LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT
IATA ICAO Callsign
LO LOT LOT
Founded 1 January 1929
Hubs Warsaw Chopin Airport
Frequent-flyer program Miles & More
Airport lounge Executive Lounge
Alliance Star Alliance
Subsidiaries
Fleet size 45
Destinations 60[1]
Company slogan Ty wyznaczasz kierunek (Polish)
Fly your way
(English)[2]
Parent company Government of Poland
Key people Rafal Milczarski, CEO
Revenue Increase PLN 3.306 billion (2012)[3]
Net income Increase PLN 99 mio. (2014)[4]
Profit Increase PLN 36 mio. (2014)[4]
Website lot.com

Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (Polish pronunciation: [lɔt], flight), trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland.[5] Based in Warsaw and established in 1929, it is one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. With a fleet of approximately 45 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia. Most of the destinations originate from its hub, Warsaw Chopin Airport.[6][7]

As Poland made the transition to a market economy from 1989, LOT began its own transformation from a wholly state-run carrier to a commercial European flag carrier. LOT started a process of fleet renewal with the purchase of Western aircraft to replace its aging Soviet planes. With the arrival of the first Boeing 767-300ER, LOT started inter-continental services to Chicago, Newark, Toronto, and New York City. These four main routes have been some of the most popular flights that LOT operates, especially during the summer season when many Poles and foreigners come to visit Poland either for vacations or to visit their families.

LOT found itself undergoing constant management change in the late 2000s due to reductions in market share. In 2012 the company took delivery of one of the most modern aircraft in the world, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, however, after placing orders for several aircraft and taking delivery of two, the carrier found itself "nearly insolvent" due to the January 2013 grounding of the Boeing 787.[8]

Like other traditional airlines, it offers two service classes on its flights: Economy and Business class. LOT has also won numerous awards including "Best Airline in Eastern Europe" in 2008, 2009 and 2010 according to the magazine Global Traveler and has been hailed as one of the safest airlines in the world.[6][9][10][11]

History

Pre-war LOT of the second republic

Passengers disembark a pre-war LOT Douglas DC-2 aircraft

The airline was established on 1 January 1929 by the Polish government as a state-owned self-governing corporation taking over existing domestic lines Aero and Aerolot, and started operations on 2 January with services (additional to those previously operated by Aero and Aerolot) to Bydgoszcz and Katowice.[12] The first aircraft used were Junkers F.13 and Fokker F.VII. Its first international service began on 2 August 1929 to Vienna.[12] It was also at this point in time that LOT's well-renowned logo (designed by a visual artist from Warsaw, Tadeusz Gronowski, and still in use today) was picked as the winning entry of the Airline's logo design competition. Accepted into IATA in 1930, LOT opened an international route to Bucharest that year, followed by Berlin, Athens, Beirut, Helsinki, Rome and some others.

In 1931 the stork and Gronowski's logo were officially recognised by the company's corporate leadership as the emblem of LOT Polish Airlines, and in the same year the company's first multi-segment flight along the route Warsaw - Lwów - Czerniowce – Bucharest was launched. Douglas DC-2, Lockheed Model 10A Electra and Model 14H Super Electra joined the fleet in 1935, 1936 and 1938 respectively (at its peak, LOT had 10 Lockheed 10, 10 Lockheed 14, 3 DC-2 and 1 Ju 52/3mge). The airline had carried 218,000 passengers by the outbreak of war.[12] In 1934, after five years of operating under the LOT name, the airline received new head offices, technical facilities, hangars, workshops and warehouses located at the new, modern Warsaw Okęcie Airport. This constituted a move from the airline's previous base at Pole Mokotowskie as this airport had become impossible to operate safely due to the way in which it had gradually become absorbed into Warsaw's outlying urban and residential areas.[13]

In 1938 LOT changed its name, in accordance with the Polish spelling reform of that year from Polskie Linje Lotnicze 'LOT' to Polskie Linie Lotnicze 'LOT'; in the same year a well-publicised transatlantic test flight, aimed at judging the feasibility of introducing passenger service on the Poland-United States route, was carried out by LOT pilots and crew. Services were suspended during the Second World War, and all of LOT's aircraft were either destroyed or evacuated to Romania.

LOT during the People's Republic

A LOT Ilyushin Il-18 landing at Rome Ciampino Airport (1977)

On 10 March 1945 the Polish communist administration recreated the LOT airline. In 1946, 7 years after the service was suspended, the airline restarted its operations after receiving ten Soviet-built Lisunov Li-2s, then a further 30 Li-2s and nine Douglas C-47s. Both domestic and international services restarted that year, first to Berlin, Paris, Stockholm and Prague.[14] Five Sud-Est Languedoc joined the fleet in July 1947, followed by five Ilyushin Il-12B in April 1949, at which point LOT also introduced a new service to Brussels; 13-20 Ilyushin Il-14s then followed in 1955-1957.[14] However, after the full onset of Stalinism in Poland, very few Western aircraft would be acquired; five Convair 240s in October 1957 and 1959 and three Vickers Viscounts in November 1962 proved to be the last until the 1990s. From 1959 the composition of the airline's fleet shifted exclusively to Soviet-produced aircraft.[15] In 1955 LOT inaugurated new services to Moscow and Vienna, thus connecting the Polish capital with two major European cities, and with regard to the former, the centre of the Marxist–Leninist world. Services to London and Zürich were not re-established until 1958.

A LOT Tupolev Tu-134 on approach to Frankfurt in 1974
A LOT Ilyushin Il-62 on stand at Cairo International Airport in 1978

Nine Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop airliners were introduced in May 1961, leading to the establishment of routes to Africa and Middle East, and by 1963 LOT had expanded its routes to serve the Middle East cities of Cairo, Baghdad, Beirut, Benghazi, Damascus and Tunis. The Antonov An-24 was delivered from April 1966 (20 used, on domestic routes), followed by the first jet airliners Tupolev Tu-134 in November 1968 (which coincided with the opening of a new international terminal at Warsaw's Okęcie Airport). The Tu-134s were operated on European routes. The Ilyushin Il-62 long range jet airliner and Charter flights inaugurate the first transatlantic routes in the history of Polish air transport in 1972. The introduction of Il-62 aircraft enabled, for the first time in LOT's history, the establishment of transatlantic services to New York City in 1973. LOT began service on its first Far-East destination - Bangkok via Dubai and Bombay in 1976.

In 1978 the airline's current livery (despite occasional changes, notably in corporate typography) designed by Roman Duszek and Andrzej Zbrożek, with the large 'LOT' inscription in blue on the front fuselage, and a blue tailplane was introduced,[15] the 1929-designed Tadeusz Gronowski logo,[16] however, despite many changes in livery, was kept through the years, and to this day remains the same.[17]

In the Autumn of 1981, commercial air traffic in Poland neared collapse in the wake of the communist government's crackdown on dissenters in the country after the rise of the banned 'trade union' dissident Solidarity movement, and some Western airlines suspended their flights to Warsaw. With 13 December declaration of Martial Law that same year, all LOT Polish Airlines connections were suspended. Charter flights to New York and Chicago resumed only in 1984, and eventually regular flight connections were restored on 28 April 1985. Tupolev Tu-154 mid-range airliners were acquired, after the withdrawal of Il-18 and Tu-134 aircraft from LOT's fleet in the 1980s, and were deployed successively on most European and Middle East routes. In 1986 transatlantic charter flights also reached Detroit and Los Angeles.

Original logo design from 1929, by Tadeusz Gronowski

Post-1989 LOT Polish Airlines

After the fall of the communist system in Poland in 1989 the fleet shifted back to Western aircraft, beginning with acquisitions of the Boeing 767-200 in April 1989,[18] followed by the Boeing 767-300 in March 1990, ATR 72 in August 1991, Boeing 737-500 in December 1992 and finally the Boeing 737-400 in April 1993. From the mid-1980s to early 1990s LOT flew from Warsaw to Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal, Newark, New York and Toronto. These routes were primarily inaugurated to serve the large Polish communities (Polonia) present in North America.

LOT was among the first Central European countries to operate American aircraft when the Boeing 767 was introduced, the 767s were used to operate LOT's longest-ever connection to Singapore. By the end of 1989 LOT had achieved much: it had hosted that year's IATA congress and achieved a milestone annual load-factor of 2.3 million passengers carried over the course of the year.

LOT's acquisition of long-range Boeing 767 airliners allowed it to reposition itself as a transit airline.

In 1990 LOT's third Boeing 767-300 landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport and not long after Boeing 737 and ATR 72 aircraft were acquired for use on LOT's expanded route network, which began to include new international destinations such as Kiev, Lviv, Minsk and Vilnius. Soon thereafter, in 1993, LOT began to expand its Western-European operations, inaugurating, in quick succession, flights to Oslo, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, operations at Poland's other regional airports outside Warsaw were also duly expanded around this time.

By December 1992 the airline became a joint stock company, as a transitional step towards partial privatisation, which was effected in late 1999, State Treasury - 67.97% of shares in the company; Regionalny Fundusz Gospodarczy S.A. - 25,1%; the employees - 6.93%. In 1994 the airline signed a code-sharing agreement with American Airlines on flights to and from Warsaw as well as onward flights in the United States and Poland operated by both companies; flights to Thessaloniki, Zagreb and Nice were inaugurated, and according to an IATA report, in this year LOT had the youngest fleet of any airline in the world. After years of planning, in 1997 LOT set up a sister airline, EuroLOT, which, essentially operating as its parent airline's regional subsidiary, took over domestic flights. The airline was developed with the hope that it would increase transit passenger-flow through Warsaw's Chopin Airport, whilst at the same time providing capacity on routes with smaller load factors and play a part in developing LOT's reputation as the largest transit airline in Central and Eastern Europe. By 1999 LOT had purchased a number of small Embraer 145 regional jets in order to expand its short-haul fleet, and had, with the approval of the Minister of the State Treasury, begun a process of selling shares to the Swiss company SAirGroup Holding, this then led to the airline's incorporation into the then-nascent Qualiflyer Group.

LOT became the eleventh full member of Star Alliance in 2003.

Expansion of LOT's route network continued in the early 2000s and the potential of the airline's hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport to become a major transit airport was realised with more and more success. In 2000 LOT took delivery of its largest ever order of 11 aircraft and by 2001 had reached a milestone passengers-carried figure of 3 million customers in one year; such an expansion led to the reconstruction of much of LOT's ground infrastructure, and by 2002 a new central Warsaw head office was opened on Ul. 17 Stycznia. On 26 October 2003, LOT, after the collapse of the Qualiflyer Group, became the 14th member of the Star Alliance. By 2006 a new base of operations, with the reconstruction of Warsaw Chopin Airport, had opened, thus allowing LOT's full transit airline potential to be developed for the first time ever. The new airport is much larger than any previous airport in Poland and has since provided LOT passengers with comfortable, high-quality service. In that same year Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome on a LOT flight following his pilgrimage to Poland.

LOT created low-cost arm Centralwings in 2004,[19] however, the company was dissolved and reincorporated into LOT after just five years of operating due to its long-term unprofitability and LOT's wish to redeploy aircraft within its own fleet.

Recent developments

Interior of LOT Boeing 787 aircraft

In 2008 LOT opened a new flight to Beijing, however this lasted just a month, in the period prior to the Olympics. The reason for failure to continue this service was given as the need to route aircraft via an air corridor to the south of Kazakhstan (as LOT did not have permission for flights over Siberia from the Russian government) which was making the services too long and thus unprofitable.[20]

LOT started new services to Yerevan, Armenia, Beirut, Lebanon and resumed Tallinn, Estonia, Kaliningrad, Russia, Gothenburg, Sweden and Bratislava, Slovakia with its newly acquired Embraer aircraft in summer 2010, and in October of the same year LOT resumed service to Asia, with three weekly flights on the Warsaw – Hanoi route. In addition to this, new services to Tbilisi, Damascus and Cairo were inaugurated.

LOT celebrated the 80th anniversary of its foundation in 2009. The event was marked by the application of a gold livery to one of the airline's Boeing 737s.

In 2010 LOT cancelled flights, after 14 years of operation, between Kraków and the US destinations of Chicago and New York, citing profitability concerns and lack of demand. The last US-Kraków flight departed on 27 October 2010 from Chicago O'Hare. The aircraft previously used on this route were then re-deployed to serve LOT's Warsaw-Hanoi route.[21] This route to Hanoi (the Vietnamese capital) was largely under-utilised by European carriers and has proved very successful for LOT in the beginning.

On 31 May 2010, CEO of LOT Sebastian Mikosz stated that the airline will be replacing its fleet to meet a goal of one-third new by 2011. Replacement already started with Embraer E-Jets 175/170. Mikosz also stated that negotiations with three leasing companies had begun, as LOT wants to replace its twenty-year-old 737s classics and ATRs. Highly possible replacement aircraft for both types of the 737s is the 737NG or mix of A319s and A320s. However, since then LOT has converted some Embraer 175 orders to the larger 195 and this is now considered to also be a possible replacement type for LOT's older aircraft. For domestic expanded operations, LOT seeks to purchase Dash 8-Q400 or additional ATR 72-600 aircraft. The first two Boeing 787 Dreamliners are currently planned to arrive 30 November 2012, with another three being delivered by February 2013.

A LOT Boeing 767-300 departs Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, September 2010

On 5 February 2011, new CEO of LOT Marcin Piróg announced that the airline is considering, in the near future, to open service to Baku, Sochi, Stuttgart, Oslo, Gothenburg, Dubai, Kuwait and Ostrava from its Warsaw hub. Previously planned flights to Donetsk in Ukraine have already been inaugurated. LOT currently has plans to open routes to Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai as soon as its first 787s arrive in 2012. This has now become feasible since the initialling of an agreement on Siberian overflight permits for LOT by the Polish and Russian governments in November 2011.[22] As a result of the new agreement, LOT will receive new take-off and landing slots at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport and will begin service on a re-instated, improved Beijing service once Aeroflot begins service to Kraków on 1 June 2012. Although delayed from the original plans, LOT announced on 19 June 2015 that flights to Narita Airport near Tokyo, Japan will begin on 13 January 2016, with flights thrice weekly, returning to Warsaw the following morning.[23]

Other possible destinations for the near term include Seoul, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi and Washington DC, however these are all dependent on the delivery of Boeing 787 aircraft.[24][25]

LOT Boeing 787-8 arrives London Heathrow Airport (2015)

In 2010/11 LOT also announced its new 'East meets West' route expansion policy, which will see the airline add a number of new Asian destinations to its schedule over the coming years. The policy aims to take advantage of LOT's perspectives as a transit airline and the substantial passenger growth seen on Europe-Asia flights in recent years. Also, in line with this policy LOT will be introducing, for the first time, a premium economy class once it takes delivery of its Boeing 787 aircraft. Additionally lie-flat seats will be available in business class and all of the airline's new long-haul aircraft will be fitted with Thales personal entertainment systems.[26]

LOT decided to halt service to Hanoi in February 2012 and will phase out their Hanoi destination in March 2012.[27]

In June 2012 LOT announced all services to New York would be centralisted from Newark and JFK Terminal 4 to JFK Terminal 1 from October 2012.[28] It would also enter into a code-share agreement with JetBlue to increase the number of onward connections available to its customers. In July 2012 it was announced that a planned sale of a major stake in the airline to Turkish Airlines would not go ahead. The main problem was the inability of Turkish Airlines to own a majority stake as it is a Non-EU company.[29][30] The airline is now again seeking a partner to take a major stake, likely a fellow EU airline.

Amidst a restructuring plan which saw the airline return to profitability for the first time in seven years, a 22 June 2015 press conference revealed details pertaining to the airlines future prospects. These include reinstating routes renounced as part of EU sanctions imposed following Polish government aid granted to ensure the airlines survival, as well as new long haul routes to Asia and North America.

As part of the airlines future expansion a fleet upgrade of 60 additional airframes has been proposed. Tenders have been submitted for Embraer's E-Jet E2 series aircraft, as well as the CSeries contender from Bombardier for short haul routes. For medium haul duties the airline is evaluating Boeing's 737 MAX and Airbus' A320neo offerings. Long haul plans could see the addition of further Boeing 787-8 and/or 787-9 aircraft, although unconfirmed sources indicate the possible integration of Airbus' A330-800neo/900neo as a complementary alternative.

Corporate affairs

Privatisation

The head office of LOT

Currently, the Polish government owns 68% of shares in LOT; Regionalny Fundusz Gospodarczy S.A. owns 25%; employees own 6.93%. It was intended to privatise LOT in 2011.[31] Although advanced talks were undertaken with Turkish Airlines a deal failed to materialise. This was largely due to the inability of Turkish Airlines, as a non-EU airline, to buy a majority of the airline.[29] If they fail to find a new buyer the airline may be floated.[30] LOT lost 145.5 million pln in 2011, compared to a 163.1 million pln loss in 2010.

Subsidiaries

Destinations

Countries with destinations of LOT Polish Airlines (including seasonal and future destinations).
  Poland
  LOT Polish Airlines Destinations

Codeshare agreements

LOT Polish Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of July 2014:

Fleet

Current fleet of LOT Polish Airlines
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRB of LOT Polish Airlines.
A LOT Embraer E-170 landing at London Heathrow Airport, England. (2007)
A Boeing 737 in a special livery, designed to celebrate the airline's 80th anniversary. (2010)
A Eurolot-operated Dash Q400 at Frankfurt Airport. (2012)

Current

As of April 2015, the LOT Polish Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[36][37]

LOT Polish Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
C P Y Total
Boeing 737-400 3 – var. – var. 162
Boeing 787-8 6 2 18 21 213 252
Bombardier Q400 10 – – – 78 78
Embraer E170 6 – var. – var. 70
Embraer E175 12 – var. – var. 82 SP-LIE in retro livery SP-LIG and SP-LIH operated by Government of Poland
Embraer E195LR 6 – var. – var. 112
Total 43 2

Orders

Fleet development

Over the years, LOT operated the following aircraft types:

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Aircraft Introduced Retired Notes
Antonov An-12[42]
1967[43]
Antonov An-24[42]
1966[44]
1991
Antonov An-26[42]
Cargo aircraft leased from Polish Air Force
Antonov An-32
ATR 72[45][46]
1991
2001
 Transferred to Eurolot
Beech 1900D
Boeing 737-300[45][46]
1996
2005
Boeing 737-400[45][46]
1993
Boeing 737-500[45][46]
1992
2013
Boeing 767-200ER[45][46]
1989
2008
 Acquired following the lifting of the CoCom trade embargo on civilian airliners
Boeing 767-300ER[45][46]
1990
2013
 Retired in 2012, returned into service during Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery problems, fully retired in May 2013.
Boeing 787-8[45][46]
2012
European launch customer
Cessna Bobcat[43]
1946[43]
Used for taxi flights and scheduled services[43]
Convair CV-240[42]
1957[15]
Douglas C-47 Skytrain[42]
Douglas DC-2[42]
1935[47]
Douglas DC-8[45][46]
1987
1988
 One single cargo aircraft leased from Arrow Air
Douglas DC-10[45][46]
1994
1996
Lockheed L-1011[45][46]
1995
1998
 Leased from British Airways
Embraer ERJ-145[45][46]
1999
2011
Embraer 170[45][46]
2004
Embraer 175[45][46]
2006
Embraer 195[45][46]
2011
Fokker F.VII[48]
1929
6 F.VIIa ex-Aero and 10 licence built F-VIIb-3m[48]
Ilyushin Il-12[42]
1949[14]
Ilyushin Il-14[42]
1955[14]
Also operated the Avia 14 and the VEB-Il 14, which were produced under licence in Czechoslovakia and East Germany
Ilyushin Il-18[42]
1961[47]
1990
Ilyushin Il-62[42]
1972[43]
1992
Junkers F.13[48]
1929
15 ex-Aerolot[47]
Junkers Ju 52[49]
1936[47]
1939[47]
Lisunov Li-2[42]
1946[14]
Lockheed Model 10 Electra[49]
1936[47]
1939[47]
Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra[50]
1938[47]
PWS-24[51]
1933[51]
SNCAC NC.701[43]
1947[43]
 Used for survey operations
SNCASE Languedoc[43]
1947[43]
Tupolev Tu-134[42]
1968[43]
1994
Tupolev Tu-154M[42]
1985
1996
Vickers Viscount[42]
1962[15]
Yakovlev Yak-40[42]
1982
1991

Corporate identity

An Embraer 170 in LOT's 2010s livery

With the delivery of new Boeing 787 long-haul aircraft in 2011/12, LOT introduced a new livery. This design is intended to retain the tradition and spirit of LOT and there will be no major or radical changes to the livery applied to the airline's planes. The most obvious will be the elimination of the blue nose piece and broad cheat-line which runs down each plane's fuselage and the removal of the 'POLSKIE LINIE LOTNICZE' title from each aircraft's starboard side; these will instead be replaced with the words 'POLISH AIRLINES', analogous to the port-side titles in the airline's current livery composition. The tailplane's design will change only slightly, with the colours of the traditional encircled crane logo being inverted and the circle becoming a more simple outline ring. Additionally, the positioning will be such as the circle (with crane) will not entirely fit on the tail. Finally, the colours of the Polish flag, present at the top of the circle in the current LOT livery, will be moved to the bottom of the tailplane and will not connect with the logo.[52] It is hoped that the design, along with the entry into service of the new high-spec 787s, will help refresh LOT's image in the public eye.

Several Embraer aircraft are in special advertising livers. While SP-LIE, an E175, was repainted as a retrojet into the 1945 livery that was used with some modifications until the 1970s.

Livery 1970s-2010s

LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E170, SP-LDF at Berlin Tegel Airport in 1970s livery.

LOT's iconic livery was introduced in the late 1980s and has undergone no major changes. The livery is essentially a predominantly white scheme with elements of traditional aviation design incorporated. The latter elements are visible in the design of the LOT livery as the area of dark blue under the cockpit windscreen, the long cheat-line which is painted down the side of the plane and the large traditional logo which is emblazoned on the tailplane.

Livery 1945-1970s

SP-LSB Ilyushin IL-18V LOT Polish Airlines in the pre-1970s livery in Frankfurt.

This livery featured a lighter blue for a mid level cheat line and tail fin. The Polish flag was much larger on the tail while the crane logo on the tail was much smaller and above the flag.

Early versions of this livery did not feature blue above the cheat line and had white as the main color on the tail. The flag was a higher on the tail and the logo was below or forward of the flag on these early versions.

Aircraft naming

Several Il-62 aircraft were named after famous Polish people. The 5 Boeing 767s LOT ordered from Boeing were named after Polish cities. The used and short term leased 767s LOT operated did not get names. This practice was not continued upon arrival of LOT's Boeing 787s and the introduction of the airline's updated livery.

Loyalty programme and lounges

Miles & More

Main article: Miles & More
Warsaw's LIM Center previously bore large LOT logos on two of its four sides, which were replaced with Bridgestone logos in early 2012.

LOT utilizes the frequent-flyer programme of Lufthansa called Miles & More. In addition to LOT and Lufthansa, Miles & More is shared among several European airlines, including Lufthansa subsidiaries Austrian Airlines (plus Tyrolean Airways) and Swiss International Air Lines (plus Swiss European Air Lines), Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines, Luxair, and Brussels Airlines. Miles & More members may earn miles on LOT flights and Star Alliance partner flights, as well as through LOT credit cards, and purchases made through the LOT Polish Airlines shops. Status within Miles & More is determined by miles flown during one calendar year with specific partners. Membership levels include: Basic (no minimal threshold), Frequent Traveller (Silver, 35,000 mile threshold), Senator (Gold, 100,000 mile threshold), and HON Circle (Black, 600,000 mile threshold over two calendar years). All non-basic Miles & More status levels offer lounge access and executive bonus miles, with the higher levels offering more exclusive benefits.

Polonez Lounge

LOT operates, in cooperation with PPL (Polish State Airports), the 'Polonez' Business Lounge at Warsaw Chopin Airport. The lounge is accessible to anyone with a business class ticket for travel with LOT or any other Star Alliance member airline, and those who are members of a Star Alliance 'Gold' loyalty programme (such as Miles & More Senator status) or the Polish State Airports authority's 'Good Start' programme. The Polonez lounge recently, in 2010, underwent a major refit and is now claimed to be able to offer high-quality standards of service to all passengers who wish to make use of it. Some examples of services offered to passengers include business conferencing facilities, internet access, work space, local, national and foreign-language media (newspapers and television) and, a new development, individual access to an Apple iPad.[53]

The Polonez lounge's opening hours are currently coordinated with those of LOT's flight schedule, however, it has been stated that these times are open to review at any time and could well be changed in the future. The lounge is located in Chopin Airport's Terminal A, one floor above the departures lounge (in the Schengen zone after security check), and is accessible by stairs and lift.

Accidents

Fatal

Accidents and Crashes

Communist-era hijacking asylum attempts

During the Cold War, when Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, several LOT planes were hijacked and forced to land in a Western country, predominantly in Germany and especially in West Berlin, because of it being situated like an island in the Eastern Bloc. The hijackers were usually not prosecuted there, but could claim for political asylum, along with all other passengers who wished to do so.

Other

See also

References

  1. ↑ LOT Polish Airlines (11 November 2014). "LOT Moments Introduced By LOT Polish Airlines". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "History 2000-2009". LOT Polish Airlines. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  3. ↑ "Ownership structure and basic transport figures". Lot.com. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 "More than PLN 99 million profit on core business - LOT is in black for the first time in seven years". http://www.lot.com/. Retrieved 15 April 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ↑ https://www.behance.net/gallery/752786/LOT-Polish-Airlines-the-flag-carrier-of-Poland
  6. 1 2 "LOT Polish Airlines - Star Alliance". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines Eyes Up-Gauge to 737 MAX and A320neo and Touts 787 Improvement". Airchive. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Marcin Sobczyk; Daniel Michaels (9–10 February 2013). "Big Bet on 787 Turns Dicey for Poland's Flagship Carrier". The Wall Street Journal. p. B3.
  9. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines". WhichAirline.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "(LO) LOT - Polish Airlines On-Time Performance Rating". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1931-1939, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0504-0
  13. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines - book cheap flights and airline tickets on-line". Lot.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1945-1956, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0529-6
  15. 1 2 3 4 Adam Jońca, Samoloty linii lotniczych 1957-1981, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1986, ISBN 83-206-0530-X
  16. ↑ History, LOT.com. Link accessed 28 May 2008. Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "History of LOT’s logo", LOT.com. Link accessed 28 May 2008. Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ↑ http://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=41426
  19. ↑ Flight International 5–11 April 2005
  20. ↑ "LOT bardzo szybko wychodzi na prostą - Wiadomości - Biznes w INTERIA.PL - giełda, notowania GPW, kursy walut, podatki, firma, biznes, rynek walut, spółka, podatek, GPW". Biznes.interia.pl. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  21. ↑ "LOT rezygnuje z połączeń atlantyckich - Finanse - WP.PL". Finanse. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "LOT: Zgoda na loty nad Syberią". Pasazer.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines to start Warsaw-Tokyo flights in January". japantimes.co.jp. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  24. ↑ "Wielkie plany LOT.Nowe swiatowe polaczenia".
  25. ↑ "LOT likwiduje rejsy do Hanoi".
  26. ↑ "LOT pursues new 'east meets west' strategy ahead of 1H2012 privatisation | CAPA". Centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  27. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines abandonne Hanoi". Air Journal. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines - Airline Tickets - lot.com". LOT.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  29. 1 2 Turkish Airlines pulls out of LOT partnership plans - Warsaw Business Journal - Online Portal - wbj.pl
  30. 1 2 Warsaw Business Journal - Online Portal - wbj.pl
  31. ↑ "LOT plans third quarter 2011 privatisation". Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  32. ↑ "LOT chce sprzedać Eurolot". Pasazer.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  33. ↑ L, J (1 December 2015). "AEROFLOT / LOT Polish Airlines Expands Codeshare Routes from late-Nov 2015". Airline Route. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  34. ↑ L, J (28 October 2015). "LOT Polish Airlines / airBaltic Launches Codeshare Service from late-Oct 2015". Airline Route. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  35. ↑ "Air Serbia, LOT announce codeshare". Air Transport World. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  36. ↑ "Fleet". LOT Polish Airlines. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  37. ↑ "Fleet". LOT Polish Airlines. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  38. ↑ "and LOT Polish Airlines Announce Order for Up to 14 787s". Boeing. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  39. ↑ "and LOT Polish Airlines Finalize Order for One Additional 787 Dreamliner". Boeing. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  40. ↑ "LOT Announces Launch Dates For New Dreamliner Service". Yahoo Finance. 17 September 2012.
  41. ↑ "LOT's Dreamliners to fly again in June". Warsaw Business Journal. 26 April 2013.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Information about LOT Polish Airlines at the Aero Transport Data Bank". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 27.
  44. ↑ Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 28.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "YV491T Avior Airlines Boeing 737-2T5(A) - cn 22979 / ln 950 - Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  46. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Fleet age LOT Polish Airlines | Airfleets aviation". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 26.
  48. 1 2 3 Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 22.
  49. 1 2 Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 24.
  50. ↑ Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, p. 25.
  51. 1 2 Endres Air Pictorial January 1973, pp. 22, 24.
  52. ↑ www.air-europa.pl. "Boeing 787 Dreamliner i nowe barwy LOT | Europejski Informator Lotniczy =>". Air-Europa.pl. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  53. ↑ "LOT Polish Airlines - book cheap flights and airline tickets on-line". Lot.com. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  54. ↑ Accident description for SP-ASJ at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 July 2015.
  55. ↑ Accident description for SP-BNG at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 July 2015.
  56. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1951 LOT crash". Aviation Safety Network.
  57. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1954 LOT crash". Aviation Safety Network.
  58. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1957 LOT crash". Aviation Safety Network.
  59. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LAL". Aviation Safety Network.
  60. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LVB". Aviation Safety Network.
  61. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  62. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTF".
  63. ↑ "Article covering the 1977 crash" (in Polish). Newsweek.pl. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  64. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1977 LOT crash".
  65. ↑ "Aviation Sefety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LAA".
  66. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1981 LOT crash-landing". Aviation Safety Network.
  67. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBG".
  68. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTD".
  69. ↑ Accident description for SP-BPK at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 July 2015.
  70. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBC". Aviation Safety Network.
  71. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LCC". Aviation Safety Network.
  72. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBA". Aviation Safety Network.
  73. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBD". Aviation Safety Network.
  74. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LHC". Aviation Safety Network.
  75. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LCH". Aviation Safety Network.
  76. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LAE". Aviation Safety Network.
  77. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LAE". Aviation Safety Network.
  78. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBG". Aviation Safety Network.
  79. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTE". Aviation Safety Network.
  80. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LTN". Aviation Safety Network.
  81. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, crash of aircraft registration: SP-LBG". Aviation Safety Network.
  82. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1993 Chicago incident". Aviation Safety Network.
  83. 1 2 Dan Michaels and Andy Pasztor (1 November 2011). "Plane Makes Crash Landing in Poland". Wall Street Journal.
  84. ↑ Gabriela Baczynska, Marcin Goclowski and Rob Strybel (1 November 2011). "Plane carrying 230 makes emergency landing in Warsaw". Reuters.
  85. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT September 1949 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  86. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT December 1949 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  87. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT October 1969 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  88. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT November 1969 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  89. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 4 June 1970 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  90. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 9 June 1970 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  91. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 7 August 1970 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  92. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 19 August 1970 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  93. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 26 August 1970 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  94. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 1976 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  95. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT April 1977 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  96. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT October 1977 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  97. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT Flight 165 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  98. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, LOT 1980 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  99. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, January 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  100. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, July 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  101. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 5 August 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  102. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 11 August 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  103. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 22 August 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  104. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 18 September 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  105. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 22 September 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  106. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 29 September 1981 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  107. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, April 1982 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  108. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, June 1982 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  109. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, June 1982 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  110. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, November 1982 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.
  111. ↑ "Aviation Safety Network, 1993 hijacking". Aviation Safety Network.

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