Category Archives: LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines introduces the Boeing 787 to New York

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) inaugurated its new Boeing 787-8 with nonstop service from New York’s JFK to Warsaw yesterday (June 1). LOT also made aviation history as the first Dreamliner flight from New York’s JFK Airport as well as the first trans-Atlantic passenger flight.

The flight from Warsaw arrives at JFK at 4:40 p.m. (1640). The return flight from JFK departs at 6:25 p.m. (1825) and arrives the next day in Warsaw at 9:35 a.m. (0935). The flights were previously operated with Boeing 767s.

Originally LOT had scheduled the JFK launch of the Dreamliner on June 30, but decided to speed up the actual implementation. The next Dreamliner launch will occur in Chicago (O’Hare) on June 5, followed by Toronto (Pearson) on June 7. LOT, the first European carrier to operate the Dreamliner, has three out of the eight ordered in its fleet and is expecting delivery of the fourth aircraft at the end of June.

LOT’s Dreamliner has 18 seats in Elite Club (business class), 21 in Premium Club (premium economy) plus 213 seats in economy class.

In preparation for the Dreamliner flights, LOT implemented a new design inspired by traditional and famous symbols of Poland. These changes are reflected in the new aircraft interiors, inflight menus with its new selection of beverages, on-board equipment, toys for children and other amenities. The quality of service offered is an additional asset with specially trained Elite Fleet cabin crews, new comfortable classes of service — Elite Club and Premium Club — as well as the unique product on board the aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. The historic first arrival at JFK is recorded. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRC (msn 35940) prepares to touch down at JFK.

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LOT Polish Airlines to resume Boeing 787 operations on June 1

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) has moved up its resumption of Boeing 787 services now to June 1. The flag carrier will resume 787 flights on this date between Warsaw and New York (JFK). The previous date of resumption was June 5.

LOT is also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Warsaw-New York route.

Copyright Photo: Terry Wade/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 SP-LRA (msn 35938) prepares to land at London (Heathrow) before the grounding.

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The European Commission approves the state aid to LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) has received welcome news from the European Commission of the European Union. The EC was looking into the state aid the airline received last year. The commission stated the aid did fall into the guidelines for state aid and approved the loan from the government of Poland.

Read the full story from NASDAQ: CLICK HERE

Meanwhile the struggling carrier will relaunch Boeing 787-8 jet service on June 5 to Chicago (O’Hare) and later, to New York (JFK), Toronto (Pearson) and Beijing.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. A beautiful portrait of Boeing 787-8 SP-LRC (msn 35940) on a clear day at Paine Field near Everett.

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LOT Polish Airlines to resume Boeing 787 operations on June 5

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) is planning to resume Boeing 787-8 service on June 5. The first route will be from Warsaw to Chicago (O’Hare).

Warsaw-Toronto (Pearson) will resume two days later with the grounded type.

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Boeing completes certification testing for the new 787 battery system

Boeing (Chicago) yesterday (April 5) completed a 787 certification demonstration flight on line number 86, a Boeing-owned production airplane built for LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw). This flight marks the final certification test for the new battery system, completing the testing required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The flight departed from Paine Field in Everett, Washington at 10:39 a.m. Pacific with a crew of 11 onboard, including two representatives from the FAA. The airplane flew for 1 hours and 49 minutes, landing back at Paine Field at 12:28 p.m. Pacific.

The crew reported that the certification demonstration plan was straightforward and the flight was uneventful. The purpose of the flight was to demonstrate that the new battery system performs as intended during normal and non-normal flight conditions.

Boeing will now gather and analyze the data and submit the required materials to the FAA. We expect to deliver all of the materials to the FAA in the coming days. Once we deliver the materials we stand ready to reply to additional requests and continue in dialog with the FAA to ensure we have met all of their expectations.

More information from Boeing on the battery fix: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 787-8 N1791B (SP-LRC) (msn 35940) is the battery test aircraft pictured in action at Paine Field near Everett.

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LOT Polish Airlines to wet lease an Airbus A330-200 from Hifly to replace its grounded Boeing 787-8s

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) is wet leasing an Airbus A330-200 from Hifly (Lisbon) until at least the end of May to replace its grounded Boeing 787-8s according to Air Journal. The leased aircraft will be operated to New York (JFK) and Chicago (O’Hare).

LOT will also be asking Boeing for additional compensation for its grounded fleet.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best. LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRA (msn 35938) prepares to land at London (Heathrow) when it was flying.

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LOT Polish Airlines to shrink in size, Boeing 737s and 767s to be retired

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw), because of its continued financial losses, is going to shrink in size according to this report by the Wall Street Journal. The carrier is phasing out its Boeing 737s and 767s. The Polish government, which controls 93 percent of the stock, issued $127 million in emergency loans to the struggling state carrier on December 21 to keep it out of bankruptcy. This loan, which may still be deemed illegal state aid by the European Commission, is keeping the airline aloft. The Polish government is restructuring the airline and only the most profitable routes will be kept. One half of the fleet is expected to be returned to the lessors according to the article.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Terry Wade. LOT is proud to be the first operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Europe but will it be able to continue to operate the new type? The 787 is planned to be assigned to the carrier’s long-range routes if those routes can be maintained with the restructuring. The first 787-8, SP-LRA (msn 35938) prepares to touch down at London (Heathrow) on its first visit.

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LOT Polish Airlines puts its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner into revenue service, seeks state aid

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) put its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (SP-LRA, msn 35938) into revenue service today (December 14). The company issued the following statement:

At 8:00 a.m. today, LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner SP-LRA took off from the Chopin Airport in Warsaw on its first scheduled flight to Prague. It is the first commercial flight of the LOT Dreamliner (and the first by an European carrier).

Flight LO 523 from Warsaw to Prague lasted 57 minutes. On board there were 175 passengers for whom LOT had prepared special certificates commemorating this first extraordinary flight. For the return flight, 149 passengers have been booked. The plane is planned to take off from Prague airport at 10:05 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Warsaw at 11:10 a.m.

The Dreamliner will fly to Prague on selected dates from mid-December to mid-January, 2013. The upcoming flights are scheduled to operate on December 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 and 28. The four remaining dates are January 2, 11, 12 and 14, 2013.

The flight to Prague kicked off a series of promotional flights in Europe, at which time the Dreamliner will visit nine European cities in total: Prague, London, Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, Hannover, Kiev, Budapest and Brussels.

LOT Polish 787-8 SP-LRA (11)(Cabin)(GST)(LRW)

We have decided to operate the first Dreamliner flight to Prague, as it is a one-hour flight only from Warsaw and it seems ideal for the first “neighborly” visit of LOT Dreamliner in Europe. Actually, it will not be the only flight to Prague – the Dreamliner will visit the Czech capital a number of times – says Zbigniew Mazur, acting LOT CEO. I am glad passengers from the Czech Republic will be the first to experience the comfort of travel on board the world’s most modern passenger plane belonging to the Polish carrier – adds Zbigniew Mazur.

As we have mentioned previously, the first trans-Atlantic flight of LOT Dreamliner will be operated to Chicago (O’Hare) on January 16, 2013. Its next destination will be Toronto (Pearson) on February 1, 2013. On February 3, passengers will fly aboard the Dreamliner to New York (JFK), and Beijing will welcome the LOT Boeing 787 one month later on March 3, 2013.

In other news on the financial side, LOT Polish has requested state financial aid. According to this report by the Wall Street Journal, LOT Polish Airlines has filed a request for state aid, the first installment of 400 million zlotys ($125 million) according to the Polish government. LOT, which was close to bankruptcy in 2009, lost money in 2011 and is expected to post another loss for 2012. The CEO of the company has resigned.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRA is seen at Paine Field near Everett prior to the official handover.

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LOT Polish Airlines takes delivery of its first Boeing 787, becomes the first European carrier to fly the Dreamliner

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) and Boeing yesterday (November 14) celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Polish carrier is the first European airline to take delivery of the 787.

Senior LOT and Boeing executives, as well as Polish and US government officials, celebrated the historic delivery at an event at the Future of Flight Aviation Center in Mukilteo, Washington, near Boeing’s 787 final assembly plant in Everett.

LOT will operate the 787 on short-haul flights across Europe in December, and will introduce the Dreamliner on its long-haul passenger service from Warsaw to Chicago in January 2013. LOT will also use the 787 to operate routes from Warsaw to New York (JFK), Toronto (Pearson) and Beijing.

The 787 Dreamliner is composed of light-weight composites and features numerous systems, engine and aerodynamic advancements, making it more efficient to operate compared with its competition. It is the first mid-sized airplane capable of flying long-range routes, providing airlines with unprecedented fuel economy and low operating costs and enabling airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by passengers.

This delivery is the first of eight Dreamliners that LOT has on order. The cabin is configured with 18 Elite Club seats (Business Class), 21 Premium Club seats (Premium Economy) and 213 seats in Economy Class. Customers will experience unparalleled levels of comfort with the 787’s improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other features.

LOT’s first Dreamliner, the pictured 787-8 SP-LRA (msn 35938, ex N1026G) has landed in Warsaw this morning, Thursday, November 15, where LOT is celebrating the 787’s arrival into its fleet with a reception led by the airline and Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk.

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LOT Polish Airlines announces the first Boeing 787-8 routes

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) today officially announced the launch dates for its new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner intercontinental service. The inaugural flight from Warsaw to Chicago (O’Hare) will be on January 16, 2013, followed closely by Toronto (Pearson) on February 1 and New York (JFK) on February 3. Beijing will begin one month later on March 3, 2013.

LOT is offering three classes of service on the new aircraft, Economy Class, Premium Club (Premium Economy) and Elite Club (Business Class). All three classes will enjoy comfort beyond their expectations as well as the professional and friendly service of the Elite Fleet Crew.

With the introduction of a new class, Premium Economy, which will be referred to as Premium Club, LOT has fares starting as low as $1,342 from New York and Chicago to Warsaw. LOT’s new Business Class, referred to as Elite Club, have fares starting as low as $3,787 from New York to Warsaw and $4,087 from Chicago to Warsaw. Sample fares include all taxes fees and surcharges.

In addition, according to Airline Route, from December 2012 to January 2013 (subject to aircraft deliveries), LOT will introduce the new Boeing 787-8 on select European cities prior to the above regular long-range schedule. The Star Alliance member is also planning to retire its Boeing 767-300s by March 2013.

Image: LOT Polish Airlines.

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