The majority of LOT Polish Airlines flights around Europe are operated using Embraer E-Jets. In the past, I tried the LOT E195 in business class. On a recent trip to Europe, I had a chance to fly the slightly smaller E190 in economy class.
Continue reading this review to see what the flight was like.
Transfer, Lounge & Boarding at Warsaw Airport
After arriving from Tokyo in the early morning, we went straight through transfer security (where we left our baby carrier…) and into LOT Business Lounge Polonez, which is the airline’s lounge for intra-Schengen flights.
We were able to get in thanks to our Star Alliance Gold statuses.
With our flight scheduled to depart at 7:15AM, we left the lounge just after 6:30 and made our way to gate 31.
I also briefly stepped out of the lounge before that to try and take some aircraft photos. While I wasn’t able to get many, I was still able to get a decent photo of one of Air France’s Airbus A220s for the first time.
Boarding started around 6:50AM. After having our boarding passes scanned, we headed down a set of stairs and boarded a bus that then took us to our aircraft.
The flight was operated by LOT’s first E190, SP-LMA, which was delivered to the airline brand-new at the end of 2018.
LOT E190 Economy Class Cabin & Seat
LOT’s Embraer E190s are equipped with 106 economy class seats in a 2-2 layout.
Like other European airlines, LOT uses the first few rows (exact number depending on demand) as business class. In other words, the business class seats are the same as economy class seats but have the seats next to them blocked.
While I was seated in a right-hand side window seat above the aircraft’s wing, my wife was seated in the aisle seat next to me. Our daughter spent most of the flight sleeping on my wife’s lap.
The seats themselves were perfectly fine, similar to what other airlines offer on the E190 in economy class. The legroom was perfectly acceptable too, especially given that most of the flights the LOT E190 operates are fairly short hops around Europe.
Each seat was equipped with a fully-adjustable headrest, a seat pocket and a coat hook. I was also happy to see that the LOT E190 was equipped with universal power outlets and individual air vents.
LOT Flight 223 Departure
While waiting for boarding to complete, I took a peek into the seat pocket.
In addition to the obligatory safety card and waste bag, there was also Kaleidoscope (LOT’s in-flight magazine) and a buy-on-board menu (more about that in the next section).
With the plane only about half full, boarding was completed at 7:04AM. At that point, the captain welcomed us onboard and mentioned that our flight time would be one hour.
Five minutes later, the aircraft doors were closed and then a manual safety demonstration was performed.
We taxied out of our parking spot at 7:17AM – just two minutes behind schedule.
At 7:26AM, we took off from Warsaw Airport’s runway 29 and soon after that found ourselves in thick clouds.
LOT Short-Haul Economy Class Snack Service
Just four minutes after take-off, the seatbelt signs were switched off.
Immediately after that, alcoholic wipes were distributed.
Then, the onboard service started.
Given that there was an extensive buy-on-board menu and that it was also possible to pre-order things like salads and wraps (for very reasonable prices) online before the flight, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of meal service.
SINGLE (PRE-ORDER SCREENS)
It turned out, though, that in addition to water, tea and coffee were offered free of charge too.
Not only that but each passenger was also served a snack in the form of a fairly substantial bun. Two choices were available – sweet (plum) and savory (sauerkraut and mushrooms). While my wife chose the former, I chose the latter. I also asked for tea and water to go with it.
I haven’t seen anyone pay during the snack service so I am not sure if the buy-on-board items were actually available too.
That said, for reference, below is a selection of the items that could be found on the menu in the seat pocket. Like with the items offered for online pre-order, the buy-on-board items were fairly decently priced too.
LOT E190 Onboard Wi-Fi and In-Flight Entertainment
Unsurprisingly, there was no in-flight entertainment on the LOT E190 (except for the window, of course!). No onboard wi-fi was available either.
That said, after the snack service was finished, one of the flight attendants brought a number of different things including a stuffed Lotek (LOT’s mascot), some magazines, and crayons for my daughter which I considered to be a nice touch given how short the flight was.
Based on my experience on this flight and the two long-hauls we took, I can certainly recommend flying on LOT with a baby.
Arrival at Vienna Airport
Not too long after the snack service finished and trash was collected, we started descending. At that point, the aircraft’s nose was pointed down noticeably and the captain made an announcement saying we would be landing in 35 minutes and that it was seven degrees Celsius in Vienna.
The seatbelt signs were switched back on at 8:01AM, 35 minutes after we took off and about midway through the flight.
We landed on Vienna Airport’s runway 16 at 8:18AM after experiencing quite a bit of turbulence in the last moments of the flight.
Six minutes later and 16 minutes ahead of schedule, we came to a full stop at a remote parking position next to Terminal 3.
From there, it took less than ten minutes for us to be bussed to the terminal.
LOT E190 Economy Class Summary
While proper meals might still be served in some places in the Middle East and Asia, I don’t think service on intra-European flights gets much better than what LOT offered on this short hop from Warsaw to Vienna. Not only were hot drinks offered for free in addition to water, but also a snack from a selection of two different ones was offered.
The seat, while nothing to write home about, was essentially the same as any other airline would offer on similar flights operated by Embraer E-Jets.
All in all, I can only recommend flying with LOT on short-haul (and also long-haul but more on that in my 787-9 review) flights if it shows up as a viable option for your needs schedule- and price-wise.
1 thought on “Review: LOT E190 Economy Class from Warsaw to Vienna”
It looks like you were in an exit row with a baby. Did LOT allow that or are the pictures just making it look like you were in the exit row?