LOT Polish Airlines Flight Change Policy 2026

Last reviewed 2 October 2026 against the rules published on lot.com.

Reviewed by Jack Martin, Senior Process Associate at AirFiesta. About AirFiesta

LOT does not use one flat price list. Under the LOT Polish Airlines flight change policy, your fare conditions decide whether a change is free, carries a fee or a surcharge, or is not allowed at all. Flex fares have no penalty fee, so you only pay if the new date is priced higher. Changes must be finished before check-in closes, and if the new flight is cheaper LOT does not pay the difference back.

Bought through another agency? LOT tells customers in that situation to change dates through their travel agent and to contact the ticket issuer to cancel.

How your LOT fare decides what you can change

LOT's own help pages say the LOT Polish Airlines flight change policy depends on the terms of the fare behind your ticket. In practice there are three kinds of fare, and your booking tells you which one you hold.

1. Changes blocked
   Some tickets do not allow date changes at all. If you try, the option simply does not appear in Manage booking.

2. Fee or surcharge
   Either a fee for making the change, or a surcharge up to the higher booking class now on sale for your new date. Some tickets are also non-refundable.

3. LOT Flex fares (economy and business)
   No penalty fee. If the same fare exists on the new date the change costs nothing, otherwise you pay a surcharge on the new price.

Fare names vary by route and cabin, so read the conditions on your own booking rather than relying on the label.

LOT Polish Airlines change fee: what to expect

LOT's help pages do not publish a table of amounts, because the figure depends on your fare and your new date. This table shows the situations LOT does describe and what each one means for your wallet.

Amounts and conditions can change. LOT shows the exact figure in your fare conditions and again during rebooking, before you pay.

Surcharge, penalty fee and the price you keep

Two different charges get mixed up. A penalty fee is a fixed amount charged each time you change a ticket. A surcharge is the extra needed to move up to the booking class that is selling on your new date. Flex fares have no penalty fee, but they can still show a surcharge when the new date is priced higher. If the new date is cheaper, LOT does not exchange you down and pay the gap: the ticket keeps its original price.

How to change your LOT Polish Airlines flight

LOT gives you three routes, and all lead to the same fare conditions.

Do it yourself online

1. Go to lot.com and open Manage booking.
2. Enter your booking reference and last name.
3. Read the fare conditions shown for your ticket.
4. Choose new flights, check the surcharge or fee, and confirm.

Use the form or the Contact Center

LOT also accepts its Ticket Change form, which returns a written confirmation by email, and its Contact Center can reschedule for you. Tickets bought through an agency are changed the same way, via the agent.

If you booked with AirFiesta

1. Use the contact options at the bottom of the page, or email support@airfiesta.com with your AirFiesta booking reference.
2. We read your fare conditions and reply with the choices, showing LOT's surcharge or fee, and our US$10 per passenger service fee, on separate lines.
3. You approve, we make the change, and the new itinerary arrives by email.

Deadline: how late can you change a LOT flight?

In Manage booking you can change a reservation up to 3 hours before departure, but LOT suggests allowing at least 6 hours because of limits on online ticket changes. With less time left, call or message the Contact Center. The firm rule is that every change must be completed before check-in closes on the original flight, because otherwise the ticket becomes a no-show and boarding can be refused. Online check-in opens 36 hours before departure, so decide before you check in.

LOT Polish Airlines 24-hour cancellation rule

LOT offers a risk-free window of 24 hours after purchase. You can cancel for a full refund even if the fare is non-refundable, or change your booking once under special terms. Four conditions apply:

• The individual ticket was bought on lot.com or through the LOT Contact Center.
• The ticket number starts with 080-.
• You ask for the refund or change within 24 hours of the ticket being issued.
• At least 24 hours remain before the first flight on the ticket.

The refund is processed within 7 days and does not include any corporate card surcharge. For the one-time change, the rebooking is free if the same fare is available, or you pay the difference to the fare now on sale with the change fee waived. Tickets already exchanged are not eligible, and tickets from an agency must be checked with the issuer.

LOT Polish Airlines name change and corrections

A LOT ticket cannot be moved to another passenger. What LOT does allow is correcting the details of the same person, through the Contact Center and before departure, and a transaction fee applies. These are the cases it lists:

• Typos: a change of up to 3 letters that does not alter the meaning of the name, or more than 3 letters when the error comes from missing diacritical marks or language-specific sounds.
• Format errors: a diminutive such as Ania instead of Anna, first and last names swapped, a surname cut off by the system, a missing second name, or the wrong title.
• Legal changes: a new name after marriage, divorce, adoption or gender change that happened after you bought the ticket, supported by documents.

Your identity document must show that it is clearly the same person. If LOT issued the ticket (080-) and the trip includes other airlines, the ticket may have to be reissued, which can cost more. If the ticket number does not begin with 080-, LOT cannot correct it and you should go to the issuing airline.

Changing the date, route or part of a trip

Date changes follow the fare rules above. A route change is only possible between like journeys: international to international, or domestic to domestic. To drop one leg of a confirmed trip, LOT does not simply cancel it; you exchange the whole ticket for a new route through the Contact Center, and a higher-fare surcharge may apply. If a pet is booked on your reservation, contact LOT to confirm the service for the new date.

Changing only one passenger

Each traveller on a LOT booking has an individual ticket, so one person can be changed or refunded without the rest. The booking first needs to be separated, which only the Contact Center can arrange. When you use LOT's online forms, you just name the ticket that belongs to the passenger concerned. Group bookings and tickets bought through an intermediary go back to whoever issued them.

Cancel a LOT Polish Airlines flight and claim a refund

Outside the 24-hour window, a refund for a flight that still operates follows the conditions of your fare, which you can read in Manage booking. You request one with LOT's refund form or through the Contact Center, LOT calculates it from the ticket and any charges, and the money returns to the original payment method. Cancelling cannot be undone, so check the amount before you confirm. LOT says illness alone is not a reason for a full refund, though you may be able to claim from a travel insurer.

LOT Polish Airlines missed flight and no-show

A missed LOT flight is far more costly than a flight you change or cancel in time. If you do not show up, refund conditions are very limited, and on many fares there is no refund at all. If you already know you cannot travel, tell LOT before the scheduled start of your trip.

1. Act before check-in closes. That is the cut-off for any change, even if you are running late.
2. Use the Contact Center when time is short. Under 3 hours before departure the online tool stops working.
3. Check your fare conditions. They tell you what value, if any, remains in an unused ticket.
4. Tell us early if you booked with AirFiesta. Call or message before the flight leaves so we can contact LOT.

If LOT cancels or changes your flight

When LOT disrupts your journey you can either use the link in its notification or choose another option. For a cancelled flight LOT offers three routes:

• New date: one free change within 7 days of the original travel date, with no fare difference. Later dates cost the difference to the fare now on sale.
• New route: allowed if your ticket terms permit, and you pay any price difference.
• Refund: a full refund of an unused ticket, or of the unflown sections of a part-used ticket.

The cancelled ticket stays valid for one year from the purchase date. If your cancelled flight was to or from the USA and you bought directly from LOT, it says it will refund the unused part automatically unless you get in touch, beginning 2 days after the original flight date, with funds arriving within the next 7 calendar days. If a flight is delayed by two hours or more, ask at check-in or the gate for the written text of your passenger rights under Regulation (EC) 261/2004.

Common mistakes with LOT bookings

1. Assuming every fare behaves like Flex. Only Flex fares have no penalty fee.
2. Expecting money back for a cheaper date. The ticket stays at the original price.
3. Waiting until check-in has closed. After that the ticket is a no-show.
4. Trying to hand the ticket to someone else. Passenger changes are not possible; only corrections are.
5. Ignoring the ticket number. The 24-hour rule and name corrections both depend on an 080- number.

Related guides: American Airlines flight change policy, United Airlines flight change policy, Aer Lingus flight change policy.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• LOT: change and cancellation of the reservation
• LOT: voluntary rebooking
• LOT: 24-hour risk-free cancellation
• LOT: changing the name on a ticket
• LOT: final date to reschedule
• LOT: cancelled flights