Budapest is an increasingly in-demand hub for international airlines, with several nonstop flights connecting the city with key metropolises. However, after American Airlines and Delta Air Lines discontinued their Budapest services in 2011, currently there are no direct connections available between the Hungarian capital and the USA, making popular North American destinations accessible from the Magyar metropolis only with stopovers. Now, following a recent announcement by LOT Polish Airlines, direct Budapest flights will be relaunched with service to New York and Chicago starting in May 2018.
According to plans, LOT’s first direct flight from Budapest to New York will take off on May 3rd in 2018, and from then on this service will be available four days a week on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. According to Hungarian tourism website turizmusonline.hu, the flight is scheduled to depart from the at 11:55am and arrive at New York JFK International Airport at 3:40pm, while return flights will be available on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, with the plane taking off at 6:45pm in New York and landing in Budapest at 8:50am the next day.
Between Budapest and Chicago, the Polish carrier will offer direct connections two days a week, with flights departing from Hungary’s capital on Tuesday and Saturday at 11:35am and reaching Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 2:50pm, while return flights will operate on Wednesday and Sunday between 4:35pm and 8:55am.
Taking the high frequency of the aforementioned routes into account, and considering the vast number of American businesses based in Budapest, LOT Polish Airlines is introducing these new services with great expectations, and according to initial plans, both lines will be served by Boeing 787-8 aircraft with a total of 252 seats available in economy, premium economy, and business classes.
