Flying Around Europe With TAPered Expectations

Junk airline that stole items from our luggage and never compensated us. Avoid.

Cold cuts and fruits only on DUB-LIS? Hm. Don't know what happened, but don't judge based on that flight. In my opinion, they have one of the best caterings, alongside TK, within Europe too. Even of 1.5-2 hours flights i have always had a fantastic hot meal.

I've been flying TAP more frequently to get to the US.

From LHR-LIS, they use a retrofitted A340 sometimes - in fact, 3 out of my last 4 flights used one. It's pretty great to get the "throne" on that flight even if it's overkill for 2hr30

Service-wise, yeah, a little hit or miss but they've been warming up in my opinion over the past 3 years I've flown with them. Given the incredibly cheap fares, I'm really not expecting the same service I'd get on Singapore. But in general, up front, on the short hauls, I've been fortunate with decent service. And it's been better than what I've had within the US on both Delta and United in first

That lounge needs serious expansion and redesign given the layout of the restrooms

I travel frequently to Madeira - via Lisbon or Porto - and do so from various European cities. Perhaps I'm just fortunate, but I've found the cabin crews to be friendly and professional, as well as being some of the best-groomed flight attendants in Europe. Most flights are operated by TAP, while others are flown for TAP by Portugalia, with Portugalia crews (such as a recent ERJ-190 flight in Business Class from Lisbon to Toulouse). Sorry your experiences have been so hit or miss.

As my Portuguese collegue calls them:

TAP - take another plane

I was in the LIS lounge 2 weeks ago. It smelled fine but indeed it's way too small, especially since this is their flagship airport. The shower rooms were pretty nice though.

Lisbon is cool for a few days but the abyssal lack of "local" talent (not talking about tourist) make it a pretty boring city for the adventurous and successful Frequent flyer Bachelor

I just flew TAP DUB-LIS and then LIS-EWR (on the A330-900neo) and was pleasantly surprised by the service. Perhaps I'm just jaded by my experiences on AA and United, but I thought that the flight attendants on both flights were attentive and genuine without being overbearing. I flew both flights in EconomyXtra, so we had the same crew as economy. I would note that the pricing for the extra legroom seats was great, especially for the 7+ hour transatlantic flight was great - only about $52 (and reasonable $25 for the DUB-LIS flight).

I've had the SFO-LIS flight in mind on their new A339neos as it has some of the best J fares to Europe from California. Good to know not to count on them for connections once across the pond.

Just want to join the growing chorus and say that I think TAP is getting a raw deal here. Of course they are not a luxury airline, but everybody knows that going in. And I've found both their hard and their soft product on transatlantic flights to be consistently above that of comparable (i.e. cheap) airlines, like Aer Lingus. Admittedly, LIS is not the world's greatest airport.

As Rob points out above, if you decide to fly Economy, definitely spring for the extra-legroom seat; the pricing is well worth it.

‘The best lounge in the world’. Pre poured glasses of wine at the start of the video. It’s marketing department has no shame lol

"Aer Lingus and TAP Air Portugal are also the only two airlines currently flying these planes transatlantic with flat beds."

AFAIK, La Compagnie operates a A321neo TATL on ORY-EWR with flat beds? Arguably not the LR version, but then a pax would not notice the difference.

Did you ever say how you got to Hartford?

@ JJJ -- I didn't. I flew American, and my flights were actually on-time. I guess you could say that's noteworthy!

The one thing that's really sets them apart is reasonable oneway fares, as Lucky said. I paid I think just under $1,000 for CGN-LIS-MIA on their new a330 neo in business class a few months ago, and that was booked on fairly short notice. Other than that there are much better options transatlantic and the fairly long feeder flight within Europe is a big minus. We built in a one night stopover in LIS, I think they actually allow multi day stopovers but not quite sure about that ?? That makes it interesting again since LIS is worth a short stay for sure.

I only have a single datapoint, a 12 hour business class flight on the A330-900, and was totally unimpressed with TAP's service -- it's as bad as AA or UA. The personnel was lazy and did the minimum necessary with no charm or warmth, with an attitude that you, as a paying passenger, were inconveniencing them. Absolutely no announcement when we were delayed, and no acknowledgment at all. Hard product was decent, but that's not enough.

At least I paid less than with AA or UA, so it was a better deal.

The lounge in LIS was outright filthy in addition of being a total embarrassment.

Lucky, I would appreciate a review of an on-time AA flight. Granted, it's an experience most of us are not likely to have but your blog is about these type of out of the ordinary flying experiences.

Yey! I got it right lol
I cannot wait to see your impressions of the OPO airport lounge!

Hi Lucky - where do you credit your paid star alliance flights like this one? UA? SQ? Aeroplan? Elsewhere?

@RBD

I had the exact question for lucky!

I flew TAP and credited it to UA, but was very nervous about receiving mileage. TAP’s fare classes don’t really show up when searching for flights and not every fare class receives credit. Really think they could improve on their transparency.

I flew the DUB-LIS flight two days before you. We were delayed about 20-minutes and had a half-hour wait in the immigration lines (I took advantage of the stopover) and had the same lunch. However I chose row 2 and found the leg room akin to UA’s E+...and much better than on my BA ClubEurope flights. (It’s a scandal what passes as business class in Europe.)

My flight on Sunday was on the A330Neo to YYZ and I too found the lounge less than advertised (based on the inflight ad...far from the world’s best!) but not smelly, just overcrowded. And with too many unsupervised children...one of whom ran right under my feet as I made my way across the room with some mini chicken pies and a glass of wine. I did find a seat in the corridor to the washrooms and did not notice any bad smells (other than from a few sweaty men passing through).

I must say the highlight of my TAP experience was discovering Sharish gin...and the best part of the lounge was the G&T prepared elaborately (chilling the huge goblet with ice before preparing a mixture of Sharish and Schweppes enhanced with slivers of orange and apple) by the young bar tender.

The Neo’s J seats are not bad but lack storage and counter space. Other than that can’t say I was impressed by the plane itself any more than its counterparts (787 and A350).

Had very attentive inflight crews on both flights which dispels that reputation. Miles from my flights posted to my Aeroplan account in less than 48-hours, faster than my AC flights post.

TAP has great fares, and its stopover program is outstanding. I am flying SFO to LIS (on a brand new plane, no less) and then to DUB. On the return, I'm flying from DUB, stopping over in LIS for three nights (for free as part of the stopover program), and then back to SFO, all in business, and am paying less than $2,000 roundtrip. In fact, the price of SFO to LIS was more expensive, but when I added the DUB leg, the price dropped. Of course that makes no sense, but it worked for me.

Plus, my business class ticket gets me access to the United Polaris lounge at SFO on my outbound trip and the LIS lounge (derided though it may be).

All I really want is a lie flat seat so that I can sleep on the flight. TAP's business fare was cheaper than many economy flights.

Finally, as for the service, try saying a word or two in Portuguese. Many Americans are so ignorant that they think everyone in Portugal speaks Spanish and can't say a single word in Portuguese. A simple "Ola," "Bom Dia," "Por favor," or "Obrigado" will go a long way to ingratiating yourself and showing respect for the local culture.

He he the 'egg tarts' are the ultrafamous pasteis de Belem... Possibly in English it should be better to call them cream pies, no? ... Egg tart?? And yummy for sure, in LIS I eat minimum 6

@Lucky
I'm loving this trip review! There's sth very exciting not knowing where you're going next. Please keep this up. Very much looking forward to the next review.

That said, i've been lucky enough to have had great experiences with Tap. Though i have a friend who wouldn't get on their planes even if they remaned the airline after him!

I really hate that airline. Rude staff, disgusting food in economy, dirty planes, LIS is a real mess, etc.

Will avoid at all costs...

LIS airport is chaotic and highly inefficient all the time. This is even the sentiment of the locals. It really needs to be replaced. You will note that there would be plenty of space to do that, in the lengthy meandering bus 'tour' of the whole airport from the inevitable remote stand to the anus of the terminal where you get deposited.
I guess you was lucky not to have suffered the frustration of going through immigration at LIS.
By contrast OPO is a dream!

I’ll disagree with some of the comments, I’ve now flown TAP twice for their business class price point from Newark to Marrakech and Tenerife via Lisbon. Both were in business and I’ve found the service to be pleasant but no where near what you’ll get on other airlines (Singapore or Cathay or Emirates). For all the flights including the one to the U.S. there was a clearly marked line for premium boarding that cut down on the lines. Food on most of the flights was pleasantly surprising and fairly delicious given my expectations. Staff I agree at times is cordial but not exceptional. Flights were on time with the exception of one delay for 40 minutes. My biggest gripe about TAP is all the remote gates, it’s such an inconvenience when there are plenty of gates available. I’ve always credited the flights to UA and the miles have been properly credited within days.

The "egg tart" is the favourite snack of Portugal. Perhaps they should have boarded "butter pecan tarts" for all Americans on board. Your cultural bigotry comes thru on this review too.

Just came back from a trip that leveraged cheap one-way on TAP plus a 4-day stopover in LIS. On TA we got downgraded to old aircraft (and not informed not even on checkin, that I was forced to do at airport), so no flat bed and very bland food. The breakfast consisted of single croissant and couple of pieces of fruit. Crew was ok, reasonably friendly. No pre-departure anything, not even a glass of water. Intra Europe was so bland, I can't even recollect if we had a snack or not, crew was mostly invisible. OK for price point, just not for business travelers - way too many delays (and some quite long); airport immigration is a mess and priority lines are arbitrary. Lounge is already showing the signs of heavy use, seats are mucky and floor is dirty. Food in the lounge is fine, but finding a spot to eat is challenge (ANA lounge next door is much quieter even if food is not as good).
Would still fly them for leisure and on budget, just don't book anything close-in.

How tall are you, or rather how long are your legs? I'm 190cm tall and avoid bulkheads in Euro-C like the plague, as they give you a little more roam at knee level, but significantly reduce the space you have to extent your leg into. I just came of a Condor flight of over two hours where they reseated me to row 1 as that was the only row of premium seating in the end and that was a pain despite the isle seat.

Back when I flew Easyjet about 10 years ago I really liked how they did not have a divider at all before row 1, that is unlimited legroom to be proud off! Same for the Dash8-400.

I believe that the pasteis de nata (cream) are translated normally as custard tarts.

Pasteis de nata can get old, I can attest to this after eating a dozen. Also love how the word "bacalao" can send tourists into a foodie trance...

I have flown with TAP many times but hopefully my last time will be my last time. From rudeness and inefficiency, you choose. And let's not forget inflexibility.