BabuK

Hello, I am new on FlyerTalk, but I would like to share with you some of my impressions from my flight on board LOT's Dreamliner from Warsaw to Toronto.

On July 8th I flew with LOT on the Cracow-Warsaw-Toronto route, returning JFK-WAW on July 15th. It was a great opportunity to test the Dreamliner and LOT's new premium economy class (Premium Club in LOT's parlance).
Boarding for LO 041 begins 20 min after the time printed on the boarding pass, which is 30 min before planned departure time.
There are two jetbridges attached, which is the way it is supposed to be. Business class, FF status and Y+ passengers are boarding first.

Our seats are in Y+. The premium economy seats are very comfortable, spacious and, personally, I think you do not need anything more for a daytime flight. I will talk about the disadvantages of Y+ later. The overhead bins are very spacious and you can easily place your carry-on on the side.
After we take our seats the flight crew is serving the welcome drink (water, juices and sparkling wine)



The welcome drink and Asiana's picture (our flight was a day or two after this accident)



Soon we are given our amenity kits and we all agree that the blankets with LOT's logo/motto are of high quality.





Here is the user guide for the seat and other equipment. Looks "slightly" used, I would say


After unfolding the tray table and looking inside its storage slot, I notice that the plane was not thoroughly cleaned


Takeoff. It is really quiet inside, but I feel like it was even quieter inside the A380. I need to measure that at some point.
The wings begin to flex upwards



Unfortunately, the Dreamliner has its weaknesses as well. Some of them are just design flaws, but some are a result of cutting costs:
- getting out of the window seat (A or F) or the middle row (D) is REALLY hard


soft and pleasant to the touch display case is prone to damage


the headphone jack has different pins plugging in is not very intuitive. On top of that the socket is hidden and you have to "feel it out" and know which way to orient the plug.


The flush button/sensor is already cracked


But they have little roses in the lavatory!


and toothbrushes with pre-applied toothpaste, just add some water and it's ready to use


After a short walk and taking a picture of the packed economy class...


...time to share some impressions about food in Premium economy clas , which, I think, is delicious and served as if it was in business class. Menu below


aperitif is served 55 minutes from takeoff (unfortunately, my favourite campari is missing and Lufthansa has it available even in economy). But the nuts and chips are in a porcelain bowl, while Lufthansa serves them in a paper cone even in business. One thing worth noting, the bowls are made exclusively for LOT. As well as mugs and other tableware (all meals are served on porcelain)



the next part is comming soon, since I can paste only 20 pics

BabuK

Time for appetizers. It is 1 hour 5 minutes from takeoff (last time in Lufthansa in business class, I waited 2 hours and it was an evening/night flight!). Appetizers are just AMAZING. Salmon tartare with goat cheese is top notch



A small glitch here, because someone took a solid bite on this fork, but I get a new set without any problems


We start with stuffed chicken with noodles and roasted apples (I heard that one lady did not get hers because they ran out of chicken). I asked, if there is a chance to get the vegetarian dish - ratatouille - which is not a problem and I quickly eat another portion. I am a little surprised with the taste at first, but after a while I decide it is great





After a while it is dessert time. Peach meringue with raspberry coulis


Time flew so fast that I did not even get to take a nap and it was already time for supper.


Unfortunately, due to a thunderstorm in Toronto we could not land and after 50 minutes of holding we were diverted to the auxiliary airport (Ottawa). Unfortunately, the airport there was not prepared for such a large number of planes so we had to wait 2 hours to fill up.
Finally, a tanker met us on the taxiway - I guess the aprons were full



After that we waited for about an hour for a permission to take off
After a 40 minute flight we touch down in Toronto, but after taxiing the captain informs us that the gate is taken and we have to wait. That is how we get to spend yet another hour on board the world's most advanced aircraft.
The cockpit crew got to log additional time and landings while we got to spend an extra 6 hours on board the 787.

What I liked:
- very tasty and exquisite meals, comparable to business class in other airlines; served on LOT-exclusive china
- cosy premium economy cabin
- very comfortable seats (except getting out of the non-aisle seats)
- very good service for a decent price (around 1000 Euro, return ticket)
- roses, toothbrushes and hand cream in lavatories
- the crew! very nice and eager to assist. Helpful, with attention to detail
- air quality and the pressure inside the aircraft (equivalent to 1800 m above sea level while flying at FL 400, which is about 12 000 m above sea level). You just do not feel tired

What I did not like:
- no separate lavatory for Y+, you have to use the ones for economy class and those were not exactly clean at the end of the flight
- poor IFE selection
- the Dreamliner itself has its deficiencies. Some of them are design flaws, some are a result of cost cutting
- getting out of the window seat (A or F) or the middle row (D) is REALLY difficult
- the headphone jack has different pins and plugging in is not very intuitive. On top of that the socket is hidden and you have to "feel it out" and know which way to orient the plug

Generally, I think that the Premium Economy cabin and LOT's service are a great product (especially meals, a lot better than in Air France's Y+), the small issues are more Boeing's fault than LOT's

thank you for your attention

jerryhung

Nice report
Too bad the food don't look too tasting
and I don't know how LOT can manage to make 787 interior look so...not special

at least you spent the extra 6 hours in Y+ on new 787, instead of old Y on old 767

Welcome to Ottawa/Toronto/Canada

Bretteee

Looks great.

Is it a lot more expensive than Y?

Thanks for a great report.

BabuK

I think about 100% more than the cheapest Y (bought in promo or in advance), but usually about 50% more. I think worth the price (approx 1000 Euro(1300 US$) RT ). Right now LOT has the promo, that for an extra 200$ you can upgrade from Y to Y+ (when the free seats left in Y+), one way

RandomBaritone

Great report. It puzzles me that more airlines don't have Y+ sections, and those that have them such as Turkish Airlines don't seem to be able to make money from them. (Witness the constant rumors that TK will be removing Y+ from its long-haul routes starting in mid-2014.)

Worst of all, when a *A airline such as LOT or TK does have Y+ seats, you can't book them using UA miles, because the system doesn't recognize Y+ as a separate class!

Carfield

Wow I am pleasantly surprised with the high quality of the meals served in Premium economy. They are definitely going the "Turkish Airlines"/"Qantas" track, rather than BA track. The meals look very good.

However I am shocked on the condition of the plan. They are very heavily used. Maintenance of the cabin will be an issue.

Thanks for sharing!

Carfield

offerendum

+1. For example the fork isn´t Boeings fault. I never flew Premium Economy so far and doubt I will ever do.
To make it clear: Great and interesting report!

BabuK

I was aslo surpirised with the quality and variety of meals in the economy+ . It is the economy+, not the business- , the food is excellent, as well as the leg space and comfort of the seats (especially when aisle seated)

Moomba

Nice report, thanks for posting and welcome to FT.

The food does look quite good for Y+.

But that seat pitch with the seat in front back does look tight.

BabuK

I'm 188cm tall, the leg space is more than enough (like in an old LOT C class in 767) , but when the front seatback is down it is hard to move from your seat when not aisle seat taken. This is the inconvenience, but all other is more than I expected, especially - meals!

Calchas

Great report, thanks for posting. We don't often see reports of LO around here.

One question --- how did you get that picture of the aircraft being refuelled? Did you lean out of a window?

KOTAR1988

dziękuję! GREAT report. I am headed to Warsaw on AF in November. GREAT pics too.

BabuK

windows in Dreamliner are very big

The front door was open, so I asked cabin crew to do it

worldtraveller73

Nice to see LOT reviewed.

Somehow - it does look quite beat up for only a few months of service...