Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines offers a good deal for its service between Budapest and Seoul, selling business class roundtrips as low as €1,307 (~HUF 513,785) via online travel agencies and for €1,353 (~HUF 531,868) on its website. This fare comes with three pieces of hold luggage and reasonable mileage.
These prices come with a change of planes in Warsaw. While the carrier also offers nonstop services between the two cities, those tickets are approx. €300 more expensive than the connecting flights.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to our flight search with your preselected flight dates. There you can choose between OTAs and LOT’s offer. If you’re looking for extra flexibility, we recommend taking LOT’s offer.
LOT operates a couple of nonstop international routes out of Budapest. All of them are Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner services, with a contemporary business class product. The airline uses the same planes for flights from Warsaw.
The Polish airline LOT only has one long-haul aircraft type, the Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) – thus every flight will have the exact same seats. Everything is slightly above average, except the seat alignment (2-2-2), which doesn’t offer direct access to the aisle for the window seats. A further disadvantage of flying with LOT: There’s no Wi-Fi, even if you’d be willing to pay for it. So, if you intend to work (with internet access) during the flight, you should choose a different airline. LOT is, however, very generous with its baggage allowance (3 x 32 kg).
Though the shortest way leads over Russian airspace, LOT is currently avoiding flying over the country and takes are more Southern route.
Search & Book
According to fare rules, this offer is valid without an expiration date. It is valid for flights leaving Hungary between December 2022 and October 2023. This fare covers trips at least three days long. You have to book at least 28 days in advance to secure the lowest fare. You can find great availability in the first half of 2023, as well as in August and September.
You will have no problem finding these fares on Google Flights (instructions). You can use dates from Google to find the cheapest ticket via our flight search or book directly at LOT.com, where the price will increase by approx. €90.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
LOT issues tickets in booking class F. This is a basic business fare – at least 100% of your travel distance will be credited on most Star Alliance frequent flyer programs:
- 16,904 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 15,410 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 13,502 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 10,852 Miles on Asiana Club
- 10,802 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 10,786 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 10,602 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 10,272 Award Miles + 1,716 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 10,272 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 10,272 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 10,272 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 10,272 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 10,272 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 10,272 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 10,272 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 10,272 Miles on Egyptair Plus
Destination
Hotel prices in Seoul usually start at roughly €30, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:
Information & Tips for South Korea
South Korea, officially Republic of Korea, is a country located on the Southern part of the Korean peninsula. It is one of Asia’s fastest developing countries and features stand alone traits such as language, culture and cuisine. Especially Korean food (Teriyaki) and music (K-Pop) get more and more popular in Europe and North America.
Visa & Immigration
Citizens of the European Union, Canada, America and Australia get 90 days of visa free stay upon arrival. If you’re not from one of these countries or planning on a longer stay, this official website for foreigners travelling to Korea might be of help.
Currency
Korea’s currency is the Korean Won (KRW). €1 equals roughly KRW 1,300. You can exchange currency in cash or withdraw it by using your credit card at various ATMs. The most used banknotes are KRW 1,000; 5,000; 10,000 & 50,000. Paying with credit card is possible is many hotels, stores and restaurants, not unlike in Europe.
→ All Dealz for South Korea
Information & Tips for Seoul
Seoul is the capital of South Korea and with 11.8 million inhabitants and a metropolitan region of around 25.6 million also the largest. The city is an important cultural and economic center in the Asian region.
Flights to Seoul
Flights to Korea are unfortunately not as cheap as to China or Southeast Asia, but there are – especially if you are flexible – some bargains that are definitely worth it.
For flights to Seoul, one should usually be prepared to pay between 400€ and 500€ for a good deal. Often there are also bargains in Business Class, especially from LOT.
You should avoid the school holidays, especially the summer holidays. During this period, airfares quickly rise to more than 700€ and partly reach heights of up to 1.000€ for a direct flight in economy. Good deals are not to be expected during this period.
Best Time to Travel
The best time to visit Seoul is from March to May or from September to November. Thanks to comparatively mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine, these months are best suited for tourism.
From the Airport to the City Center
International long-haul flights usually arrive at Seoul-Incheon Airport. The express train to the city centre departs every 30 minutes and takes 40-45 minutes and costs approx. 6,50€. For a taxi you pay between 47€ and 70€.
→ All Dealz for Seoul
Cover Picture: Photo by Yu Kato on Unsplash