From Brussels to Warsaw I flew on LOT Polish onboard the Embraer E-190 in business class. While not an exciting product, I appreciated the extra space and warm meal in the forward in the cabin.
LOT Polish E-190 Business Class Review
We checked in online and were able to obtain mobile boarding passes, bypassing any agent interaction until it was time to board. Just prior to boarding time we walked from the Brussels Airlines “The Loft” lounge to the boarding gate, where our aircraft was waiting.
> Read More: Brussels Airlines “The Loft” Lounge (BRU)
Boarding began 30 minutes prior to takeoff.
LO 236
Brussels (BRU) – Warsaw (WAW)
Friday, October 15
Depart: 10:2oAM
Arrive: 12:20PM
Duration: 02hr, 00min
Distance: 714 miles
Aircraft: Embraer E-190
Seat: 4A (Business Class)
A flight attendant welcomed me onboard and offered me a moist towelette.
Seat
Seats in business class are the same as in economy (a 2-2 configuration) but all adjacent seats are blocked, so you do not have another passenger next to you. I prefer this arrangement to a mainline aircraft (in a 3-3 configuration) in which only the middle seats are blocked.
This aircraft includes 106 seats. Seat pitch is 31 inches throughout the cabin: there is no extra room for business class or so-called “Economy Plus”
Power ports are located under the seat with universal outlets.
Each seat also has a coat hook.
Food + Drink
In short, the only difference between economy class and business class onboard is the meal.
Economy class passengers are offered snacks for purchase, or more substantial meals can be pre-ordered:
Business class passengers enjoy a plated hot meal, cold or hot depending up on the flight length, served on a tray with choice of beverage.
Although our flight departed fairly late in the morning, breakfast was served after takeoff: poached eggs in a zesty tomato sauce with yogurt (plain, sprinkled with dried dates, raisins, and apricots) and cold cuts (ham, turkey, cheese, hardboiled egg, cucumber). A hot bread roll was also offered.
For a two hour flight, this was a very satisfactory meal. Coffee or tea were offered with breakfast and I found the coffee a bit weak.
Prior to landing, my coffee was topped up and I had a glass of water and bag of peanuts.
Lavatory
Lavatories are located in the front and rear of the aircraft. The business class lavatory near the cockpit included soap, hand sanitizer, and moist towelettes. It was clean.
Service
The flight attendant who worked business class was very attentive and efficient. Breakfast was served quickly after takeoff and promptly cleared away, yet she did not disappear. Instead, she kept a close watch on the cabin and offered drinks throughout the flight.
IFE + IFE
No wi-fi or streaming entertainment onboard, so I just looked out the window.
There was also an in-flight magazine, called Kaleidoscope, to help pass the time:
We taxied by several government aircraft upon landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport.
Then we came to what looked to be an ex-Azul Embraer now flying for LOT which still had not been fully repainted.
Remote Gate
You’re often stuck with a remote gate at WAW and we had to wait for everyone to alight the aircraft before a very congested bus (hello corona) took us to the terminal.
CONCLUSION
Although it was hardly luxurious, I appreciated flying business class over economy class for the blocked seat and for the poached egg breakfast. Service was lovely and our flight was on time. I would not hesitate to fly LOT Polish again within Europe.
It always made me laugh (not laugh) when airlines had so many covid protocols in place with meals, deplaning sections etc and then at the end of the flight would pack people in nose to nose on buses from remote stands. Oh, the irony.
The best is my home airport at Dulles. Pack em in the “Mobile Lounges” like sardines. The highlight being was when they had the recording to remind people to “safely distance” on them. It was always met with passengers shaking their heads in disbelief.
I recall you saying “sadly it [LOT] was bad.” Did something change when you boarded a later flight?
I fly in the rear of the plane so I don’t know about LOT’s international product but I would expect they will be under pressure to improve during the upcoming years in that I observed in passport control that most of the passengers were transiting to other European countries hence there may be a market for a higher class of product in the future.
Generally, LOT is efficient but not luxurious (my experience.)
I hope you learned at least a few words in Polish on your trip.
I was referring there to my KRK-ORD flight. Stay tuned for that…
I somehow think that is going to be most entertaining.
“My Disappointment Is Immeasurable And My Day Is Ruined”
It won’t be that bad, but the food and service was terrible! 😉
wonderful, i’m flying them tomorrow afternoon from bud-jfk so praying out here
Eat up before your flight!
“In short, the only difference between economy class and business class onboard is the meal.”
That and the guaranteed empty seat next to you…
Indeed, as I mentioned in my opening paragraph. I should have mentioned it in the conclusion as well.
Did you see when he mentioned this being the only difference, it was specifically under a header that read ‘Food + Service’?
Flew a few intra-Europe LOT flights recently in business. I came in with very low expectations but was actually stunned by how impressed I was vs the “big boys,” although with the state of BA/Lufthansa/Iberia short-haul these days that’s admitted a low bar.
Great, friendly service, solid catering – mine never had the wrap on it so it’s interesting that yours did. Did they not have a separate bus for business? I’ve had that the times I’ve gone through WAW, as well as Volvos for HON Circle.
The ex-Azul plane you saw seems to be an increasing thing with LOT, I flew on a plane they had just leased from someone a month prior, and didn’t even bother to paint the outside yet.
Really …. You like business class with LOT because they block out the “ economy “ seat next to you and give you a poached egg …. WTF ,I’ve flown business on E190 in Australia and they have a 2 1 cabin in business….. I don’t think LOT is giving a greater service.
Well of course I prefer Qantas. But that doesn’t make LOT bad.
The LOT Embraers are the real sweet spot of short haul European travel. Lighter routes get a Dash 8 – to be avoided at all costs and busier routes get either an ancient 738 or even worse, a Max which features probably the most uncomfortable seats in the business, ironing board does not begin to describe them.
Meanwhile the Embraers almost belong to another time and are still comfortable and a great experience.
Why do travel writers continue to waste their time writing about intra-European narrow-body business class? It is the same now as it was 25 years ago: a blocked adjacent seat instead of a wider, more comfortable one and a bit nicer food. No one will pay for a point-to-point Business seat within Europe and will likely only experience it after connecting from an international flight. A more insightful article would simply have discussed Warsaw as an alternate connecting hub in Europe.
Well, here’s a thought. Why don’t you start your own blog and do exactly that?
‘No one will pay for a point-to-point Business seat within Europe and will likely only experience it after connecting from an international flight.’
It’s always great when an antagonist, what’s the word, begins with w but rhymes with anchor displays their ignorance like this.
Countless thousands of Europeans pay for Eurobusiness every day. Why? Because it’s slightly less nasty than the economy offering these days and that’s about all that it has to recommend it. Oh and the food which compared to the US offerings in first is a banquet.
Thanks, Matt, for the write-up! Speaking of AD: was that their A339neo I spotted on the apron in BRU? Any idea what it’s doing there?
That was a regional jet – not sure how/why LO got it.