Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal has just opened a second lounge at Lisbon Airport (LIS), which seems long overdue.
TAP’s Premium Lounge Atlântico Lisbon
On January 30, 2024, TAP Air Portugal opened its Premium Lounge Atlântico. To cover the basics of the lounge:
- It’s for passengers on non-Schengen flights, meaning those traveling across the Atlantic, to Africa, to the UK, and beyond; the lounge is located immediately beyond passport control
- The lounge is open daily from 5AM until 12AM, covering virtually all departures
- The lounge is quite small, as it can only seat 100 people, and is 380 square meters (~4,100 square feet)
- The lounge has bathrooms, but no showers
- The lounge has a self-serve buffet and a self-serve drink selection, but no staffed bar
- The lounge follows standard Star Alliance access policies, so is open to Star Alliance business class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members
- The lounge is described as having “Portuguese materials in the spotlight, such as cork, burel, and tiles, that simulate the typical façades of Portuguese houses, passengers will find areas to work or relax, as well as a dining are”
One FlyerTalk member was there on opening day, and shared some pictures and thoughts here.
This is a long overdue addition for the airline
TAP Air Portugal is known for its extensive route network and great fares across the Atlantic, which opens up all kinds of efficient one-stop journeys across the Atlantic. The catch is that the carrier’s premium ground experience in Lisbon has historically left a lot to be desired.
In the past, the airline had just one lounge at the airport, located in the Schengen zone, and it wasn’t much to get excited about. For one, the lounge isn’t nearly large enough to handle the passenger demand at the airport. Furthermore, it’s nice to be able to go through passport control before you hang out in the lounge prior to a non-Schengen flight, so that you can time heading to the gate as well as possible.
So the new lounge is a welcome addition. That being said, this is a small lounge, given the size of TAP Air Portugal’s network, and it will no doubt get slammed during peak hours. Furthermore, usually non-Schengen lounges would be more premium than Schengen lounges, but in this case there’s no proper bar, no showers, etc.
Ultimately I suspect the fairly lackluster nature of this lounge just comes down to limited available real estate at airports. I’m sure the airline would’ve liked to open a larger lounge at the airport, but it just wasn’t possible.
Bottom line
TAP Air Portugal has opened its new Premium Lounge Atlântico at Lisbon Airport, which is the carrier’s non-Schengen lounge, primarily for those traveling across the Atlantic. It’s great to see the airline expand lounge capacity, but don’t expect this lounge to offer much of an elevated experience.
What do you make of TAP’s new lounge?
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