There are two LOT Business Class Lounges at Chopin Warsaw International Airport. The primary lounge is the Polonez Lounge. It is located in the Schengen zone, on the third floor, immediately after the security checkpoint. The second and smaller lounge, the Mazurek Lounge, is located in the non-Schengen zone, on the first floor of the duty-free shopping area, near gate 8.
In this post, I will review both the Polonez and the Mazurek Lounges. The Polonez Lounge is open from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily and the Mazurek Lounge is open from 6:30 AM to 11:00 PM daily. Both lounges are accessible by business class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members traveling in any class of service. Lot Polish Premium Economy passengers (with no status) may also buy access to the Polonez and Mazurek Lounges for PLN 120 (about $31 USD).
LOT Business Lounge Polonez
Like I said earlier, the Polonez Lounge is the larger of the two lounges but that’s not really saying much. The main portion of the lounge is one narrow room with several defined seating areas, including social spaces with armchairs and dining areas with tables and chairs. At the time of my visit, 7:00 PM on a Tuesday evening, the lounge was extremely busy and I wasn’t able to get any good pictures. The pictures below were provided by LOT, so just imagine these pictures but with a lot more people.
There’s a small workspace area if you need to get some work done but it’s not very private, nor quiet for that matter.
Food options were decent but nothing special and restrooms were provided inside the lounge. There is one shower stall available but I did not use it so I wasn’t able to take any pictures. There was a noticeable lack of electrical outlets throughout the lounge and lounge WiFi was not provided. Instead, passengers all used the free airport WiFi, which was terrible. It required a sign-in every 30 minutes and it made you watch an ad before connecting to the Internet. That’s pretty ridiculous for a business class lounge, right?
LOT Elite Lounge
However, what makes the Polonez Lounge unique is that there is a lounge within the lounge. With an attendant to check your credentials, the LOT Elite Lounge is accessible by business class passengers traveling on intercontinental flights (USA, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore or South Korea) and Miles and More HON Circle/Senator members traveling in any class. However, I’m not sure how strictly they enforce this policy as I was able to use the Elite Lounge as a Star Alliance Gold member traveling to Krakow (from Istanbul).
If you have access to the LOT Elite Lounge, you will definitely hang out here instead of in the main lounge. The LOT Elite Lounge is a more private and peaceful space to rest and relax in between flights. It’s much less crowded and the lounge features several relaxation rooms in the back to get away from the noise and chatter of the main seating area.
There’s also an upgraded buffet menu featuring traditional hot and cold Polish dishes, some snacks and a small selection of alcoholic beverages.
Keep in mind that the Polonez Lounge is located in the Schengen zone. If you are departing for an international flight to a non-Schengen country, you will have to clear passport control before arriving at your departure gate. When I went through at 2:00 PM on a Friday afternoon, it took me about 30 minutes to clear passport control.
The Polonez and Elite Lounges are clearly the better lounges but if you’re pressed for time or worried about clearing passport control, you can use the Mazurek Lounge, which is located in the non-Schengen zone, instead.
LOT Business Lounge Mazurek
Located in the duty-free shopping area, the Mazurek Lounge was recently built for medium and long-haul passengers but its small footprint, crowded seating area and lack of amenities make it unusable and frustrating for business travelers. The lounge is so small and crowded that the lounge attendants have been inviting passengers traveling on other Star Alliance partner airlines to use the Bolero Lounge next door. This is completely ridiculous for an international carrier at its home airport.
As you enter the lounge, there is a small dining area with several bar tables and a self-serve beverage station located to the front.
Behind that, there is a small buffet area with a decent selection of both hot and cold Polish dishes. I must admit that there wasn’t a huge selection of food items but everything presented was very delicious. The food here blew the other two lounges out of the water.
For drinks, there’s an espresso machine and a small selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Aesthetically, the Mazurek Lounge was simple and clean and I appreciated the large windows with views of the ramp and runway. At the time of my visit, 2:30 PM on a Friday afternoon, the lounge was moderately busy but I was still able to snap some pictures without being too obnoxious. But by 3:00 PM, the lounge had become loud and unmanageable. People were standing around, waiting for seats to open up and the lack of electrical outlets made the space unusable.
And just like the Polonez Lounge, the Mazurek Lounge did not have its own dedicated WiFi. Instead, all passengers had to connect to the free airport WiFi, which was terrible.
But on the positive side, just take a look at this view. I really did appreciate the large windows with direct views of the ramp and runway.
LOT Polish Business Lounge Bottom Line
Overall, I was very disappointed by LOT Polish Airlines and their business class lounge offerings. Both the Polonez and Mazurek Lounges were small, crowded and subpar, compared to their regional competitors. To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes flying LOT but even with my lowered expectations, I still found myself disappointed by the entire experience. Lounges are supposed to be spaces for passengers to rest, relax and be productive but unfortunately, these two lounges lacked proper space and amenities for premium travelers to do any of that.
Have you visited the LOT Polish Airlines Business Class Lounges lately? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other related trip reports in this series:
- United Polaris Lounge, San Francisco
- Turkish Airlines Business Class, San Francisco to Istanbul
- Here’s How to Get a Free Day Tour in Istanbul
- Here’s How to Get a Free Transit Hotel in Istanbul
- Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 Business Class, Istanbul to Seychelles
- DoubleTree Allamanda Resort and Spa, Seychelles
- Hilton Seychelles Northlome
- Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 Business Class, Seychelles to Istanbul
- LOT Business Class Lounges, Warsaw
- LOT Polish Airlines Business Class, Warsaw to Los Angeles
