I feel compelled to share what happened to me recently with LOT Polish Airlines, as I believe other passengers should be aware of how their refund process works.

In September 2025, I submitted a request via LOT’s website regarding a Budapest–Los Angeles–Budapest Premium Standard ticket (worth approx. HUF 557,000 / €1,450) scheduled for June 30, 2026.

Here’s what happened:

• By filling in the online refund form, my ticket was immediately cancelled.
  
• The system never displayed how much money I would actually get back.
  
• I was given no chance to accept or reject the refund before cancellation.
  
• I received only HUF 39,600 (about €100) back from a ticket worth HUF 557,000.
  
• At no stage was I informed that my reservation had been cancelled.
  

When I contacted LOT afterwards, their response was essentially:

• The refund form is not a price quotation tool, but a binding cancellation request.
  
• By using it, passengers are deemed to have read and accepted the fare conditions.
  
• In other words, it doesn’t matter that the actual refund amount was never shown.
  

I fully understand what a non-refundable ticket means. But this is not about the fare rules – this is about ethics and transparency. No airline should design a system where a single click, nine months before departure, without disclosure of the consequences, leads to the loss of over half a million forints (€1,350).

This may be legally valid, but it is completely unethical and destroys passenger trust.
I was not trying to cancel my journey – I only wanted to explore options to reschedule the dates and possibly adjust the outbound route. Instead, I ended up with almost nothing back.

I sincerely hope LOT will reconsider this process in the future and implement basic safeguards such as:

• Showing the refund amount clearly before finalizing the cancellation,
  
• Adding a confirmation step that allows passengers to stop the process,
  
• Offering alternatives (credits, vouchers, rebooking) when the flight is still many months away.
  

Unfortunately, in my case nothing has been offered to resolve the situation. I am sharing my experience publicly so that other passengers are aware and can be cautious when dealing with LOT’s online refund system.