LOT Polish Airlines
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I stronNever Flying with LOT Again – A Horrific Experience During a Medical Emergenc
I strongly urge everyone to avoid flying with LOT Polish Airlines. My experience with them during a very difficult time was not just disappointing – it was inhumane and disgraceful. I was traveling from Delhi to Hamburg with my husband while I was 26 weeks pregnant. For my comfort, we decided to upgrade to Business Class at the airport check-in counter, paying €2,000 for the upgrade. Within five minutes of this payment, I suffered a medical emergency and fainted at the counter. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to the hospital. The staff at the counter verbally assured my husband that given the exceptional nature of the situation, the Business Class upgrade would be refunded. This provided us with a moment of relief, assuming at least the financial burden would be lifted amidst a health crisis. However, what followed was an absolute nightmare. While I was in the ambulance, my husband tried multiple times to reach LOT’s customer service, only to find that it is virtually unreachable if you're outside the EU. After countless attempts, we finally managed to contact them, only to be told that no refund was ever initiated, and that we would need to fill out a refund request form. We did that — explained the medical emergency, the timing (only 5 minutes after upgrade), and the fact that the Business Class seat would likely have remained empty otherwise. We trusted that LOT would show basic human decency. Instead, we received a cold, canned response that the refund request was denied, citing standard terms and conditions. Let me be clear: This was a rare medical emergency, not a cancellation or no-show. The upgrade happened at the airport, moments before the emergency. We did not block another paying customer from that seat. Their own staff verbally promised a refund based on the situation. And yet, we have no accountability, no escalation point, and no refund. We are appalled at how dishonest, unempathetic, and unprofessional this airline is. Every decent airline I researched would refund in such cases, recognizing the nature of the emergency and the ethical obligation to be understanding. Instead, LOT’s behavior shows that their business model thrives on squeezing money from customers and dodging responsibility. The customer service is rude, inaccessible, and unwilling to help, especially in emergency situations. Airlines Must Do Better: There must be clear policies and guidelines for emergency medical situations, especially when they occur on-site at the airport. Verbal promises from staff should be formally recorded and honored. Refund requests should not be dismissed using boilerplate terms & conditions when compassion and common sense are called for. Airlines must offer a reachable escalation channel for urgent matters, especially in global scenarios. My baby and I are thankfully safe, but the experience with LOT was traumatic, unethical, and infuriating. I will never fly with them again, and I will actively discourage anyone I know from doing so.