LOT Polish Airlines is celebrating 80 years of direct flights connecting Warsaw with Paris, Stockholm and Prague

LOT Polish Airlines’ 80th anniversary of flights to Prague, Paris, and Stockholm is a fascinating snapshot of how civil aviation has evolved.

The Beginnings (1946)
- First flights: Paris on 4 July, Stockholm on 9 July, Prague on 7 August.
- Aircraft: Douglas DC‑3s and Lisunov Li‑2s, many converted from wartime C‑47 military transports.
- Passenger experience:
- Handwritten tickets, no electronic reservations.
- Boarding via metal steps directly from the apron.
- Cabins held just 20–21 passengers, with piston engines roaring close to the fuselage.
- Cruising speed ~300 kph, lower altitudes, more turbulence, and weather‑dependent journeys.
- Crew: Flight attendants were only introduced post‑war; before that, engineers handled in‑flight service.

Eight Decades Later
- Frequency: Up to 75 flights per week now connect Warsaw with these three capitals.
- Prague: up to 33 weekly flights.
- Paris & Stockholm: up to 21 each.
- Aircraft: Modern Embraer jets and Boeing 737s, offering quieter, faster, and more comfortable travel.
- Connectivity: Chopin Airport in Warsaw serves as a hub, enabling flexible connections across Europe and beyond.

Symbolism
These routes represent more than just air travel—they were Poland’s reconnection with the world after WWII, and today they remain pillars of LOT’s network, embodying the airline’s mission of “bringing people together.”

It’s striking to see how what began as a select, almost ceremonial experience has become an everyday convenience for thousands of travelers.