LOT Polish Airlines is preparing to introduce minimum connection times at Chopin Airport in Warsaw. The company submitted its plans to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in mid-December and the changes to the airline’s schedule are set to be implemented in time for the 2012 high season.

The minimum connection times mean that LOT passengers will enjoy more rapid transfers to their onward flight at Chopin airport. In addition, they will have greater access to the airline’s extensive network of routes, since the minimum connection time will increase the number of LOT flights available to passengers transferring in Warsaw. The Polish carrier’s current schedule makes it impossible to offer passengers connections to Poland’s regional airports, for example, as, in these and a number of other cases, a transfer time shorter than the forty minutes in place at present is required.

“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. What’s important here is that the minimum connection time will be in operation at Chopin airport, which is a strategic point for our airline. So 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,” Marcin Piróg, CEO of LOT Polish Airlines S.A. explained, going on to add, “I’m convinced that this latest solution from LOT will be to our passengers’ benefit, since it means a quicker and more convenient journey to their destinations.”

It has to be emphasised that the minimum connection time and the convenience that it provides will only apply to LOT’s own flights arriving at, and departing from, Warsaw airport.

“The introduction of these minimum connection times is the result of both the excellent collaboration that exists between the airline and the airport and the changes we’ve undertaken jointly as regards the organisational procedures for servicing airliners and the appropriate adaptation of the airport’s infrastructure. Thanks to all this, the appeal of Chopin airport as a transfer point for LOT passengers will be even greater,” the airport’s director, Michał Marzec emphasised adding, “With an offer like this, we can compete unashamedly with the largest of hubs and attract passengers from throughout Central and Eastern Europe.”

At present, around ten per cent of the passengers using Warsaw airport are transfer passengers. The minimum connection times and the new international routes which LOT is planning to launch afford an opportunity of doubling that number, at the very least.

Details of the minimum connection times are as follows:

Short- and medium-haul connections:
- 30 minutes 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;
- 40 minutes for long-haul routes and flights arriving from Yerevan and Tel Aviv.