LOT Polish Airlines and its North American network
Polish flag carrier LOT is marking the 50th anniversary of its first nonstop flight to America by strengthening its commitment to the transatlantic market. Five decades ago, on May 17, 1972, one of LOT’s long-range Ilyushin Il-62s landed in Chicago for the first visit by a Polish airliner to the United States.
In addition to the Windy City, LOT’s North American flight program would soon grow to include New York and Toronto.
So, rather remarkably, even at the height of the Cold War, LOT provided the large Polish communities in those three cities with a direct link to their country of origin. Those flights would later be temporarily suspended following political unrest and the imposition of martial law in Poland in the early 1980s, however.
Fast forward to 2022 and LOT’s North American network has grown to five destinations in the U.S. — New York, Newark, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles — plus Toronto in Canada.
What’s more, LOT expanded its transatlantic network not just on the American side, but also back home. Flights to the U.S. depart not just from its main hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), but out of Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city. Additionally, during the summer season, flights depart from Rzeszow in eastern Poland. Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport (RZE) made headlines recently as it has become a major transit point for refugees, as well as for humanitarian and military aid going to Ukraine.
“Due to high demand from the large Polish community, we’re also flying from Krakow to Newark and Chicago and from Rzeszow to Newark,” explained Krzysztof Moczulski, spokesperson for LOT. He spoke with TPG about the airline’s long-haul program and its reactivation following the long pandemic hiatus.
The choice of Krakow and Rzeszow to expand the U.S. network is due to many in the Polish-American community having their roots in the country’s southern regions. Before the outbreak of the war last February, LOT was also getting quite a lot of traffic from neighboring western Ukraine.
LOT’s long-haul services are operated by its 15-strong Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet (composed of eight B787-8s and seven B787-9s).
The B787-8s, of which LOT was the launch operator in Europe, are fitted with a three-class, 252-seat cabin, featuring 18 business-class seats, 21 premium economy-class seats and 213 economy-class seats. The larger B787-9s have 294 seats, also in a three-class arrangement, with 24 business-class seats, 21 premium economy-class seats and 249 economy-class seats.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, LOT launched flights from Warsaw to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Dulles International Airport (IAD), but those short-lived routes didn’t have time to consolidate. They were discontinued shortly after their launch, as the whole world was going into lockdown. They haven't been reinstated yet, but this may change in the not-so-distant future.
“We’re now focusing on rebuilding traffic on our trunk routes, but we’re also eyeing possible options in the S23 season,” clarified Moczulski.
This isn't the only expansion project that hasn’t fully emerged from the pandemic.
In 2018 and 2019, LOT looked to expand beyond Poland’s borders, setting up a secondary hub at Budapest Airport (BUD), which had lacked a locally based full-service carrier since the demise of Malev in 2010.
The plan called for the launch of a dozen routes out of the Hungarian capital. Some of them were within Europe, but also to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN). LOT even based one of its Dreamliners and three Embraer E195 aircraft in Budapest to that end.
Three years and a pandemic later, only New York and Seoul remain in LOT’s Budapest network, in addition to the link to the airline’s main hub in Warsaw.
There hasn’t been any indication that LOT plans to reactivate its Budapest hub anytime soon, but at a minimum, the New York and Seoul links are here to stay. The airline’s spokesperson confirmed to TPG that, for the time being, there are no plans to cut capacity on those two routes.
Parallel to its interest in North America, LOT had also set its sights on Asia and the Middle East. This eastern expansion, though, may be curtailed by geopolitical events in Poland’s immediate neighborhood.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent airspace closures have added to the preexisting ban on Belarusian overflights, which means that most of the airspace east of Poland is now off-limits to LOT as well as to all other European airlines.
Up until last February, LOT was flying to five Ukrainian destinations — Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO) in Lviv, Boryspil International Airport (KBP) and Sikorsky International Airport (IEV) in Kyiv, Odesa International Airport (ODS), Zaporizhia International Airport (OZH) and Kharkiv International Airport (HRK) — in addition to Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) in Moscow and Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia. All are now discontinued.
Flights between Poland and Asia must now take a long detour south, which adds five to six hours to each rotation. This has not deterred LOT, which, in addition to the aforementioned link between Budapest and Seoul, continues to operate its flights out of Warsaw to Tokyo; Seoul; Tianjin, China; Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan; Delhi, India; Mumbai, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Dubai.
“Our long-haul network is also fed by flights from Central and Eastern Europe region — thanks to the good minimum connection time and convenient size of Warsaw’s airport this is a very good option to cross the pond,“ added Moczulski when highlighting that, in Warsaw, travelers can connect to LOT’s extensive European network.
Travelers can earn and redeem miles on LOT through the Miles & More program, as well as through loyalty programs in the Star Alliance, of which LOT is a member. As TPG reported recently, there are quite a few business-class awards available.
Here is the outline of routes to North American destinations operated by LOT this summer, with the corresponding frequency.
From Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW):
| Destination | Weekly frequency |
|---|---|
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | 11 |
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | 5 |
O'Hare International Airport (ORD) | 10 |
Miami International Airport (MIA) | 3 |
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | 7 |
Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) | 12 |
From Krakow Airport (KRK):
| Destination | Weekly frequency |
|---|---|
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | 1 |
O'Hare International Airport (ORD) | 4 |
From Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport (RZE):
| Destination | Weekly frequency |
|---|---|
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | 1 |
From Budapest Airport (BUD):
| Destination | Weekly frequency |
|---|---|
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | 3 |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.