LOT Polish Airways Apologizes After $5 Million Violin Fiasco

The airline guarantees to ring within the modifications for future musicians.

LOT Polish Airways has apologized to a world-famous violinist after refusing permission to take his ultra-rare Stradivarius violin onboard as hand baggage. Janusz Wawrowski was denied boarding on a LOT flight earlier this month and instructed he must verify his violin into the maintain.

LOT apologizes to violinist

The Polish service has apologized to 40-year-old violin virtuoso Janusz Wawrowski after telling him he should verify his $5 million Stradivarius violin in as maintain baggage. The incident occurred earlier than a flight from Vilnius Worldwide Airport (VNO) to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW). Regardless of the instrument and case falling inside LOT’s dimension and weight threshold, LOT Polish Airways workers knowledgeable Wawrowski that he could not carry his centuries-old, multi-million Stradivarius violin onto the flight as cabin baggage.

Given the worth of his cargo, this was an unacceptable choice for the musician. As an alternative, Wawrowski was pressured to shell out on a bus ticket to the Polish metropolis of Konin, the place he lives. As reported within the DailyMail, the violinist has since revealed that LOT has apologized to him and clarified what occurred.

Wawrowski stated,

“LOT acknowledged the worker’s mistake and said that it’s permitting violins onboard all of its planes and likewise apologized to me within the media and by letter, on e mail, in addition to by cellphone.”

Airline guarantees modifications

In response to the much-publicized incident, LOT has now enacted a number of modifications to enhance the passenger expertise for musicians sooner or later. In accordance with Wawrowski, the airline has promised to standardize data on its web site concerning musical devices and subject data to all its staff and associates on musical instrument coverage.

Photograph: Lithuanian Airports

Wawrowski added,

“Importantly, LOT has additionally modified standardised data on its web site as to what baggage we are able to carry and in musical devices and in cabin baggage. What else is essential, LOT has promised to subject data to all its staff and associates all over the world [about] how we stock the devices in query.”

Moreover, together with giving the violinist a full refund, the service has promised to cooperate with Wawrowski on a marketing campaign to make clear exactly “how, the place, and what devices we stock on the aircraft.”