Review: TAP Air Portugal Business Class Airbus A330-900neo (MIA-LIS)

For the first segment of our trip to Geneva, we flew TAP Air Portugal’s Airbus A330-900neo business class on the 7hr45min overnight flight from Miami (MIA) to Lisbon (LIS). TAP Air Portugal has done a phenomenal job modernizing its long haul fleet in recent years, and this was my first time flying the carrier’s flagship aircraft.

Let’s be honest, TAP Air Portugal doesn’t exactly have a great reputation, and is viewed by some as being somewhere between a low cost carrier and full service carrier. For that matter, my past experiences with the airline weren’t exactly great, with generally subpar service and food.

That’s why I have to admit that I was positively surprised by this experience. TAP’s updated cabins are solid, the crew was friendly, and the food was generally tasty. Is this one of the world’s best business class products? No, absolutely not. But it’s a product that isn’t worth avoiding, and that I’d gladly fly again, assuming it offered the value and schedule I was looking for.

How I booked my TAP Air Portugal business class ticket

I booked our TAP Air Portugal business class tickets using avianca lifemiles. Specifically, I booked the following award in business class for 63,000 avianca lifemiles plus $72.60 per person in taxes and fees per person:

3/06 TP224 Miami to Lisbon departing 4:30PM arriving 5:35AM (+1 day)
3/07 TP940 Lisbon to Geneva departing 7:40AM arriving 11:10AM

Points with lifemiles are easy to come by, as the program is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou. On top of that, lifemiles often sells miles at a discount, and also awards miles through a lifemiles+ subscription.

TAP Air Portugal business class lounge & boarding

We arrived at Miami Airport at around 2:30PM, two hours ahead of our scheduled departure time. While that’s a bit earlier than we’d usually arrive, security wait times can be awful in this part of the terminal in the afternoons.

Since we had checked bags, we had to stop by the TAP Air Portugal counter, which was deserted, and we were on our way through security within minutes.

TAP Air Portugal sends its business class passengers to the Turkish Airlines Lounge Miami, which I’ve reviewed before. However, we didn’t even bother using it — it’s so consistently crowded in the afternoons that I’d rather just sit in the terminal.

Our flight was departing from gate J16, located at the end of the concourse on the left. Per our boarding passes, boarding was scheduled for 3:30PM, an hour before departure. In reality, boarding only started at 3:50PM, given that TAP Air Portugal plans quite a tight turn in Miami. Families and wheelchair passengers were invited to board first, followed by business class passengers.

TAP Air Portugal A330 business class cabin & seats

We boarded through the second set of doors, where we were greeted by an extraordinarily friendly flight attendant, and pointed left into business class. TAP Air Portugal’s Airbus A330-900neo business class cabin consists of a total of 34 seats, spread across nine rows in a 1-2-1 configuration (the first row just has two seats in the center).

TAP Air Portugal has a staggered configuration in business class, and specifically, uses the Recaro CL6710 seat. You’ll also find this product on EL AL’s Boeing 787s. On balance, this is a significant improvement over TAP’s old product. However, it’s worth noting that this is a rather compact configuration, as it’s pretty impressive that the airline is able to cram 34 seats between the first and second set of doors.

Thanks to the staggered configuration, passengers have several different seating options, depending on their preferences.

If you’re traveling with someone you like, then the middle seats in the odd numbered rows are probably a good pick, as these seats are closer to one another, and are further from the aisles. So these are the only seats that really allow you to enjoy the flight together.

The middle seats in even numbered rows are probably the least desirable seats in the cabin, especially if you’re traveling with someone. These are closer to the aisles, and you really can’t communicate easily with the person sitting adjacent to you.

For the window seats, there are also differences between the seats in even numbered rows and the seats in odd numbered rows. The window seats in even numbered rows are the less preferred ones, as they’re closer to the aisles and further from the windows, so they offer less privacy, and make it hard to look outside.

Meanwhile the window seats in odd numbered rows are probably the best in the cabin, as they’re closer to the windows and further from the aisles, so they offer the most privacy, and make it easy to look out the window (well, unless you select the seats in row nine, which are missing a window).

On this flight, I assigned myself seat 9A, the (sort of) window seat in the last row on the left side, while I assigned Ford seat 7A, the window seat two rows ahead.

As far as the seat features go, there’s a counter on the aisle-side of the seat, as well as a storage compartment that can be opened or closed.

The storage area isn’t particularly big, and it’s where the headphones, amenity kit, and water bottle, are placed during boarding. The entertainment controller is also stored right next to this space.

Underneath the counter you’ll find a panel that has all the seat controls, as well as an armrest and a small, enclosed storage compartment.

Then along the front side of the seat you’ll find USB-A and AC power outlets, plus a headphone jack.

The 16″ HD entertainment monitor is stored on the seat back in front. While it’s at an angle when stored, you can release it for a better view.

The tray table folds out from underneath the entertainment monitor. When you remove it, you’ll want to turn the table 90 degrees, so that it’s wider than it is long.

As is standard in a staggered configuration, the seat has a footwell in which you have to place your feet when sleeping, which is located to the side of the seat in front. This is definitely one of the tighter footwells out there.

The overhead console has a reading light and seatbelt sign, but unfortunately lacks individual air nozzles.

All-in-all, I thought this was a solid hard product. As I hinted at above, the cabin definitely feels dense, which is a combination of the seat choice, plus the A330 having a narrower fuselage than the A350 or 777 (among other aircraft). So while the seat has everything you need, many people will feel a bit constrained when wiggling around the seat. I know I certainly did.

TAP Air Portugal business class amenities

All the amenities for the flight were already at the seat upon boarding. First, there was a pillow and blanket — I found the blanket to be thick and comfortable without being overly warm, though I did find the pillow to be a bit thin for my liking.

There was also an amenity kit, which was on the basic side, but had all the essentials, including socks, eyeshades, earplugs, a dental kit, and hand cream from Benamor.

There were also a pair of noise canceling headphones. While not Bose or Bang & Olufsen, I found them to be decent quality.

The menu was also waiting at the seat, containing both the food and drink selection.

Lastly, there was a bottle of water placed at the seat. TAP Air Portugal doesn’t offer pre-departure beverages, and for that matter, there was no interaction with the crew during boarding, other than the greeting at the door.

TAP Air Portugal business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

TAP Air Portugal’s A330-900neo business class entertainment system is easy to use, and has good picture quality. While TAP Air Portugal doesn’t have the world’s best inflight entertainment, it was at least average, so you shouldn’t have issues staying entertained.

The entertainment selection included over 135 movies, over 70 TV shows, and over 160 music album options.

TAP Air Portugal also offers Wi-Fi on its Airbus A330-900neos.

As far as TAP Air Portugal’s Wi-Fi pricing goes, here’s what to expect (none of the plans have data caps):

• There’s a free messaging plan that allows you to use apps like iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, throughout the flight
• There’s the light pass for €9.99, where you can browse the web for an hour
• There’s the premium pass for €19.99, where you can browse the web for three hours
• There’s the full flight pass for €29.99, where you can browse the web for the entire flight

I’m happy that TAP Air Portugal has Wi-Fi with no data caps, though the pricing is definitely on the steep side, especially for a carrier that doesn’t exactly get the highest number of business travelers.

TAP Air Portugal A330 departure from Miami

The boarding process took around 30 minutes, and at 4:20PM boarding was complete, and the main cabin door was closed. Every seat in business class was occupied, while economy was also nearly full. At this point the cabin supervisor made her welcome aboard announcement, informing us of the flight time of 7hr45min, and our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet.

At 4:25PM the safety video was screened, at 4:30PM we began our pushback, and at 4:35PM we began our taxi.

While we had a very short taxi to runway 27, we then had quite a long wait for takeoff, as other aircraft were both arriving and departing. We were cleared for takeoff at 4:55PM.

Since we were taking off to the west, we made a sharp right turn after takeoff, and were eventually heading east, out over the Atlantic.

Despite a mostly smooth ride, the seatbelt sign stayed on for 25 minutes, which felt like a long time for a non-US airline. The crew was also vigilant about enforcing it. For example, around 20 minutes after takeoff, someone tried to get up to retrieve something from the overhead bin, and the crew yelled from the galley for the person to sit down.

TAP Air Portugal business class dinner service

Around 30 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants passed through the cabin to take dinner orders, and to ask if passengers wanted to be woken up for breakfast. 10 minutes later, warm towels were distributed.

At that point the dinner service began. You can find the menu and drink list below.

The meal service was pretty slow to get started, though I guess that’s in part because flight attendants remained seated until 25 minutes after takeoff, when the seatbelt sign was turned off. Around 65 minutes after takeoff, a tablecloth was placed on my tray, and I was served drinks with a (tiny) ramekin of mixed nuts.

I appreciate how TAP Air Portugal exclusively serves Portuguese wines, and I decided to order a glass of sauvignon blanc, which I enjoyed. I also had a glass of sparkling water to go along with it.

30 minutes after the initial drink service, the meal was served. TAP Air Portugal serves both the starter and main course on one tray, which I don’t mind on a quick overnight flight, where maximizing rest is the priority (especially since the service pace wasn’t exactly speedy).

The starter consisted of poached halibut with vegetable ceviche, and then for the main course I selected the cod with herb butter, saffron rice, pumpkin, zucchini, and tomato. Okay, admittedly that’s a lot of fish, but I’ve gotta say, the meal had good flavor. The only thing I didn’t love was the bread, which basically tasted like cardboard.

Around two hours after takeoff, dessert was served. The airline takes a simple approach to dessert and consistently serves a “dessert trilogy,” with ice cream, fruit, and cheese. I thought this was kind of brilliant. I had a glass of port wine to go along with this, and was also offered a small box of chocolates.

Was this the most amazing airline meal ever? No. But all the food tasted pretty good, and I appreciated the Portuguese wine list as well.

TAP Air Portugal A330 business class lavatories

TAP Air Portugal’s A330-900neos have three lavatories for business class passengers. One is located in front of the cabin, while two are located behind the cabin. The lavatories were fine but totally unremarkable. None were particularly spacious, there were no special amenities, and as is the case on most western airlines, the cleanliness definitely deteriorated as the flight went on.

TAP Air Portugal A330 business class bed

After dinner, it was time to get some rest, so I reclined my seat and made my bed. While I appreciate the direct aisle access and privacy offered by this seat, when in bed mode the product feels compact.

I’m a side sleeper, and I definitely felt like I was “wedged” into the seat a bit when reclined. For example, I couldn’t easily move my knees around, as I can do in some more spacious products. I suspect this is partly the seat TAP Air Portugal chose, and it’s also just partly the limitations of the A330-900neo. As much as I appreciate the A330-900neo products offered on Delta, ITA Airways, and Virgin Atlantic, I also find those to be quite tight.

I fell asleep with around 5hr15min remaining to Lisbon, as we were near Bermuda…

…and I woke up around 70 minutes before landing, as the crew turned on the cabin lights, in preparation for the breakfast service.

TAP Air Portugal business class breakfast service

Breakfast was served before landing, and I appreciated how the crew waited as long as they could to start this service, to allow passengers to maximize rest. Interestingly the business class menu doesn’t actually list what’s served for breakfast.

There was no choice for breakfast, and the meal consisted of a plate with cold cuts and cheese, yogurt with berry compote, fruit, a croissant, and drinks of choice. Given the short flight duration, I thought this was perfectly sufficient, even if it wasn’t the most exciting meal.

TAP Air Portugal business class service

What impressed me most about this TAP Air Portugal flight compared to previous ones was the crew. All the crew members seemed genuinely friendly, which I can’t say I noticed on previous long haul flights with the airline. Service wasn’t anything over-the-top, but the crew was efficient, kind, and was happy to fulfill any requests.

TAP Air Portugal A330 arrival in Lisbon

At 4:45AM Lisbon time, the captain announced that we’d be descending in around 20 minutes, and would be landing at around 5:35AM, which was also our scheduled arrival time. We ended up starting our descent at 5AM, and then the seatbelt sign was immediately turned on, so the crew prepared the cabin for arrival.

We had a smooth descent over the coast of Portugal, and touched down in Lisbon at 5:30AM.

From there we had a short five minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 5:35AM, right on schedule. We briefly headed to the TAP Air Portugal Lounge, prior to our TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320neo business class flight to Geneva.

Bottom line

I’m happy I finally had the chance to fly TAP Air Portugal’s Airbus A330-900neo business class, given that this makes up a majority of the carrier’s long haul fleet. I came into this flight with low expectations, and walked away pleasantly surprised.

While I wouldn’t specifically seek out TAP Air Portugal, I also wouldn’t avoid the airline in the future, assuming the carrier offered good value, a favorable schedule, etc.

TAP Air Portugal offers pretty good food with great Portuguese wine, solid entertainment and Wi-Fi, and friendly service (at least on this flight). The soft product is perhaps a bit basic, and business class seats also feel quite tight. But I still had a great flight, and managed to enjoy a couple of meals, and get several hours of sleep.

What’s your take on TAP Air Portugal’s A330neo business class?