LOT to Add Transfer Options to Summer Schedule

European flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines is to revise its schedules for Northern Summer 2012 as it attempts to enhance the position of Warsaw’s Chopin International Airport as a regional hub. The airline is to introduce minimum connection times at the facility and has submitted its draft proposal to International Air Transport Association (IATA) to modify its timetable to ensure a greater number and more efficient transfers in the Polish capital.

“This is yet another improvement being introduced by LOT and Warsaw Airport with the thought of our passengers and their convenience and comfort in mind,” said Marcin Piróg, Chief Executive Officer, LOT Polish Airlines. “It means that we’ll not only be providing LOT passengers with a faster transfer at the airport itself, but we’ll also be offering them wider access to our routes via our reservations system.”

LOT acknowledges that its current network has not been tailored to the hub-and-spoke business model with its schedule not maximising onward connection opportunities. Despite this around ten per cent of the traffic currently using Warsaw Chopin Airport are transfer passengers and numbers are expected to double once LOT’s revised schedule is introduced.

“With an offer like this, we can compete unashamedly with the largest of hubs and attract passengers from throughout Central and Eastern Europe,” said Micha³ Marzec, Airport Director, Warsaw Chopin.

LOT is expected to offer a 30 minute connection for flights arriving from the Schengen Area and departing for the Schengen or Non-Schengen Area; 35 minutes for flights arriving from the Non-Schengen Area and departing for the Schengen or Non-Schengen Area and 40 minutes for long-haul routes and flights arriving from some specific markets such as Yerevan and Tel Aviv.