LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines (LOT) or Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. is Poland’s flag carrier based in Warsaw. Its main hub is at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport while focus cities are John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice, Katowice International Airport, Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, Copernicus Airport Wroclaw and Poznan-Lawica Airport. It operates both passenger and cargo services and is a Star Alliance member since 2003. Star Alliance is the largest airline alliance in the world.
LOT is one of the oldest airlines in the world established in 1929 by the Polish government. Its first international destination was Vienna. The next year, it was accepted into IATA and added additional international flights that include Bucharest, Athens, Berlin, Helsinki, Rome and Beirut. It ceased operations during World War II but was re-established by the Polish government on 10 March 1945.
It introduced routes to Africa and Middle East in 1961 while Montreal and New York flights commenced in the 1970s. In the 1980s LOT acquired Western aircraft and added Boeing 767-200, 767-300, 737-500 and 737-400 to their fleet.
Majority stakes in the company belong to the Polish government controlling 67.97%. The rest of the shares belong to SAirLines B.V. with 25.1% and LOT employees that hold 6.93%. As of 2007, LOT employs around 4,000.
Domestic and International Destinatinations
LOT Polish Airlines flies to 56 destinations in North America and Asia. It has a fleet size of 68 including those from its subsidiaries EuroLOT and Centralwings.
It has services in destinations such as Chicago, New York and Newark in United States; Toronto in Canada; London in United Kingdom; Dniepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lviv, Kiev and Odessa in Ukraine; Istanbul in Turkey; Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland; Stockholm in Sweden; Barcelona and Madrid in Spain; Belgrade in Serbia; Moscow and Saint Petersburg in Russia; Bucharest in Romania; Bydgoszcz, Gdansk, Katowice; Krakow, Poznan, Rzeszow, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wroclaw in Poland; Amsterdam in Netherlands; Vilnius in Lithuania; Riga in Latvia; Milan, Rome and Turin in Italy; Budapest in Hungary; Athens in Greece; Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich in Germany; Paris and Nice in France; Helsinki in Finland; Copenhagen in Denmark; Prague in Czech Republic; Larnaca in Cyprus; Sofia in Bulgaria; Brussels in Belgium; Minsk in Belarus; Vienna in Austria; Tel Aviv in Israel; and Beijing in China.
Miles & More
Miles & More is the frequent flyer programme of LOT Polish Airlines. Enrolment to this loyalty programme is free. You can earn miles by flying with LOT Polish Airlines’ eligible flights and fares and that of Star Alliance airlines’.
Through its extensive partnership with commercial establishments worldwide, members can also earn points when they purchase goods or services from affiliate hotels, car rental companies, credit cards, bookstores, telecommunications and electronics, shopping and lifestyle shops, travel and other partners. There are also special offers, exclusive promotions and extra benefits that can earn bonus miles for members.
Accrued miles can be exchanged for flight awards, upgrades, hotel accommodation, car rentals, merchandise and you can even donate it to charity and other non-profit causes.
LOT Polish Airlines’ frequent flyer programme has four status levels namely: Miles & More Member, Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle Member. Members are elevated to appropriate status level/s upon reaching required miles.
Some of the benefits include additional miles, travel class upgrade, booking guarantee, waiting list priority, preferential check-in, extra allowance for free baggage, extra allowance for golf bag, no extra charge for ski bag, priority baggage handling, airport lounge access, access to first class terminal, limousine and transfer service, personal assistance, improved flight award availability, companion award and other premium awards.