LOT Polish Airlines is preparing to bring its New Distribution Capability content to Travelport’s Travelport+ platform in 2026, in a move that promises to reshape how travel agencies search, compare and book the carrier’s fares and ancillaries. The multi-year content agreement, announced in London on February 12, 2026, deepens a partnership of more than 30 years between the Polish flag carrier and Travelport, and positions LOT as one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most digitally advanced airlines for indirect distribution.
A New Phase in a Three-Decade Partnership
The agreement between LOT Polish Airlines and Travelport marks the latest chapter in one of the industry’s longer-standing airline–technology partnerships. For more than three decades, LOT has relied on Travelport to ensure its schedules, fares and seat availability are visible to agents worldwide. The 2026 deal extends that relationship into the era of modern airline retailing, centered on richer merchandising and more dynamic offers.
Under the new arrangement, Travelport-connected travel agencies and travel management companies will gain access to LOT’s NDC content via Travelport+, the company’s current-generation retailing platform. This means that instead of relying solely on traditional global distribution system content, agents will be able to tap into a deeper, more flexible set of offers created through NDC standards. The agreement guarantees that LOT’s NDC content will be broadly distributed, rather than limited to a narrow set of specialist platforms or direct channels.
Importantly for agencies, the content available through Travelport will be un-surcharged. In practical terms, that removes a layer of cost and complexity that has sometimes accompanied NDC distribution in other markets, where airlines have experimented with channel-specific fees or incentives. For Travelport users, the message is that incorporating LOT’s NDC content into existing workflows should be a commercial upgrade rather than a financial trade-off.
What NDC on Travelport+ Really Means for Agencies
Bringing LOT’s NDC offers to Travelport+ is not simply a technical integration. For agencies, the benefit lies in how this content appears and behaves alongside traditional fares. Travelport has built NDC into the core of its platform, promising agencies an interface where NDC, legacy GDS content, and private fares can be searched and compared in a single view.
According to Travelport, search speeds on Travelport+ have recently improved by nearly a quarter, reaching an average response time of just under one second. That performance matters when juggling multiple itineraries, corporate approval deadlines and complex fare rules. As LOT’s NDC catalog is introduced in the second quarter of 2026, agents should be able to incorporate the carrier’s full range of fares, bundles and extras into this faster, more responsive environment without changing how they fundamentally work.
The NDC implementation is designed to give agents access not only to published fares but also to ancillary services and value-added products, from seat selection and baggage options to in-flight upgrades and potentially tailored bundles. Instead of treating these as afterthoughts, NDC allows them to be presented in a more retail-like way at the point of sale. For agencies, that creates new opportunities to personalise trips and increase transaction value, while keeping the booking and servicing process under one roof.
Enhanced Tools and Workflows on the Travelport+ Platform
For everyday users at travel agencies, the greatest impact of LOT’s NDC rollout on Travelport+ will be felt in the tools they use most. Travelport+ combines graphical interfaces, such as its Smartpoint environment, with modern application programming interfaces that feed online booking tools and custom agency systems. LOT’s NDC content is being integrated directly into these channels, enabling a unified experience across desktops and APIs.
In Smartpoint and associated graphical flows, agents will be able to see LOT’s NDC offers displayed alongside traditional content in side-by-side views. That means that for a route such as Warsaw to San Francisco or Kraków to Rome, a consultant can quickly compare branded fares, baggage inclusions and upgrade options from LOT with offers from other airlines, all within the same screen. The idea is to preserve the speed and familiarity of existing workflows, while adding more depth and flexibility to what can be sold.
For agencies that rely heavily on automation and custom front-ends, Travelport’s API suite will expose LOT’s NDC content in a way that supports shopping, booking and servicing from within their own tools. Corporate booking platforms, online travel agencies and consolidators using Travelport’s modern APIs will be able to incorporate LOT’s expanding network and product portfolio into their own user experiences. Combined with data-driven search capabilities on Travelport+, this is expected to help agencies tailor offers more precisely to traveler preferences, policy constraints and budget limits.
Why LOT Is Betting on NDC as a Strategic Priority
For LOT, the Travelport+ agreement is one element in a broader, multi-year push to modernise its distribution and retailing strategy. The airline has been investing steadily in NDC capabilities, including prior integrations with other global distribution systems and direct-connect platforms. It has also secured industry certifications that recognise its maturity in digital retailing, highlighting the carrier’s intent to move beyond simple fare filing toward more sophisticated offer and order management.
Executives at LOT have framed NDC as a cornerstone of the airline’s commercial growth ambitions. As the carrier works to increase its fleet, expand long-haul services and deepen its footprint at regional airports across Poland, having the right distribution infrastructure in place becomes essential. NDC supports that agenda by making it easier to differentiate LOT’s product, experiment with bundled offers, and respond quickly to changing market conditions without being constrained by legacy technology.
The integration with Travelport is also about scale and reach. While LOT has already activated NDC content in other technology environments, Travelport’s global network of agencies and travel management companies gives the airline access to a wide mix of leisure, corporate and specialist travel buyers. For a carrier intent on solidifying its position as a leading hub operator in Central and Eastern Europe, being visible in the tools those buyers use every day is a strategic necessity.
Implications for Global and Regional Travel Agencies
For travel agencies, particularly those managing complex corporate travel or high-touch leisure itineraries, LOT’s NDC content on Travelport+ will have practical and strategic consequences. On the practical side, access to un-surcharged NDC fares within familiar workflows means consultants can book LOT more confidently, without worrying that they are missing vital fare families, exclusive promotions or ancillary options only available through the airline’s website.
Strategically, agencies gain a stronger hand in retailing-rich content from Central and Eastern Europe’s flagship carrier. For outbound travel from markets such as Warsaw, Kraków or Gdańsk, as well as inbound itineraries from North America and Asia, NDC gives consultants the tools to showcase the specific value of LOT’s product. From cabin upgrades on Boeing 787 long-haul services to connecting itineraries that combine regional and intercontinental legs, the ability to assemble and service these offers in one environment supports both customer satisfaction and agency revenue.
Corporate travel managers could also benefit as NDC content makes it easier to align product attributes with company policies. More granular fare families, clearer information about inclusions, and access to ancillaries during the booking flow support better control over total trip cost. With Travelport+ centralising that content, agencies that handle corporate accounts can integrate LOT’s offers into policy-compliant booking paths while preserving reporting, duty-of-care and mid-office processes.
Strengthening LOT’s Position in Central and Eastern Europe
The timing of the Travelport NDC rollout coincides with an expansionary phase for LOT Polish Airlines. The carrier has reported record passenger numbers, introduced new routes, and committed to one of its largest fleet modernisation programs. With dozens of new aircraft on order, including additional Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 787 jets as well as the planned introduction of Airbus A220 aircraft for regional operations, LOT is gearing up to increase both capacity and network breadth through the rest of the decade.
New long-haul routes, such as the planned service between Warsaw and San Francisco and an additional connection to Bangkok, are set to broaden LOT’s intercontinental reach. At the same time, the airline is reinforcing its strategy of strengthening regional airports within Poland by launching and expanding services from cities like Kraków and Gdańsk to key European destinations. This dual focus on hub growth and regional connectivity underscores the need for distribution channels that can present nuanced itineraries and product options to a global audience.
As this network grows, NDC content on Travelport+ will make it more straightforward for agencies to build complex routings that leverage LOT’s position in Central and Eastern Europe. Whether stitching together connections for travelers between North America and secondary European cities, or designing multi-city trips that span business and leisure segments, agents will be able to present LOT’s expanding schedule in a more flexible retailing framework.
Implementation Timeline and What to Expect in 2026
The rollout of LOT’s NDC content on Travelport+ is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026. Between now and then, both companies are focused on the technical and operational work required to ensure a smooth cutover for agencies. That includes mapping fare and ancillary structures, aligning servicing capabilities such as changes and cancellations, and testing how LOT’s offers display and behave within Travelport’s various agent tools and APIs.
Agencies connected to Travelport can expect a phased introduction, starting with core shopping and booking functions and gradually extending to more advanced servicing features as they are certified. Given the complexity of NDC implementations across the industry, there may be interim limitations or differences compared with traditional content, but the long-term goal is clear. Travelport and LOT aim to offer an integrated, end-to-end experience where NDC is simply another, richer source of content rather than a separate, standalone channel.
Training and communication will be central to this process. Travelport typically supports major NDC launches with documentation, webinars and in-platform guidance to help agents understand new product attributes and workflow nuances. LOT, for its part, is likely to work closely with key agency partners and travel management companies to explain how its NDC strategy fits into broader commercial initiatives, from new routes and fleet upgrades to refreshed cabin products and loyalty propositions.
Looking Ahead: Modern Airline Retailing in Practice
As LOT Polish Airlines prepares to go live with NDC content on Travelport+ in 2026, the move can be seen as part of a broader industry shift toward modern airline retailing. NDC has been discussed for years as a transformative standard, but only now is it reaching critical mass across major carriers and distribution platforms. For LOT and Travelport, the new agreement signals that this transformation is no longer experimental; it is becoming the default way to distribute and sell air travel.
For travel agencies, the coming months and years will be a test of how well these new capabilities can be translated into better service, more relevant offers and stronger commercial performance. If implemented effectively, LOT’s NDC rollout on Travelport+ should mean richer content without added complexity, faster search and booking times without sacrificing control, and more personalised trips without undermining corporate discipline.
For travelers, the changes will be less visible at a technical level, but no less significant. As LOT’s NDC content is embedded into the tools and platforms they already use, customers should see more transparent choice, clearer value, and a smoother end-to-end experience, whether they are flying from Warsaw to San Francisco, Kraków to Rome, or Gdańsk to Istanbul. In that sense, the 2026 launch on Travelport+ is not just a distribution upgrade for LOT Polish Airlines; it is a step toward a more modern, responsive and connected way of booking travel across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.