As some of you may remember, my last intra-Europe flight on TAP Air Portugal left a bit to be desired. Specifically, the flight had virtually no service in business class, apparently due to a labor dispute. So the flight attendants just sat in the galley the whole flight chatting, and business class passengers got exactly one glass of water the entire flight, and nothing else.
Suffice to say I was curious how my second flight in TAP Air Portugal’s intra-Europe business class would be.
TAP Air Portugal 611
Brussels (BRU) – Lisbon (LIS)
Tuesday, January 9
Depart: 6:15AM
Arrive: 7:50AM
Duration: 2hr35min
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 2A (Business Class)
At the door I was greeted by the two flight attendants. Much like my last flight on TAP Air Portugal, this one featured fairly new seats. I like TAP Air Portugal’s seat finishes, as they look clean, yet there’s a bit of color thanks to the red trim on the headrests.
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class seats
I was in seat 2A, and legroom was excellent, at least by intra-Europe business class standards (given that business class is just economy with a blocked middle seat). Pitch was about 32″, which SeatGuru suggests is the legroom in the first seven rows, while the remaining rows have 30″ of pitch.
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class legroom
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class legroom
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class legroom
As is the norm on intra-Europe flights, the size of the business class cabin is flexible thanks to the seats being (mostly) identical, and they just move the curtain with each flight based on how full the cabin is. On this flight there were a total of three rows of business class.
TAP Air Portugal A320 cabin
TAP Air Portugal’s seats have some cool features. On the seatback was a clip, so you could latch an iPad or other tablet to the seat for easy viewing.
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class iPad holder
The seat also had both a 110v and USB power outlet, which I appreciate. TAP Air Portugal is one of the only airlines I’ve flown on a short-haul flight within Europe that has this feature.
TAP Air Portugal A320 power outlets
The tray table was pretty standard, and had two cup “indents.”
TAP Air Portugal A320 business class tray table
There was an individual air vent at each seat, which far too many airlines don’t have.
At first I was confused why they started boarding behind schedule, but I guess it’s because the flight was just really empty. In total there were about 50 passengers on the plane, so it was less than a third full. While boarding only started at 6AM, it was complete just 10 minutes later, and the door was closed ahead of schedule. In total there were three business class passengers.
The purser welcomed everyone aboard and informed us of our 2hr15min flight time. Moments later the manual safety demonstration began. I was confused by why we weren’t pushing back, but then I noticed that the plane was in the process of being deiced. I hadn’t even realized it was that cold.
De-icing at Brussels Airport
At 6:20AM we began our pushback, and five minutes after that we started our taxi.
Brussels Airlines A319 Brussels Airport
Five minutes later we were cleared for takeoff on runway 25R.
While the seatbelt sign stayed on for 30 minutes (despite smooth air), the service began just 10 minutes after takeoff. First I was presented with a packaged refreshing towel.
TAP Air Portugal business class refreshing towel
Then I was asked if I wanted breakfast, all of which was served on one tray.
TAP Air Portugal business class snack
Breakfast included a plate with two types of cheese, chicken, and ham (I believe).
TAP Air Portugal business class breakfast
Then there was a side of fruit, including kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and pineapple.
TAP Air Portugal business class breakfast
There was also some fruit yogurt.
TAP Air Portugal business class breakfast
A few minutes after serving breakfast, the crew came around with a breadbasket, from which I selected a croissant and a pretzel roll.
TAP Air Portugal business class breakfast
To drink I ordered a water and coffee.
TAP Air Portugal business class drinks
After breakfast I asked for a pillow and blanket. TAP Air Portugal has among the best blankets I’ve gotten in intra-Europe business class, which helped with getting a bit more comfortable.
TAP Air Portugal business class pillow & blanket
Service throughout the flight was excellent. I didn’t see the purser much, though the male flight attendant working business class constantly checked on the three of us, and my water glass must have been refilled close to a dozen times.
The power ports in my row broke in the middle of the flight (oops?), but the flight attendant took the cord from my laptop and put it in the power port in the row behind, which was helpful.
The only other memorable aspect of the flight was that the lady in front of me was passing gas nonstop from the moment we boarded until we deplaned. About halfway through the flight I wanted to remind her that the plane has a bathroom, because I’m not sure she was aware.
Towards the end of the flight I checked out the lavatory at the front of the cabin, which was reasonably clean but fairly no frills.
TAP Air Portugal business class lavatory
At 7:20AM Lisbon time, the captain announced that we’d be descending shortly, and would be landing at 7:50AM. It was dark the entire flight, and only started to get light as we descended. Even then it was a pretty gloomy morning.
View approaching Lisbon
View approaching Lisbon
We touched down in Lisbon at 7:55AM.
Taxiing Lisbon Airport
From there we had a two minute taxi, and arrived at our gate a few minutes behind schedule (on the plus side, we had a gate and not a remote stand).
TAP Air Portugal business class bottom line
Overall this was a pleasant flight. Among European airlines, TAP Air Portugal has one of the better business class products, assuming the crew is working. The legroom is good, they have individual power outlets, the service was friendly, and the blanket was nice as well. There are a few airlines that offer better seats in business class on intra-Europe flights (like Aeroflot, Turkish, etc.), but aside from that, TAP Air Portugal offers among the better experiences out there. This was in stark contrast to my previous flight on them.
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