Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal - Washington, D.C. to Zurich via Lisbon (November 2021)

  Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal - Washington, D.C. to Zurich
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was looking to fly to Europe from the US and in Fall of 2021 only certain airlines were operating.  One of these was TAP Air Portugal and during that time their prices were good, the flight timings were good, and the COVID regulations were not strict thus limiting travel (I think TAP did this strategically to continue operating and providing a revenue for their operations); because of all these reasons I booked TAP Air Portugal.  I have flown TAP before both long-haul (Newark to Lisbon) and short-haul (Lisbon to Barcelona) so I was familiar with their product; they tend to offer lower fares and in return offer a decent product.  Their prices are not fancy and neither are their services - everything seems ok, especially given the price you pay so one should not expect a Singapore or Emirates-type service.  Since my last flight with them, they have invested in fleet renewal which includes A321LRneo which are long-haul single aisle planes.  These have been used recently on many long-haul flights between Europe and the U.S. in markets where a larger, twin-aisle plane capacity is not there.  

My flight was from Washington, D.C. to Lisbon and then from Lisbon to Zurich; the first leg wasoperated by an A321LRneo while the second leg was operated by an Airbus A320.  When I booked my trip, I was able to preselect my seat and select a special meal option for my long-haul flight at no cost; for the short-haul flight preselecting a seat and adding a meal would be an extra charge.  Since my itinerary included a long-haul sector, checked baggage was included but had my itinerary only been short-haul or within Europe then checked baggage and hand carry are only allowed on certain ticket levels.  I had all my documentation ready and so I was able to check-in online and receive my boarding pass but I still needed to stop by the desk to confirm all my health requirements and documentation.  During the check-in process I could modify my long-haul seat selection but could only add a seat for my short-haul for a cost.  

The flight from Washington, D.C. departed at 10pm and arrives into Lisbon at 10am.  In the Fall of 2021 there was not many people flying so the airport was empty and it took 10 minutes to get through check-in and security.  Once the flight arrived and was cleaned and catered, we boarded in groups.  The Airbus A321neoLR is a unique plane in that is a long-range plane but it is single aisle unlike most long-range planes which are double aisle.  The single aisle makes allows airlines to operate routes longer term that may not be as profitable with a bigger airline.  The airplane is in a 3-3 configuration and had a business class upfront, a small premium economy, and then economy section.  Even though it was a single-aisle the seat pitch and seat width of the seat were very good and comfortable for the 7hr+ flight.  The seat itself contained a wide PTV screen with USB and headphone jack underneath, a section for safety card and airline magazine, a tray table that can be used half-open or fully open, and then additional pockets and storage underneath.  Overall, it was a comfortable flight for the flight time and length of the flight. 

Once airborne, inflight service commenced.   First there was a drink and pretzel service and then meals were served.  The food was average, decent but not great, and this was also the comment on the entertainment options for the PTV, decent but not great.  The options were great for a 4-5hour flight but you would be limited for longer flights.  After the first meal, most passengers went to sleep.  There was water and pretzels available in the rear of the plane throughout the flight and then prior to landing a snack was served.  Once we landed, transiting through Lisbon airport was a NIGHTMARE as there were too many people and not enough staff to handle the transit.  I had about 2.5hrs transit time and the entire time was spent in line going through immigration and security.  I barely had enough time to clear everything and make it to my next gate; that happened both on the airport and the return.

My next flight was an intra-European flight on an Airbus A320 and there was a noticeable difference in terms of cabin size, seat comfort, seat pitch and width, and general layout of the seat.  The seat comfort, seat pitch and width were all reduced and it made the 2h45m flight feel longer.  There was no PTV and I could not access wifi on the plane so it was up to you to bring your own entertainment.  Drinks are served on TAP but everything else is buy-on-board.  

Generally, it was an average flight onboard TAP.  My experience and opinion of them from my previousflight had not changed - they are an average airline which will get you from Point A to Point B in a lower cost and with an average plane with decent seat pitch and width.  There will be nothing outstanding that will make you say 'oh my God' but nor will there be anything that bad that will make you swear them off (except this time transiting through Lisbon was not fun). 

Trip Report: TAP Portugal, Newark to Lisbon (February 2017)

Trip Report: TAP Portugal, Newark to Lisbon

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I have a two-pronged goal: I want to see new places and also try out new airlines.  As part of this goal, I decided to visit Lisbon, Portugal and decided to fly TAP Portugal.  TAP is the national carrier of Portugal, and they have been heavily advertising their low fares and free "Portugal Stopovers".  They even have a "Portugal Stopover" app with free activities and other suggestions for those with a day in Portugal.

I was connecting to TAP in Newark.  As TAP is part of the Star Alliance network, I had booked the ticket through United as my starting journey - from New Orleans to Newark - was on United.  Once I had booked the ticked through United, I called TAP to obtain my TAP reservation number.  My ticket included one free checked baggage (50lb, 23kg), a free carryon, a free meal onboard and free seat selection.   Even though I had the reservation number, I was unable to manage my booking online - including selecting seats or a special meal.  This meant I had to call TAP again - their hold times are minimal and the service is really good.  They also send email confirmations of the reservation to ensure the information has been updated.

Because I had booked through a Star Alliance partner, I had to check-in at the gate to

obtain my boarding pass.  My flight was scheduled to depart at 6:30p from Newark and arrive into Lisbon at 6:05am.  I had arrived to the gate area very early – around 4 hours prior to departure – and the plane was already there (it arrives from Lisbon at 2:50pm).  There was nobody at the gate so I returned about an hour prior to departure to get my boarding pass – even though I had confirmed my seat assignment and special meal a month before, and reconfirmed the night before, it was not registered and the airline could not find any record of it.  I had to wait for a manager to come and reassign me a seat close to the front of the plane.  It was not a good way to start the journey.

TAP boards in group, so after business class and premium class group A boards.  I had

group A so I went through and boarded the Airbus A330.  The plane was divided into three sections – one business class and two economy sections.  The economy seats were laid out in a 2-4-2 layout and the interior of the plane looked nice – not brand new but not too old.  Originally I had the aisle seat on the 2-person seater, but that got switched and now I was in the aisle seat of the 4-person seater with no one next to me.  The seat itself was comfortable, looked nice, and felt like it had been updated recently.  The padding was decent and the legroom was also good, especially for the 6hr flight.  The seat contained a headrest which could be moved and contoured to your head, and a footrest was provided which was a nice touch. 

Each seat contained a PTV on top, the tray table, and then a space for the airline magazine, duty free, safety card, and air sickness bag.  As you boarded the plane, each seat also contained a pillow, a blanket, as well as headsets.  The PTV was touchscreen and pretty responsive – the selections of movies was pretty good but the selection of TV shows was poor.  There were enough movies to keep you occupied for the 6 hour flight, but the TV selection was limited and odd.  Another negative was the lack of USB ports.

The plane was generally full, with some empty seats here and there.  We boarded on time and the front door was closed for an on-time pushback and departure.  The safety video was shown in the monitors, and the crew came around to check on the passengers.  Generally the service onboard was average, the attendants provided enough service to get the job done; they were generally pleasant but the service was not extra ordinary.

Around 8p, about 1.5hr after departure, the inflight service commenced.  Drinks,

including free soft drinks and certain alcohols, along with dinner were served.  I had requested a special meal but that was not honored, and I had eaten in the lounge, so I generally just picked at the meal.  After the meal, coffee, tea, and additional drinks were served while the trays were being cleared.  The cabin lights were then dimmed so people could get some rest.

The scheduled flight time is 6h 35m but we had very good tailwinds so the flight time was shorter and we were expecting to land early, around 5:30a.  About an hour prior to departure, a snack box and drinks were served.  The snack box contained a granola bar, fruit, and yogurt.  Overall, the food was fine for the short flight time.  We landed early, taxied to the gate, deplaned, went through immigrations and then waited for our luggage.  I flew TAP twice and each time it took almost 45mins for my luggage to come through – each time the wait was ridiculous.

Overall, it was generally a pleasant flight with TAP.  The seats were generally comfortable, the legroom decent, and the availability of movies were also decent.  The negatives included the lack of USB ports, the ordinary service, and the lack of confirming requests for reservations.  I had gone out of my way to book myself on TAP to try out their product and the question is, would I do it again?  i would not go out of my way to book TAP, but I would also not avoid flying them; if the price and schedules were good then I would book TAP again.

Trip Report: TAP Portugal, Lisbon to Barcelona (February 2017)

Trip Report: TAP Portugal, intra-European

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

After my stop in Lisbon, I was continuing my 2017 European trip with a stop in Barcelona, Spain.  Two airlines fly from Lisbon to Barcelona – TAP Portugal, a full-service airline based in Lisbon, or Vueling, a LCC based in Barcelona.  When I compared the two airlines, both offered low fares and both offered various flight times throughout the day.  In fact, the flight times of both airlines were very similar to each other (usually within 30 minutes of each other).  Both airlines offered basic options, which included hand carry only, as well as package options that included checked luggage and pre-assigned seat.  The major differences between the two is that TAP Portugal, as a full service airline, offers free drinks and sandwiches where Vueling is a LCC meaning you have to pay for these services.  Also, as TAP is a member of Star Alliance you earn FF miles.  In comparing the two airlines - I needed to check-in a bag so I compared the ticket prices with a bag for both - TAP was only 5euro more than Vueling.   As LCC usually have tighter seat pitches and less customer service, I decided to try TAP for my flight.

The ticket that I had booked was a package which included checked baggage; this package did not include pre-assigned seats (there was a separate package for that).  Booking the flight on TAP's website was generally easy and efficient.  There were some times the website got stuck, and sometimes I was not able to enter some optional information (such as FF miles).  When I did have some issues and questions, I contacted the call center where the wait time was minimal and the service was quick; a good start to my trip.

My flight was scheduled to leave Lisbon at 8:45p and arrive into Barcelona at 11:35pm with a flight time of 1hr 40mins.  Throughout the days leading up to the flight, I was getting notices from TAP offering the chance to bid on upgrades.  TAP has the option to either bid on upgrades days before the flight, or you can see about purchasing an upgrade the day of at the airport.  I looked into upgrading, but the starting cost to upgrade was more than the total I had paid for my ticket.  That, and given the short flight time, I decided not to upgrade.

I checked in via the app, and TAP had preselected my seat as 18C.  Through the app, I was able to see my seat and see other seat availability but I was not able to confirm a closer seat so decided to do that at the airport.  Even though I had already checked in, I got to the airport 2hours prior just in case.  When I got to the airport, there was no one in line at the counters.  I dropped off my luggage, it had been included in the package I bought, and got a closer seat of 9C.  The line at security was also very minimal so I had plenty of time to roam the airport.

The boarding pass stated boarding was going to start at 8:20p, so around 8:15p I went to the boarding area.  The boarding area was extremely small and extremely crowded; there definitely was not enough room to handle everyone.   Boarding was supposed to happen in 3 groups, but when the gate agents there was no one in group 1 and most of the individuals were in group 3.  8:20p came and went and there was no announcement of a delay.  We were told to wait, and then agents were coming around gate tagging all the large carryons.  Around 8:30p, the agents told us to get in line to board.  I was in Group 2, so I boarded rather quickly – however, we did not board right away as the gate was blocked because the airplane wasn’t ready.  The agents continued to scan boarding passes making the line very long.  After about 10 minutes, the door was opened and we were allowed to board the plane.

The plane was an Airbus A320 and inside the plane looked old.  The seats and the look of the plane indicated the plane was not new.  The plane was laid out in a 3-3 setting.  The plane contained both business class and economy class, but the seats were the same and the cabins were only separated by a moveable curtain. 

The seats were generally comfortable and the leg room was decent enough for the short flight.   The seats were very plain with no PTVs or USB ports.  There was a tray table and a pouch underneath which contained the safety card and inflight magazine.   Even though we were scheduled to take off at 8:45p, we were still boarding at that time but eventually at 8:50p boarding was complete and the doors closed.  Manual safety demonstrations were done and announcements were made in both Portuguese and English.

Once we reached cruising altitude, TAP started their inflight service which consisted of a free drink and a snack.  The snack was a small (palm size) tuna sandwich, and there was only one option available.  Once the service had concluded, we still had about an hour left and there was nothing else to do on the plane.  You definitely had to bring your own entertainment to pass the time. 

Even though we left late, we landed generally on time.  Deplaning happened rather quickly, and then it was time to wait for the luggage.  Both times I flew with TAP, it took a long time for the luggage to come – sometimes almost 30-45 minutes.  I am not sure what the delay is, but it was consistent across both international sectors.

Overall, I did not see that much difference between TAP Portugal and the LCC.  Yes they provided a free drink, a small sandwich, and access to FF miles, but other than that there was no difference in terms of service.   I chose TAP because I wanted to try an intra-European flight on the carrier and the fare was not that different versus the LCC; however, if there was a greater fare difference I am not sure I would choose TAP again vs the LCC.