LOT Premium Economy in der Boeing 787-9 nach Chicago

For this year's annual vacation we decided to take a look at the American Midwest. In line with our travel plans, LOT Polish Airlines published a Premium Economy offer to Chicago. You can find out to what extent the LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 is an insider tip on long-haul routes in the review.

We spent the waiting time between our arrival at Warsaw Airport and our onward flight to Chicago in the LOT Elite Club Lounge (Review). We left the lounge about 45 minutes before boarding so that our son could let off steam in a great playground before the nine-hour flight.

LOT Premium Economy in der Boeing 787-9 – Boarding LO3

We found ourselves at Gate 23N, just in time for boarding to begin at 4 p.m. Fortunately, our machine, an almost brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (registration SP-LSA), was already waiting at the gate. However, boarding was delayed by about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the departure area was filling up and there was a shambles as some guests were asked to go through the separate security check (“SSSS” – Secondary Security Screening Selection). Ultimately, however, care was taken to ensure that boarding was carried out according to booking class or frequent flyer status. As guests in Premium Economy, we were the first to board.

LOT Premium Economy in der Boeing 787-9 – Kabine

For me it was the first flight in a Boeing 787-9. As soon as I entered the cabin, I was surprised by the pleasant feeling of space. However, at first glance, Premium Economy didn't really look contemporary, but looked more like a business class from the 90s. The 21 wide and very thickly padded seats were arranged in three rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. At 106 centimeters, the distance between the seats was almost seven centimeters larger than in the LOT Boeing 787-8.

In contrast to the "old-fashioned" seating, the color-changing LED ceiling lighting provided a pleasant feeling of space. Also, the cabin air didn't feel as dry as on other planes.

LOT Premium Economy on the Boeing 787-9 – seat

At first glance, the seat in the LOT Premium Economy reminded me a lot of the Comfort Class von Turkish Airlines and was upholstered in a blue and gray patterned fabric. This made the seat look a bit old-fashioned in my eyes. But thanks to the good upholstery, the wide seat (approx. 50 cm), adjustable footrest and backrest, sitting was very comfortable. Both the table and the monitor for the inflight entertainment were stowed in the 15 centimeter wide armrests. In addition, two universal sockets were installed between each seat. The position for the remote control was unfavorable. So we came across it several times during the flight with our knees and switched on the reading light, for example. Furthermore, the seat offered very little storage space with a 25 centimeter wide pocket on the backrest of the front seat.

Since we were traveling with our two-year-old son, we had already decided on the middle three seats in the sixth row when we booked. On each of our seats there was a package wrapped in foil, which consisted of a blue blanket and a fluffy pillow.

LOT Premium Economy in der Boeing 787-9 – Service

When boarding was complete, welcome drinks were served. We had the well-known choice of orange juice, water or sparkling wine. I found it very good that the drinks were served in glasses instead of plastic cups. The drink came with a packet of salted peanuts. Shortly after the start, however, I exchanged the glass of sparkling wine for a delicious Polish beer.

A small amenity kit was also distributed with the menu. The blue bag contained everything you need on a long-haul flight: socks, sleeping mask, toothbrush and earplugs. The content was of inferior quality, but perfectly adequate for a premium economy.

Ungefähr eine Stunde nach dem Start in Warschau – wir überquerten gerade die Ostsee in Richtung Norwegen – begannen die Flugbegleiter mit dem Service. Wie schon in der Lounge war auch an Bord der Caterer DO&CO für die Verpflegung verantwortlich. Als Vorspeise gab es zusätzlich zum Salat, Garnelen serviert mit Gurkensalat, Chili-Mayonnaise und Erbsensprossen. Beim Hauptgang hatten wir die Wahl zwischen Rinderbäckchen in Pfeffersauce serviert mit Kartoffelknödeln und Gemüse oder Hähnchen in BBQ-Sauce, serviert mit Bratkartoffeln und gegrilltem Spargel. Wir entschieden uns beide für die Rinderbäckchen. Als Dessert gab es noch ein Stück Torte.

The entire menu tasted very good and definitely filled you up. Incidentally, our son got an extra children's menu, which we had reserved online. He was served rice with meatballs in tomato sauce. There were also freshly cut cucumber, peppers and tomatoes. But what our son found most interesting was the fruit plate, which he threw himself on first.

During the flight we were well looked after by the flight attendants. They came through the cabin at regular intervals and asked for drinks or offered snacks. One more meal was served before landing in Chicago. Here we had a choice of three dishes: duck breast, chicken or spinach lasagne. I opted for the duck breast this time.

LOT Premium Economy on the Boeing 787-9 – Entertainment

The entertainment monitor was stowed in the armrest. The range of films and series was very clear and a total of eight languages ​​were available. The number of German language films was just about acceptable. Live TV was not available, but some series, games and playlists for music playback. The monitor also had a USB socket for charging his personal mobile devices. It was disappointing that LOT does not have inflight WiFi. In my opinion, there is an urgent need to catch up here.

Arrive in Chicago

After flying out of Warsaw with a delay, we arrived almost on time at Chicago O'Hare Airport. The entry into the USA took what felt like an eternity. But even the longest 45 minutes were eventually done and after we had collected our luggage, we were able to take the airport train from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2. For the first night I had reserved a room at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare directly at the airport. Thanks to Hilton Diamond status, we got an upgrade to a room with a view of the airport in addition to two bottles of water. Despite being tired, I sat by the window for a long time and took some long-term photos of the hustle and bustle on the apron.

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