It turns out that there are two LOT business lounges in Warsaw Chopin airport: One before passport control, and one after passport control. I didn’t realize that there was a distinction, so I made it to the one before passport control, first. It was a medium sized lounge, with lots of patrons, and was loud, messy and a bit out of control. Seating was limited, and also cramped–you were sitting next to other patrons, without much space to put down your luggage or other items. In addition, when a patron left, the tables weren’t cleaned up for a good while, so you were dealing with all the used plates, glasses and mugs.
Nervous about the lines at passport control, I asked the lady at the front desk of the lounge, if there was another lounge after passport control, to ensure if I had heard the guys at check-in correctly. She confirmed that there is a lounge after passport control, and that it would be best for me to wait there.
This lounge was located on the lower level of the terminal. To my surprise, it was not only smaller, and more limited in its options of food, it was also way more organized and a lot more quieter. Suddenly, I felt relaxed, and without a worry, whereas in the first lounge, my mind was anxious from all of the chaos.
And so I spent the next 5 hours in the lounge, relaxing, taking photos, reading, looking out the windows, and texting people, as the flight continued to be delayed due to technical problems. And it was comfortable–the chairs were comfortable, and it was also spacious. The lounge, however, is done in a retro-LOT style, pointing more to the airline’s history in the 1970s or 1980s, with it’s advertisment posters on the wall. It was a little funky in that way, making me laugh, because it brought me back to the Poland of my childhood.
The one thing that I would recommend doing before coming to this lounge is actually getting snacks or food elsewhere, as the options are very limited and if you’re a picky-eater, have food intolerance or have a specific diet, this is not the place to eat anything besides nuts. So do yourself a favor, and grab something to eat before you enter.
The Girl with The Red Backpack 