LOT Polish Airlines has taken a decisive step in the fast‑evolving world of airline distribution, announcing that it will make its New Distribution Capability content available on Travelport+ without additional surcharges. The multi year agreement with Travelport, revealed in London on February 12, 2026, positions the Polish flag carrier at the forefront of modern retailing and promises a smoother, more transparent booking experience for travel agencies and travelers worldwide as the rollout comes to life by the second quarter of 2026.
A Landmark NDC Deal With Global Reach
The new agreement between LOT Polish Airlines and Travelport cements a partnership that has already spanned more than three decades. It goes far beyond a routine contract renewal, however, by explicitly committing to NDC content that is free from the controversial surcharges some airlines have used to steer bookings away from traditional distribution channels. For Travelport connected agencies using the Travelport+ platform, the deal guarantees access to the full range of LOT fares and ancillaries in a modern, NDC enabled environment while maintaining pricing parity with direct channels.
Under the implementation timeline outlined by both companies, LOT’s NDC content is scheduled to be fully integrated into Travelport+ during the second quarter of 2026. This means that by the height of the northern summer season, agencies will be able to view and book LOT’s NDC offers in a single, unified display. The promise of un surcharged access is significant for corporate travel buyers and leisure agencies alike, who have often struggled with added complexity and cost as airlines pushed them toward direct or proprietary booking paths.
For travelers, the impact will be most visible in the improved availability of tailored offers and ancillaries. From preferred seating and extra baggage to onboard services and bundled fares, the breadth of LOT’s offer management will be surfaced in a way that agents can compare and package more effectively. Instead of treating NDC as a separate, parallel environment, the Travelport+ integration is designed to make these richer offers feel native to the agency workflow, minimizing friction at the point of sale.
Un Surcharged Content and What It Means for Agencies
The decision to make LOT’s NDC content un surcharged through Travelport+ directly addresses one of the most contentious issues in airline distribution since the introduction of NDC. Over the past decade, some carriers have added fees on bookings made through global distribution systems or have withheld their most competitive fares from these channels, increasing pressure on agencies and raising questions about fairness and transparency for customers. By explicitly committing to NDC content that is free of additional distribution surcharges on Travelport+, LOT is signaling a different strategic approach.
For travel management companies and retail agencies, this shift simplifies cost calculations and reduces the risk of hidden price disparities between channels. When a consultant searches for LOT itineraries in Travelport+, they will be able to rely on a complete set of offers without having to second guess whether a lower fare or a promotional bundle is locked away in a direct channel. That kind of consistency is particularly important in corporate travel programs, where travel managers must demonstrate that their chosen booking tools deliver best available rates and comprehensive content.
The policy is also likely to resonate strongly with independent and mid size agencies across Central and Eastern Europe, where LOT’s network is especially prominent. These agencies often lack the resources to build bespoke NDC connections with individual airlines and instead depend on aggregated platforms like Travelport+ to remain competitive. By ensuring that these partners can access LOT’s full content on equal commercial terms, the carrier is effectively broadening the base of sellers that can confidently recommend its services.
Travelport+ as a Modern Retailing Platform
Travelport has steadily repositioned Travelport+ as a modern retailing platform rather than a traditional global distribution system, emphasizing speed, usability and multi source content. According to figures shared with the announcement, search response times on Travelport+ have improved by more than 20 percent, approaching sub second speeds that make it easier for agents to handle complex itineraries without long delays. LOT’s NDC content will be layered into this environment, enabling side by side comparison with traditional fares and other airline offerings in a single interface.
This is particularly relevant as the lines between different content sources continue to blur. Agencies today may be sourcing fares not just from legacy GDS channels but from NDC connections, low cost carrier aggregators and hotel and car platforms, all of which need to be reconciled into coherent trips. By bringing LOT’s NDC content into Travelport+ as a fully integrated component rather than a bolt on, the new agreement supports the kind of retailing experience agencies increasingly expect: search, compare, customize and book across multiple suppliers without switching tools.
From the traveler’s perspective, the improved back end technology enables a more personalized front end offer. NDC was conceived to let airlines merchandise their products more flexibly, including branded fares, dynamic pricing and rich media descriptions. Travelport+ provides the showcase, turning those capabilities into practical choices that an agent can explain clearly to a customer in Warsaw, London or New York. As LOT continues to refine its fare families and ancillary catalog, the platform will become the primary stage where those innovations meet global demand.
LOT’s Digital Ambitions and NDC Maturity
The Travelport+ agreement is the latest in a series of digital initiatives that underline LOT Polish Airlines’ broader distribution strategy. In recent years, the carrier has invested in its own NDC channel, modernized its retailing systems and secured IATA’s Airline Retailing Maturity certification, which recognizes airlines that have advanced capabilities across offer and order management. These efforts are aimed at making LOT not only a competitive airline in terms of route network and fleet, but also a sophisticated retailer in a marketplace where technology and data have become decisive.
With NDC now moving from pilot projects to industrial deployment across the industry, LOT’s decision to deepen its collaboration with a major technology partner reflects a pragmatic understanding of scale. While proprietary direct channels will continue to play a key role in capturing demand, the airline recognizes that travel agencies and travel management companies remain essential intermediaries, especially for complex itineraries, corporate contracts and multi segment journeys that span continents. The un surcharged NDC arrangement with Travelport+ thus becomes a cornerstone of LOT’s hybrid strategy that blends direct and indirect distribution into a complementary whole.
Importantly, the carrier is aligning its distribution modernization with a period of rapid growth and fleet renewal. After carrying 11.7 million passengers in 2025, a record for the airline, LOT is in the midst of a far reaching expansion that includes orders for new Boeing 737 MAX as well as a landmark deal for Airbus A220 aircraft. As new routes are launched and capacity increases, the ability to position the right offer in front of the right customer through the right channel will become a strategic differentiator, and NDC ready partnerships like the one with Travelport will be central to that effort.
A Growing Network Poised for NDC Retailing
By the time LOT’s un surcharged NDC content goes live on Travelport+ in the second quarter of 2026, the airline’s network will be broader and more diversified than ever. In 2025 and early 2026, LOT has pursued an assertive growth plan that includes new European destinations such as Lisbon, Reykjavik, Marrakech and Stavanger, as well as strengthened domestic regional links from cities like Krakow and Gdansk. Long haul expansion is also gaining momentum with new services announced from Warsaw to San Francisco and planned routes to Bangkok.
This expanding footprint gives the airline a wider canvas on which to deploy NDC driven retailing. A corporate traveler connecting through Warsaw on a transatlantic itinerary may be presented with tailored offers that bundle premium seating, additional baggage and lounge access, all surfaced through Travelport+ in a way that allows the agency to adjust and fine tune in real time. For leisure travelers, the same technology can support targeted promotions on seasonal routes to Mediterranean or Nordic destinations, with ancillaries like sports equipment carriage or family seating sold in a more intuitive way.
As LOT adds capacity and new aircraft types, including a growing fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and upcoming Airbus A220s, NDC will also help highlight the qualitative differences within its product range. Cabins, seat configurations and onboard amenities can be described in richer detail and matched more closely with traveler preferences. For agencies that have struggled in the past to communicate the nuances between fare brands or aircraft types, the combination of NDC content and Travelport+ tools promises a more informed and persuasive sales conversation across LOT’s global network.
Implications for Travelers by 2026 and Beyond
For travelers booking LOT flights through agencies connected to Travelport+, the full impact of this announcement will unfold progressively as the NDC integration reaches maturity during and after the second quarter of 2026. In practical terms, customers can expect a booking experience that feels more aligned with what they have grown used to on sophisticated airline websites, but delivered through the expertise and service wrap of an agent. Options such as preferred seating, additional baggage, priority boarding and onboard extras will be more visible at the time of booking rather than as afterthoughts.
Price transparency is another key benefit. Because LOT has pledged to make its NDC content on Travelport+ un surcharged, the fares an agency sees should be directly comparable to those offered through the airline’s own channels, reducing confusion and perceived channel bias. When combined with the ability of agents to assemble multi airline itineraries and provide destination guidance, this should help restore some of the trust that has been eroded by fragmented content strategies in recent years.
Over time, LOT and Travelport may also leverage the data generated by NDC transactions to refine offers further, potentially moving toward more dynamic and personalized pricing models. While such developments will require careful handling to ensure fairness and clarity for consumers, they also hold the promise of better value and more relevant options. By anchoring these innovations in a transparent, un surcharged distribution framework, the partners are attempting to balance commercial ambition with the expectations of an increasingly savvy traveling public.
A Signal for the Future of Airline Distribution
The LOT Polish Airlines and Travelport+ announcement arrives at a moment when the wider airline industry is still debating the best path forward for distribution. Some carriers have pursued aggressive surcharge policies to tilt demand toward direct booking channels, while others have taken a more collaborative stance with global intermediaries. By choosing to roll out NDC content on a major platform without surcharges, LOT is sending a signal that modern retailing and broad based agency partnerships are not mutually exclusive.
For other airlines in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, the move will be watched closely as a potential model. If LOT and its agency partners can demonstrate that un surcharged NDC content on Travelport+ drives both revenue growth and customer satisfaction, the case for similar arrangements elsewhere will strengthen. For Travelport, the deal reinforces its positioning as a technology partner that can deliver advanced NDC capabilities at scale while preserving the commercial balance that agencies need.
As the industry looks toward the end of the decade, with continued fleet renewal, new long haul markets and increasing environmental pressures, distribution will remain a critical battleground for competitive advantage. LOT’s decision to embrace un surcharged NDC content on Travelport+ by 2026 suggests a future in which sophisticated retailing, transparent pricing and strong intermediary relationships can coexist. For agencies and travelers worldwide, it ushers in the prospect of a more seamless, choice rich and equitable era of airline distribution.