and baby ribs, pesto pasta, different kinds of very tasty canapés. They also had a bar with a specially promoted whiskey type, as well as their traditional buffalo grass vodka and cocktails on offer.
What happened to amenity kit pics?
Besides the memory, it's the only thing that I get to remember from flying business/first.
@ lithdoc -- I'll have the amenity kit pics (and a lot more pictures) with the full trip report, so stay tuned!
A fully flat and open bed, where you can freely stretch your legs and sleep in every position you want, no cramped footwell, and it comes with a reclinable seat on your side for lounging (*might not be always available ;) ). Isn't this the best business class product in the world?
I agree with you Marco. I am not big a fan of business class seats with tight foot wells. I don't like to be secluded either but some how must people want privacy. It is a plane and not a hotel. I like this open airy feeling even though the food wasn't the best. When I fly the Turkish airlines new business class product, I feel that I am placed in a closet even though...
I agree with you Marco. I am not big a fan of business class seats with tight foot wells. I don't like to be secluded either but some how must people want privacy. It is a plane and not a hotel. I like this open airy feeling even though the food wasn't the best. When I fly the Turkish airlines new business class product, I feel that I am placed in a closet even though the service is among the best. I rather be in a open room with everyone else than inside an enclosed shell.
Totally agree with you!
the layout is the same as the old Turkish seats and I prefer them to the new ones whether the Aeroflot converted with doors or the A350 ones.
The new seats are cramped and claustrophobic.
The old seats are wide and spacious. You can stand and turn around without feeling crowded.
Cheese ravioli is the new fish
@ Alvin | YTHK -- LOL! In fairness to me, the fish option on this flight was... a fried tilapia.
Fried Tilapia.... no thanks! Good choice! I love fish but Tilapia is not very tasty and is an invasive fish that imho has become way too mainstream for my liking.
I have flown quite frequently with LOT in business on their WAW-LAX flights with my wife, and it’s generally quite good IMHO.
Pros:
- Connecting at WAW (fast track) is a breeze, and their airport hotels are pretty good. I’ve made several non-EU to EU connections in less than 15 minutes, and I’ve been able to check in to the Courtyard hotel in less than 10 minutes after landing.
- The seats...
I have flown quite frequently with LOT in business on their WAW-LAX flights with my wife, and it’s generally quite good IMHO.
Pros:
- Connecting at WAW (fast track) is a breeze, and their airport hotels are pretty good. I’ve made several non-EU to EU connections in less than 15 minutes, and I’ve been able to check in to the Courtyard hotel in less than 10 minutes after landing.
- The seats are good and spacious if you’re traveling with your partner.
- Sometimes the service is EXCELLENT. I really find the service on LOT to be exceptionally good in roughly 1 in 5 flights.
- In their 787-8s, it’s only three rows of business class, which make the cabin feel very quiet and exclusive.
Cons:
- Terrible food, although I’m 99% sure that I’ve not been given any trays on their longer LAX route. I don’t think that I’ve ever gotten a tasty main on LOT.
- No thick pad to sleep on, although the sheet is better than nothing.
- Poor upkeep of the cabin. I’ve encountered broken USBs and broken seats more times than on any other airline.
(- No wifi, but that’s okay with me.)
I flew the ORD-WAW route round-trip pre-COVID and, like you, the cabin was only half-full. It was much as you describe, even then: acceptable, but nothing special. But I'm ok with that. As you've often said, business class is mostly about the hard product and while it's not great, anytime I can get a flat-bed over the ocean I'm good with it.
I do wish their WAW-ORD flight was earlier in the day. It arrives...
I flew the ORD-WAW route round-trip pre-COVID and, like you, the cabin was only half-full. It was much as you describe, even then: acceptable, but nothing special. But I'm ok with that. As you've often said, business class is mostly about the hard product and while it's not great, anytime I can get a flat-bed over the ocean I'm good with it.
I do wish their WAW-ORD flight was earlier in the day. It arrives so late that I cannot connect back home without staying overnight in Chicago.
You are very charitable! Those catering/service snafus are beyond unacceptable in a half-full business class cabin.
Generally speaking, European carriers have inferior business class to the USA's. It has been this way for years, and the gap is only closing slightly. Meanwhile normies will insist European carriers are better because they got an extra bottle of whiskey in economy on their British Airways flight.
At least Air France and KLM definitely offer a superior service. There’s nothing a US carrier can offer that comes close to La Premiere and the food is far superior. ITA also offers a much better inflight service, as does Swiss.
Service in almost any industry in the US is subpar with Americans misguided belief that everything they do is better. It’s not.
It's to do with tipping, isn't it? I'm sure some air crew union in the USA is working hard on ways to bring tip screens into the on-board experience on US airlines. Once that's done, you'll have one of: 1) aggressively pleasant service, in anticipation of a tip, or, 2) aggressively surly "service" because they want tips to be at least 30% of the price you paid for your ticket, but know you'll "stiff" them by tipping only 25%.
Maybe in your fantasy
Thank you for making me laugh!
Exactly what I expected. Perfectly fine but more or less outdated. To their credit, I routinely find LOT's pricing to be substantially less than competitors. If you need to get to central or eastern Europe and know what you're getting, then they can be a great option.
I am currently scheduled to fly LOT in May of next year - is it worth still looking for other options via United or just go with it and see what my lot is? I can't remember if we booked prior to United raising redemption rates...
Also random question - booking with United, do you need to call LOT to get seat assignments? I don't see a way of doing it on the LOT site or app.
I have LOT tickets booked on United and cannot figure out a way to book seats online via the LOT website. Their website is really outdated. Seems one has to call.
@ snic -- Yep, as noted by Kredie, you can use Facebook Messenger, though personally I just called. Sure would be nice if online seat assignments were easy.
If you booked on United.com then access your reservation there and you should be able to reserve your seat.
I have flights booked in Mar/Apr 2024 via LifeMiles so I was able to go onto avianca.com and pull up my PNR and reserve the seats.
You can ask LOT for seat assignments through FB Messenger. They're usually quick in responding.
@ fordpickup -- What's your final destination? I suppose it depends what other options are available, though to be honest, Star Alliance doesn't exactly have cutting edge hard products across the Atlantic. Yes, you need to either use Facebook or call to assign seats.
Great review as always, thank you for sharing!
I often fly with LOT, but have not used any cc miles to redeem them for the flights. Which reward program would be the best way to do so?
@ Matthew -- Thanks! I'd say Avianca LifeMiles (for simple itineraries) or Air Canada Aeroplan (for complex itineraries, especially with stopovers) would be the best bets. Both programs partner with major transferable points currencies.
Best option in my opinion is to transfer Amex MR points to ANA, 88K points roundtrip, plus fuel surcharges.
Did you eat the egg dish, Ben?
@ hbilbao -- Embarrassed to admit it, but yes...
I'd probably have done the same. I hate cold breakfasts :D