LOT Polish Airlines 787-8 & 787-9 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
LOT Polish Airlines flies 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners on its long-haul network out of Warsaw — seven 787-8s and eight 787-9s. Today the two subtypes offer a near-identical passenger experience: the same dated 2-2-2 Business Class, the same Premium Economy seat, the same 3-3-3 Economy. That is about to change, and it changes in the direction most people would not guess.
✈️ Quick Verdict
- Best Business seats: 2C/2D on either subtype, plus 3C/3D on the 787-9 — the centre pairs are the only seats with no climb-over.
- Best Economy seats: 20B and 20H (787-8), 21H (787-9) — exit-row legroom without door intrusion or a lavatory queue.
- Avoid: 1E/1F on the -8, all of row 4 on the -9, plus 27A/27J (-8) and 32A/32J (-9), which have no window at all.
- From late 2026 the 787-8 — not the -9 — becomes the aircraft to chase: only the -8 gets 1-2-1 suites with doors.
At a Glance: 787-8 vs 787-9
| Boeing 787-8 | Boeing 787-9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet | 7 aircraft | 8 aircraft |
| Total seats | 252 (18J / 21W / 213Y) | 294 (24J / 21W / 249Y) |
| Business | Rows 1–3, 2-2-2 | Rows 1–4, 2-2-2 |
| Premium Economy | Rows 4–6, 2-3-2, 37in | Rows 5–7, 2-3-2, 38in |
| Economy | Rows 7–31, 3-3-3, 31in | Rows 8–36, 3-3-3, 31in |
| Version lottery | Yes — major, from late 2026 | No |
| IFE | Thales i8000 — 15" / 10.5" / 9" | Thales Avant — 15" / 10.5" / 9" |
| Power | 110V AC + USB-A at every seat | 110V AC + USB-A at every seat |
| WiFi | Viasat Ka-band, rolling out | Viasat Ka-band, rolling out |
The Version Lottery: Why the 787-8 Is About to Overtake the 787-9
⚠️ Refit alert
LOT is retrofitting only its 787-8 fleet. From Q3 2026 through to 2030 the seven -8s are being stripped and refitted with RECARO CL6720 Business Class in a 1-2-1 layout with sliding privacy doors, RECARO PL3530 Premium Economy and RECARO CL3810 Economy — plus 17.3-inch 4K screens, USB-C, Bluetooth audio pairing and WiFi throughout.
The 787-9s are not part of that programme, and LOT has announced no plans for the -9 cabin.
- Right now (mid-2026) the two subtypes are effectively interchangeable. Pick on schedule and price, not aircraft.
- From late 2026 the 787-8 becomes a lottery within itself: two -8s on the same route can have completely different Business cabins. With a 2026–2030 conversion window, that split will persist for years.
- Long term the larger 787-9 becomes the worse aircraft in Business Class. Booking in 2027 or beyond? Chase the 787-8.
Until the first retrofitted airframe enters service, everything below describes the current cabin, which both subtypes share.
Understanding the Seat Letters
LOT's letter scheme trips people up, because it does not skip letters the way many widebody operators do. There is no seat K on a LOT 787.
| Cabin | Layout | Letters | Windows | Middles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 2-2-2 | A B | C D | E F | A, F | none |
| Premium Economy | 2-3-2 | A B | C D E | F G | A, G | D |
| Economy | 3-3-3 | A B C | D E F | G H J | A, J | B, E, H |
If a seat map shows LOT Business seats lettered A/C/D/G/H/K, it is not LOT's actual layout.
Best Seats in LOT Business Class
The cabin: Safran Aura Lite, 2-2-2, fully flat at 180°, 21 inches wide with 78 inches of pitch. 15-inch HD touchscreen (stowed in the console on the front row), 110V AC and USB-A at every seat. No sliding doors, no wireless charging, no Bluetooth pairing on the current product.
The layout problem — and the fix most guides get wrong. In a 2-2-2 cabin the window passengers in A and F climb over the aisle passengers in B and E. What is less well known is that the centre pair, C and D, has no climb-over in either direction — both seats touch an aisle. On this aircraft the centre seats are the best seats, not the compromise. The catch on the 787-8: there are no overhead bins above the C/D column anywhere in the cabin. On the 787-9, only 1C and 1D lose their bin.
787-8 Business (rows 1–3)
✅ Best: 2C, 2D — mid-cabin centre pair, direct aisle access both ways, furthest from the forward lavatory and the rear galley. The only true "sit together, both reach an aisle" pair.
Best window: 2A, 2F — well-aligned, mid-cabin, but you climb over your neighbour.
Fastest service: 1C, 1D — first row served, direct aisle access, but no overhead bin above and bassinets nearby.
🚫 Avoid: 1E, 1F — immediately beside the forward lavatory: door noise, odour and a standing queue at your shoulder.
Think twice: 3C, 3D — direct aisle access, but the Premium Economy galley sits right behind: light and clatter during every service.
787-9 Business (rows 1–4)
✅ Best: 2C, 2D, 3C, 3D — two full rows of mid-cabin centre pairs, clear of the galley ahead and the lavatories behind, no bassinet positions.
Best window: 2A, 2F, 3A, 3F.
🚫 Avoid: 4A, 4B, 4E, 4F — row 4 backs directly onto the lavatories. The worst row in LOT Business on either subtype. 4C/4D are tolerable, but the queue still forms behind you.
Bassinets: 1B, 1D and 1E are mounting positions. 1C is the pick of row 1 — aisle access, no bassinet — but no overhead bin.
| Row | A (window) | B (aisle) | C (centre) | D (centre) | E (aisle) | F (window) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good — first served | Bassinet | Best in row — no bin | Good — bassinet, no bin | Bassinet | Good — first served |
| 2 | Good | OK | Best | Best | OK | Good |
| 3 | Good | OK | Best | Best | OK | Good |
| 4 (-9 only) | Avoid — lavatory | Avoid — lavatory | Tolerable | Tolerable | Avoid — lavatory | Avoid — lavatory |
Best Seats in LOT Premium Economy
The cabin: 21 HAECO 3050 seats in 2-3-2 with a calf rest and pedal footrest, 20 inches wide. Pitch is 37 inches on the 787-8 and 38 inches on the 787-9. Seven inches of recline, 10.5-inch screen (in the armrest on the bulkhead row), 110V AC and USB-A at every seat. Rows 4–6 on the -8; rows 5–7 on the -9.
Because the cabin is 2-3-2, the two-seat pairs (A–B on the left, F–G on the right) are the prize: one neighbour instead of two, and both of you reach an aisle without climbing.
| Category | 787-8 | 787-9 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for couples | 4A+4B or 4F+4G | 5A+5B or 5F+5G | Bulkhead two-seat pairs, 32–34in of clear floor to the wall. |
| Best single seat | 4B, 4F | 5B, 5F | Bulkhead aisle in the pair: max legroom, one neighbour, no bassinet at your seat. |
| Best without bulkhead trade-offs | 5A, 5B, 5F, 5G | 6A, 6B, 6F, 6G | Middle row: normal underseat storage, in-armrest tray, no bassinet noise. |
| Avoid | 4A, 4G | 5A, 5G | Bulkhead windows carry the bassinet mounts and poor window alignment. |
| Avoid | Any D seat | Any D seat | D is the only true middle seat in this cabin. |
| Avoid if noise-sensitive | 6A, 6G | 7A, 7G | Last row: poor alignment, Economy bulkhead bassinets directly behind. |
The bulkhead trade-off, plainly: row 4 (-8) / row 5 (-9) buys legroom but costs underseat storage for take-off and landing, and narrows effective width because the tray and screen live in the armrest.
Best Seats in LOT Economy
The cabin: 3-3-3 across two cabins, 17 inches wide (17.1 on the -9), 31 inches of pitch, 5 inches of recline, a 9-inch touchscreen and 110V AC plus USB-A at every seat. The 787-8 uses Weber 5751 seats; the 787-9 the newer Safran Z300. The two cabins are split by a mid-aircraft galley and lavatory complex at the L3/R3 doors — where you sit relative to that break matters most.
The exit row is not what you think
Row 20 (787-8) and row 21 (787-9) sit at the L3/R3 doors and carry real extra legroom — but the row is compromised in three ways at once:
- The window seats lose most of the benefit to door intrusion: L3 cuts across roughly 90% of 20A's width and R3 about 85% of 20J's on the -8; about 85% at 21A and 80% at 21J on the -9.
- The centre block sits forward of the side blocks and runs hard up against a lavatory bank — 20D/20E/20F (-8) and 21D/21E/21F (-9) are genuinely bad seats despite the legroom, with a bassinet in the middle.
- The remaining aisle seats catch the lavatory queue at their shoulder.
✅ The seats that survive: 20B and 20H on the 787-8; 21H on the 787-9. Full extra legroom, no door intrusion, no lavatory. These are the best Economy seats on the aircraft and almost nobody books them deliberately.
787-8 Economy (rows 7–31)
| Category | Seats | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best legroom | 20B, 20H | Exit row without door intrusion or lavatory queue. |
| Best bulkhead | 7C, 7G | Extra legroom and only a partial wall ahead — stretch into the gap. |
| Best window | 25A, 25J | Best-aligned windows in the rear cabin, clear of every lavatory. |
| Good windows | 11A/11J, 14A/14J, 23A/23J | Two windows at the seat rather than one. |
| Quietest overall | Rows 9–14 | Clear of the galley bank ahead and the lavatories at row 18. |
| Avoid — no window | 27A, 27J | Solid wall at this seat position. |
| Avoid — lavatory | Rows 18–19, row 29 | Lavatories immediately behind. |
| Avoid — restricted view | 8A/8J, 15A/15J, 24A/24J | Window sits behind the seat; lean back to see out. |
| Avoid — last rows | Rows 30–31 | Centre block only, no recline in row 31, lavatories behind. |
787-9 Economy (rows 8–36)
| Category | Seats | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best legroom | 21H | The one exit-row seat with no door intrusion and no lavatory queue. |
| Best bulkhead | 8C, 8G | Extra legroom with only a partial wall ahead. |
| Best window | 26A, 26J | Best-aligned windows in the rear cabin. |
| Good windows | 9A/9J, 12A/12J, 24A/24J, 28A/28J, 31A/31J | Two windows at the seat. |
| Quietest overall | Rows 11–18 | Deep in the forward cabin, clear of both ends. |
| Avoid — no window | 32A, 32J | Solid wall. |
| Avoid — lavatory | Rows 19–20, row 34 | Row 20 is the last row of the forward cabin; row 34 its rear-cabin equivalent. |
| Avoid — restricted view | 10A/10J, 13A/13J, 16A/16J, 25A/25J | Poor window alignment. |
| Avoid — last rows | Rows 35–36 | Centre block only, no recline in row 36, lavatories behind. |
In both cabins B, E and H are the middle seats, and E — the centre-block middle — is the worst position in any row.
Quirks Worth Knowing
| Quirk | Detail |
|---|---|
| No seat K | Economy runs A B C | D E F | G H J. Maps showing a K seat are not LOT. |
| No bin over C/D in Business | 787-8: no bins above the centre pair anywhere. 787-9: only 1C/1D. |
| Offset exit row | The centre block at L3/R3 sits forward of the side blocks and runs into a lavatory bank. |
| Rear cabin narrows | The last two rows on both subtypes are centre-block only. |
| WiFi is live but not fleetwide | Viasat Ka-band began service in March 2026 and is being fitted progressively. Complimentary in Business and for eligible Miles & More members; chat and streaming tiers sold onboard. |
| Star Alliance | LOT is a Star Alliance member — earn and redeem through partner programmes. |
The Retrofit in Detail
- Business: RECARO CL6720, 1-2-1, sliding privacy doors, 17.3-inch 4K screen, wireless charging, roughly 21–22in wide and a flat bed around 78in long — the same seat Iberia fitted to its A350s. Interior design by Tangerine.
- Premium Economy: RECARO PL3530 — the model Emirates chose.
- Economy: RECARO CL3810 — the model Qatar Airways fitted to its A321neos.
- Throughout: USB-C, Bluetooth headphone pairing, 13.3-inch screens in Premium Economy and Economy, and Viasat WiFi.
The conversion runs to 2030, so expect a mixed 787-8 fleet for several years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, the LOT 787-8 or the 787-9?
Today, marginally the 787-9 — an inch more Premium Economy pitch, a newer Economy seat and a newer IFE system. From late 2026 the answer flips decisively to the 787-8, because only the -8 is being refitted with 1-2-1 Business suites.
Which are the best Business Class seats on a LOT 787?
2C and 2D on either subtype, plus 3C and 3D on the 787-9. Both seats touch an aisle, nobody climbs over you, and you are clear of the galley at one end and the lavatories at the other. Avoid 1E/1F on the -8 and all of row 4 on the -9.
Do window seats have direct aisle access?
No. In the current 2-2-2 layout, window passengers in A and F climb over the aisle passengers in B and E. Only the centre pair, C and D, has unobstructed access. The 1-2-1 retrofit fixes this — but only on the 787-8, and only once it reaches your aircraft.
Is LOT Business Class fully flat?
Yes. The Safran Aura Lite converts to a fully flat 180° bed, 21 inches wide with 78 inches of pitch. The weakness is the 2-2-2 layout and the missing privacy door, not the recline.
Does the LOT 787 have WiFi?
Yes, increasingly. Viasat Ka-band service began in March 2026 and is being fitted progressively across the 15-aircraft fleet. Business passengers and eligible Miles & More members get complimentary access; everyone else buys a chat or streaming package. Coverage is not yet fleetwide.
Is LOT Premium Economy worth paying for?
For most people on a transatlantic or Asia sector, yes — 37 to 38 inches of pitch with a calf rest and footrest against 31 inches in Economy is a real difference. Book a two-seat pair (A–B or F–G) and avoid the D middle seat.
Which Economy seat has the most legroom?
20B and 20H on the 787-8, and 21H on the 787-9 — the exit-row seats that escape both the door intrusion and the lavatory bank.
Are there seats with no window?
Yes — 27A/27J on the 787-8 and 32A/32J on the 787-9 have solid fuselage wall. Others have the window set behind the seat: 8A/8J, 15A/15J and 24A/24J on the -8; 10A/10J, 13A/13J, 16A/16J and 25A/25J on the -9.
Comparable Aircraft
- Royal Jordanian 787-8 Seat Selection Guide — another 2-2-2 Dreamliner Business cabin awaiting an upgrade
- Air Canada 787-8 / 787-9 Seat Selection Guide — the same airframes with reverse-herringbone Business
- Iberia A350-900 Seat Selection Guide — the RECARO CL6720 seat LOT's 787-8s are being fitted with
- Turkish Airlines 787-9 Seat Selection Guide — a direct regional competitor on the same aircraft