LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 to Chicago

For this year's annual holiday, we decided to visit the Midwest of the USA. In line with our travel plans, LOT Polish Airlines published an offer for Premium Economy to Chicago. Find out in the review to what extent LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 is an insider tip on long-haul flights.

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 really let off steam in a great playground before the nine-hour flight.

LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 - Boarding LO3

We arrived at gate 23N right on time for the start of boarding at 4 pm. Fortunately, our aircraft, an almost brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (registration SP-LSA), was already waiting at the gate. However, boarding was delayed by around 30 minutes. In the meantime, the departure area was filling up and there was chaos as some guests were asked to go through the secondary security screening selection (SSSS). In the end, however, care was taken to ensure that boarding was carried out according to booking class or frequent flyer status. As Premium Economy guests, we were the first to be allowed on board.

LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 - Cabin

It was my first flight in a Boeing 787-9 and I was surprised by the pleasant feeling of space as soon as I entered the cabin. However, at first glance, Premium Economy didn't really look contemporary, but rather more like a Business Class from the 90s. The 21 wide and very thickly upholstered seats were arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration in three rows. At 106 centimetres, the distance between the seats was almost seven centimetres greater than in the LOT Boeing 787-8.

In contrast to the "old-fashioned" seating, the colour-changing LED ceiling lighting provided a pleasant feeling of space. I also felt that the cabin air was not as dry as in other aircraft.

LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 - Seat

At first, the seat in the LOT Premium Economy reminded me strongly of the Comfort Class from Turkish Airlines and was upholstered in a blue-grey patterned fabric. This made the seat look a little 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 in-flight entertainment were stowed in the 15 centimetre wide armrests. In addition, two universal sockets were installed between the seats. The position of the remote control was unfavourable. This meant that we had to touch it with our knee several times during the flight to switch on the reading light, for example. Furthermore, the seat offered very little storage space with a 25 centimetre wide pocket on the backrest of the front seat.

As we were travelling 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 was a foil-wrapped package consisting of a blue blanket and a fluffy pillow.

LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 - Service

Once boarding was complete, the welcome drinks were served. We had the familiar choice of orange juice, water or sparkling wine. I really liked the fact that the drinks were served in glasses instead of plastic cups. The drink was accompanied by a packet of salted peanuts. Shortly after the start, however, I swapped the glass of sparkling wine for a delicious Polish beer.

A small amenity kit was also handed out together with the menu. The blue bag contained everything you need on a long-haul flight: Socks, sleeping goggles, toothbrush and earplugs. The contents were of inferior quality, but perfectly adequate for a Premium Economy flight.

About an hour after take-off in Warsaw - we were just crossing the Baltic Sea in the direction of Norway - the flight attendants began to serve us. As in the lounge, the caterer DO&CO was also responsible for the catering on board. As a starter, in addition to the salad, we had prawns served with cucumber salad, chilli mayonnaise and pea shoots. For the main course, we had the choice between beef cheeks in pepper sauce served with potato dumplings and vegetables or chicken in BBQ sauce, served with roast potatoes and grilled asparagus. We both opted for the beef cheeks. We also had a slice of cake for dessert.

The whole menu tasted very good and was definitely filling. Incidentally, our son got an extra children's menu, which we had also booked online. He was served rice with meatballs in tomato sauce. He also had freshly sliced cucumber, peppers and tomatoes. What our son found most interesting, however, was the fruit plate, which he pounced 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. Before landing in Chicago, we were served something to eat again. We had a choice of three dishes: Duck breast, chicken or spinach lasagne. I opted for the duck breast this time.

LOT Premium Economy in the Boeing 787-9 - Entertainment

The entertainment monitor was stowed in the armrest. The selection 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 there were some series, games and playlists for music playback. The monitor also had a USB socket for charging personal mobile devices. It was disappointing that LOT does not have in-flight WiFi. In my opinion, there is a lot of catching up to do here.

Arrival in Chicago

After a delayed departure from Warsaw, we arrived at Chicago O'Hare airport almost on time. Entering the USA again felt like an eternity. But even the longest 45 minutes were eventually over and, after collecting our luggage, we were able to take the airport railway from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2. For the first night, I had reserved a room at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare right at the airport. Thanks to Hilton Diamond status, we were given two bottles of water and an upgrade to a room with a view of the airport. Despite being tired, I sat at the window for a long time and took some long shots of the hustle and bustle on the apron.

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