LOT Polish Airlines
Reviews and Complaints

LOT Airlines has displayed predatory practices towards our party. We were booked on L0138 & LO11 for March 28, 2021. At first the airline kept making changes to the itinerary, which was not a problem. Then we were told by Lot Airlines agent Paola, her agent number is #1746, :after the airline canceled our flight that we should take a voucher that can be used on future flights.

My partner and I explicitly told agent #1746 that we do not need a voucher because we never use this airline. She then proceeded to tell us that the voucher could be used for other airlines within the Star Alliance Group, especially Lufthansa... which we had specifically asked her about. Under Paola's guidelines we took the voucher so that we could rebook our flight with Lufthansa.

The very next day when we called back LOT and spoke to a very rude LOT agent, Sebastian, Agent #0033, who told us that we could only use the voucher for LOT airlines and nothing else. When I told him that we only took the voucher because a LOT Airlines agent told us that we can use for other airlines, he said it didn't matter.

Called back LOT yesterday, June 30, 2021 and spoke to an Agent named Michael White, he failed to provide his agent number. I expressed to Michael the situation mentioned above and the fact that we were only given until December 2021 to use this voucher, keep in mind that this is an airline heavily based in Europe that is mostly under lockdown still. Michael told me that there are no refunds for vouchers and hung the phone up right in my face!

I know these kinds of calls are recorded, so I know they definitely heard their agent provide erroneous information to their customers and they aren't doing anything to recify the situation.

It was extremely predatory to mislead us into getting a voucher since we throughly explained that we would not need to fly with the airline in the future due to their extremely limited destinations and reputation, as we discovered after, of being known for canceling flights last minute.

HORRIBLE company! Warsaw airport border guards are very rude, racist and very aggressive! The denied my boarding to Germany on June14th, 2021 to get my flight from Germany to home (USA) with no real reasons! They told me that I needed a Visa to go to Germany, (which is not required for USA citizens)! Then they said I had to have a Visa to be in Poland to order to get my next flight to Germany (which is not either required for USA citizens)! Then they said that for Covid restrictions I can't fly to Germany (I had valid negative Covid test on me but they refused to look at it) other than the inappropriate questions about my visits to Europe and the racist ways to talk and asking questions! I ended up losing my flight to Germany, my 2nd flight to USA and my 3rd flight to home city in USA! They even threatened me to send me back to Ukraine (my previous destination) if I don't purchase a new entire tickets straight from Poland to USA! Which costed me over $900! I'm planning to file official complaints about them every possible where in Poland, here in USA and anywhere else possibly! Very ridiculous people!

Dear to whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding a delayed/cancelled LOT Airlines flight.

I am seeking compensation for this flight. The details are as follows:
Booking reference: WZ34AS
Flight number: LO280, LO71
Departure airport: London Heathrow Airport, LHR
Scheduled departure time: Sun 10/05/20 18:10

My flight was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As soon as I was informed of it's official cancellation, I submitted a refund request in April (I have attached an image of the request confirmation) and I have now been waiting six months. I have contacted the customer service team over the phone several times and they informed me that it will take up to three or four months to receive a refund with no help or further information. I have now been waiting longer than this time stated and find it unacceptable.
I would like to be issued a full refund for this flight immediately.

If I do not receive a satisfactory response I intend to pursue my complaint further.

Yours faithfully
Uma Ramachandran

Dear Sir / Madam,

My name is Lászlóné Miklós the mother of Krisztina Miklós, a cabin attendant at your airline company.

On 26th of december, 2019 our family traveled to New York from Budapest by LOT Polish Airlines, flight number LO33 to spend the second day of Christmas together and to see what the Big Apple was like at the holiday Season.

Krisztina purchased our tickets to the buisness class, which was partly a Christmas present for us. At the check-in counter, we were given first row seats, which we were pleased to occupy. We would have been delighted if our daughter worked there too, but her two colleagues, Petra K. and Gábor M, did not let her to work in Business class insisting on their seniority.

We accepted their decision, and we were delighted to start this journey.

At the end of the first service, Petra asked us what we wanted to choose from the dessert cart.
We chose cheese platter along with some fruit.
Afterwards, Petra told Gábor to push the cart back into the galley immediately and then continued serving desserts in a few minutes in the other row.

Later, Krisztina said that Gábor had gone back to her to Economy class and said that we caused problems with our choice: we had asked for 3 fruit salads from the dessert cart, leaving no more platters for the real paying Business class passengers.

He asked Krisztina to tell us, that only after the paying passengers we can make our choice next time.

I was shocked and this case made the following questions in my mind:

1. Why didn't Gábor tell us personally about the lack of fruit platters loaded in Business class, why did he run and make complaints to our daughter, Krisztina who was also on duty and he disturbed her during her work but she was not there at Business class to manage any cases. She had her own work in Premium economy and economy class.

2.Why did they start distributing desserts for us, why they did not start "real"paying Business class passengers?

3.How should we have known that there are only 3 fruit salads for 12 passengers? Is it the responsibility of passengers to know the load of food?

4.Why are we supposed to feel bad because we didn't make any mistake, but Gabor and Petra together they could not solve this situation without disturbing my daughter working in an other class and making drama from a tiny issue?

5. Should they humiliate their colleague and her family for this ridiculous fruit platter?

6. If passengers are treated this way in the highest class of the airline, what is the situation in the economy class?

My husband and my daughter Andrea were sleeping when this issue came out and I couldn't close my eyes because Gabor's comment was so shameful and arrogant.

Throughout our lives, we have helped everyone we could. We raised our children with honor, built our own homes, nurtured the elderly parents, and now these two "professional" cabin crew members, Gábor M. and Petra K. treated us as a second-rate person, a tolerated passenger, and even with the discount we paid HUF 103, 500 per person for the airline ticket.
This was the price we were offered. If the benefits of the company comes with a shameful cabin crew behaving and humiliating attitude towards standby passengers then I will never put myself in such a destroying atmosphere like it was.

Unfortunately, this issue was not over.
At the second service, when Petra put breakfast on my tray table, I asked if there were enough breakfast for the real paying Business class passengers because I wouldn't start my breakfast until then.
She replied with an angry face that she didn't understand my question. I told her what Gabor said to Krisztina in front of passengers, that we made problems with our choice at the first service so I would like to avoid any further incidents.

When Gabor showed up, I asked him why he didn't tell us about the problem of fruit salad, why he involved my daughter who were not responsible for it.

He also reiterated that we are ONLY standby passengers, we have space on the plane, but the food is not ours, only if there is remaining food and we should have known this rule.

I said that I know this is not the case because I have been dealing with airline ticket sales for many years at the IBUS Air Traffic and Shipping Travel Agency and I know that the standby criterion is just that there is space on the plane but the supply comes, if there is remaining seat.

Then Gábor went back to Krisztina and told her that I was not a human being if I do not know the rules.

After landing I was so desperate that I started to cry in that humiliating atmosphere. I felt like a gulity prisoner for choosing fruit platter along with cheese.

My husband went to Gabor and asked him to apologize because he was very offensive towards me and Krisztina. Gábor was dismissive, he didn't want to hear about it anymore, I walked over, hugged him and said, "Gábor shouldn't do that, your mother wouldn't be proud of this behaviour."

At our hotel, in New York we got to know what voice messages Petra had sent to her messenger group where she was humiliating us and Krisztina amoung colleagues, which contained shockingly harsh lies and swear threatening statements. Petra claimed that we ate and dropped everything about buisness, even though we didn't ask for anything, not even an orange juice.

On the way back, we specifically asked at the check-in counter to place us in the third row, to be the last who are served. We didn't ask for any desserts directly so that it wouldn't be a problem.

I was wondering how, with so much aggression and rudeness, how can Petra and Gábor do their job of taking care of the passengers?

Even in the event of an emergency, is the paying passenger only eligible?

What kind of emotional intelligence do these people have, who at Christmas almost expel their colleague's family from the class where they should be the most polite, diplomatic, and do their best to have a good time, so take the airline's reputation.

I think Gábor and Petra did a bad job of examining, not being in the class where both passengers and the airline expect the most professional work.

I look forward to your understanding and early reply.

Best regards,

Lászlóné Miklós

Hello,

Yesterday evening our flight (LOT) from Warsaw to Bucharest was canceled without any reason transmitted.
We arrived today at 14:15 in Bucharest instead of 01:20 !
Book ref : RVFBEI

Today, me and my boss (Viorel Ognean) we lost an important meeting and we kindly ask you to compensate this damage.

Waiting for your answer.

Andrei Ghegoiu

I would like to share the experience I had with LOT travelling from Poland to Toronto, Canada. I was on flight #LO45 on the 13th of October 2019, and I had bought my ticket two months in advance AND I checked in 36 hours prior to the flight because I have a problem with my knee: for comfort I was required to keep my leg straight for the duration of the flight; therefore, I reserved seat #28H.
When boarding was complete, the flight attendant approached me and said: Madam, please move to seat #21H. We need give your seat to someone who had purchased their ticket before you did. If you refuse to move, we'll remove you from the plane. I tried to explain the situation with my knee, and I wanted to verify when the other person had bought their ticket (I had purchased mine two months before the flight) but nothing helped. She kept raising her voice (and was, in my opinion, somewhat rude). To avoid the situation getting out of control I moved (as requested) to the other seat.
1. I wonder what rules and protocols does LOT have that allows flight attendants to move people from a seat reserved thirty-six hours in advance on a flight bought two months previously to an unsuitable location so that they can seat someone close to (in my opinion) a friend or relative, thus ignoring the needs of someone requiring a suitable seat location for health and comfort?
2. Also: can a flight attendant refuse boarding to someone even if that person is in possession of a ticket purchased two months previously AND then having reserved a seat thirty-six hours in advance?
3. If this is the normal LOT practice to remove people from the plane for no reason would LOT have provided hotel accommodation if another flight couldn't have been booked until the next day?
Thought I will never file complaint or send letter to anywhere but two weeks passed and I still remember that angry attendant and her voice and all the details. It isn't right, nor fair, that someone can be moved around an airplane after booking the ticket and then checking in far enough in advance to be guaranteed a comfortable flight.

Hello,

I had a flight on 10.07.2019 from istanbul to krakow and i wanted to change this reservation paying the additional price.

When i tried to do this via booking management option on the LOT airlines website, the system showed that there is no economy class seays available and offered me a price of 2101 PLN in total.

İ checked LOT website for a brand new ticket and there were available seats for economy class, at a price of 1055 PLN give or take.

And this was not only for one day. i checked all days from 10.07.2019 to 29.07.2019 and everyday the system showed me the same option- no available seats for economy class.

My original ticket was standart option and according to LOT i could change it for a fee of 65 euro-276 PLN.

So this airline did not let me change my ticket for 276 PLN and they forced me to pay at least 1055 PLN. I wrote to their customer service three days before my flight and i did not get any answer.

I request my legal right which is being able to change my ticket at the price of 65 euro. and i request LOT airlines quit doing this.

Regards...

With my flight on 4 Jan 2017 I wasn't able to get my luggage delivered with my connecting flight from Warsaw to London.
It hasn't reached yesterday, neither today. There were fragile items that need special handling like glass objects. I hope nothing happened to them!

This is the first time I using LOT and I am extremely frustrated.

I had essential things in my luggage that I need daily like:

- My toiletries which I need a special shampoo and conditioner that costs together about 50£, neither I have spare ones of them
- I don't have toothbrush or toothpaste, neither I thought I should keep spare ones for them too
- More importantly I had pills in my luggage which are essential and very important for me to take daily needs a special prescription. For that I had to visit the doctor and get new ones because I cannot "not take it". This one costs about 100£
- Also for the time that I spent on this and the stress you caused.

Oct. 7, 2011 LO 398 FRA-KRK (flights bought thru Lufthansa web site)
The BAD
1. When it was my turn to have my seats rebooked after lining up for quite a while, I asked the LH staff what is my compensation since EC regulations indicate that passengers have a right to claim. She just told me that the flight was operated by LOT and not LH. That's it. For me, that is not the proper response. I've booked the flight thru LH and LH is the marketing carrier and I expect LH to take responsibility.
2. I am disappointed that LH staff did not even consider my previous seat preference when she rebooked my flight. I am in Business class and I expected the LH staff to respect my previous seat selection or at least ask me. Note that my previous seat selection was not yet taken. I have to go to check-in kiosk to change the seat myself.
3. I was given a lesser known hotel and is farther than the other 2 hotels near the airport. I would have thought that Loyalty Membership Program and being booked in Business class would have been taken into consideration.
4. EC regulation dictates that I have a right to 2 phone calls or e-mails. The hotel does not offer free internet and does not even have bottled water in the room! I have to use my own phone to make international calls to inform my family what happened and I even have to pay for water .

The WORSE
1. When I've approached a LH staff asking for directions where B2 counter is, the staff was not pleasant and with a hand motion, she just pointed towards a general direction. As I am not familiar with airport layout, I've tried asking for more directions but was answered with a rather unpleasant and rude response saying just go ahead. I'm not happy with this behavior. I expected courtesy from staff.
2. While lining up to have my flight rebooked, there were also a couple of other anxious and worried passengers who don't know what to do with the flight cancellation. They've tried asking the LH staff and LH staff was very disrespectful and sarcastic. She goes something like - "we will rebook your flight, you have to wait and don't worry you have lots of time... you have until Monday to wait.". I believe this kind of comment is not appropriate. I understand that during flight irregularities, things can get overwhelming. Treating passengers rudely however does not help the situation.

I have already emailed Lufthansa twice and LOT Polish airlines once 3 weeks ago and until now I have not heard from them. This is terrible customer service.