This is another American city in LOT’s regular long-haul network from Warsaw, after Chicago, New York, Newark, Miami, and Los Angeles. For the Polish diaspora in California, for Polish engineers in Silicon Valley, for families between Warsaw and the Bay Area, and for Polish technology companies seeking contacts with the American market, this is a change that truly matters. The Bay Area, which until now usually meant a layover in one of the European or American hubs for passengers from Poland, is now approximately 11.5 hours from Warsaw – non-stop.
What exactly LOT announced
The inaugural flight will take place on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Flights to San Francisco will operate 4 times a week during the summer season. LOT has scheduled two different flights to California: LO035 on Thursdays and Sundays at 11:15 AM, and LO037 on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5:40 PM. Return flights will operate on the same days but with different flight numbers: LO036 at 3:50 PM and LO038 at 10:15 PM San Francisco local time. According to current schedule filings, the route is listed until October 22, 2026, inclusive. The flight time will be approximately 11 hours and 30 minutes. The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner – the same type that flies on LOT’s other routes to the United States.
For passengers from the Polish diaspora in California, this means that one can fly from San Francisco on Sunday evening and be in Warsaw on Monday evening, or fly from Warsaw on Wednesday afternoon and be in San Francisco on Wednesday evening local time – with the bonus of a nine-hour time difference working in favor of those flying from Poland. Until now, this journey most often required a layover and additional time at a transit airport.
Why LOT needs this connection
The numbers presented by the carrier explain the decision unequivocally. Over the past twelve months, 80,000 passengers were carried on all LOT flights between Poland and the United States. Robert Ludera, Director of LOT Polish Airlines’ Network Development Office, stated in a press release that transatlantic connections are of “strategic importance” for the national carrier’s operations. In 2025, LOT carried a total of eleven million seven hundred thousand passengers, representing a year-on-year increase of nine point four percent. The United States is one of LOT’s key long-haul markets.
The decision to launch San Francisco is also backed by economic geography. Silicon Valley is not just Google, Apple, Meta, and Nvidia – it’s also a growing group of Polish IT professionals who work at these companies or run their own startups in the Bay Area. The Californian Polish community is smaller than those in Chicago or New York, but it is younger, better educated, and more mobile. This is a group that flies to Poland regularly – for holidays, weddings, funerals, and summer vacations with children at their grandparents’. For this Polish diaspora, a direct connection from Warsaw means that visiting Poland is no longer an all-day expedition with two layovers.
What this means for Polish tech companies
For Polish technology companies, startups, gaming companies, software houses, and founders seeking capital in the USA, a direct flight to the Bay Area can genuinely facilitate meetings with partners, clients, and investors. Every meeting with a venture capital fund on Sand Hill Road, every conference at Moscone Center, every pitch in Palo Alto becomes accessible. A Polish entrepreneur can fly out on Sunday evening, have two days of meetings, and be back by Wednesday. Until now, these were five-day trips with two nights spent on planes.
On the other hand – American clients of Polish tech companies now have a simple argument to come to Poland for due diligence or team verification. A direct flight simplifies decisions that were previously more difficult due to logistics. This also applies to the growing market for Polish computer games, animation, AI, and fintech.
Californian Polish diaspora in numbers
The Polish diaspora in California is concentrated in three main areas. The first is Los Angeles and its surroundings – where Polish parishes, Saturday schools, and a traditional Polish community, partly originating from post-war emigration, operate. The second is the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose – this Polish community is largely professional and technological in nature, less institutionalized. The third is San Diego with its surrounding cities and a Polish community base associated with the navy and biotechnology.
In the Bay Area, Poles do not have a single parish, a single club, or a single newspaper. The Polish community in the Bay Area is largely professional and technological in nature: less based on traditional clubs, more on networks of contacts, Saturday schools, industry groups, and social media – Polish Tech, Polish Founders, Polish Engineers in the Bay Area. Many of them work on contracts for the largest technology companies. Many run their own businesses. Some stayed after studying at Stanford, Berkeley, San Jose State, or after doctorates and contracts in the Californian technology sector. For them, a direct LOT flight is not just a matter of logistics. It is also a symbol of normalcy – Poland is an important enough market for the national carrier to fly there regularly.
What to know before the flight
A direct connection does not mean it’s a flight without requirements. It’s worth booking a ticket in advance, as the first season of a new route usually sees greater interest than seat availability. LOT’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner accommodates approximately 250 passengers in three classes – LOT Business, LOT Premium Economy, and LOT Economy. The 11.5-hour flight time means that for many passengers, it’s worth investing in an intermediate class if the budget allows. Onboard Wi-Fi is gradually being implemented on selected Boeing 787s; before the flight, it’s worth checking if a particular aircraft offers this service.
For Poles returning to the States, it’s worth remembering that San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is located about 20 km south of the city center. From the airport to downtown San Francisco, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) operates – a train that reaches the center in about thirty minutes, usually costs ten to eleven dollars (depending on the destination station and current fare), and is the cheapest option. Uber or Lyft costs vary, depending on the time of day, demand, and traffic on Highway 101. For those traveling with children or large luggage, rideshare is usually the most convenient option.
What’s next
The Warsaw–San Francisco connection is seasonal – operating from May 6 to October 22, 2026. Whether LOT decides to maintain the route in the winter season depends on the occupancy rate in the first season. Experience with other transatlantic routes suggests that if the first 4–6 months bring high occupancy, there is a chance of maintaining the connection also in winter. For the Californian Polish community, this means that their own decision to buy tickets on LOT instead of competitors will directly influence whether LOT stays with us for longer.
The coming months will show its business sense. But already today, it can be said with certainty: for many Polish families divided between two continents, May 6, 2026, is a date they mark on their calendar. It’s the day when the journey to children, grandchildren, or parents becomes a few hours shorter and a few decisions easier.
Anna Lemańska, poland.us
LOT Warsaw–San Francisco – Compendium 2026
Inauguration
- First flight: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
- Season: Summer 2026; according to current schedule filings until October 22, 2026 inclusive
- Frequency: 4 times a week (Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays)
Schedule
- LO035 Warsaw–San Francisco: Thursdays and Sundays, departure 11:15 AM from Chopin Airport
- LO037 Warsaw–San Francisco: Wednesdays and Saturdays, departure 5:40 PM from Chopin Airport
- LO036 San Francisco–Warsaw: Thursdays and Sundays, departure 3:50 PM from SFO
- LO038 San Francisco–Warsaw: Wednesdays and Saturdays, departure 10:15 PM from SFO
- Flight time: approx. 11 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft
- Type: Boeing 787 Dreamliner; according to current schedule filings: Boeing 787-8
- Classes: LOT Business, LOT Premium Economy, LOT Economy
- Wi-Fi: being implemented on selected Boeing 787s; availability depends on the specific aircraft
- Onboard service: standard LOT long-haul service
LOT connections to the USA – full network 2026
- Warsaw – New York (JFK)
- Warsaw – Newark
- Warsaw – Chicago (O’Hare)
- Warsaw – Miami
- Warsaw – Los Angeles
- Warsaw – San Francisco (from May 6, 2026)
- Regional connections to Newark (including Krakow and Rzeszow) depending on the season and current schedule
LOT business data
- Approximately 800,000 passengers on LOT flights between Poland and the USA in the last 12 months (according to the carrier’s statement)
- 11.7 million LOT passengers in 2025, nearly 10% more year-on-year
- The USA remains one of LOT’s key long-haul markets
From SFO to San Francisco
- BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit): approximately 30 minutes to downtown; usually about 10–11 USD, depending on the destination station and current fare
- Uber/Lyft: variable cost, dependent on time of day, demand, and traffic
- Car rental: via SFO Rental Car Center, connected to terminals by AirTrain
Based on the press release from LOT Polish Airlines (biuroprasowe.lot.com) dated November 13, 2025, and industry publications: TransInfo, Strefa Biznesu, Spider’s Web, Strona Podróży, FCM Travel Express.
Also read in the series “Polish Diaspora in the South”:
Florida 2026 for the Polish Diaspora. Real estate, taxes, Polish centers
Read more at Poland.us.
