TAP Portugal

Not Verified | Booked a return business class ticket from Amsterdam via Lisbon to Faro a few months before travel. Received a few emails about schedule (and equipment) changes which were then easily made online following a link giving a lot of flexibility. This review is for the return flight from Faro to Amsterdam. Check-in at Faro quick, but no lounge, which should have been communicated. Boarding on time and with priority for business passengers. TAP used its subsidiary Portugalia - on some flights - which does also offer a separate business class section (curtained off) but with 2-2 seating on the EMB-aircraft does not offer an empty seat between business seats. So although there seemed a bit more leg space, it was well below average business class seating, which is typically an empty seat between 2 seats or a seat blocked on the 2-seater row. Lovely and cheerful crew offering coffee, juice or water on the short hop to Lisbon. Lisbon Airport is hit or miss and seems disorganized, although a remote stand was announced, we docked at a gate, but ground staff was obviously unaware so it took a while to deplane. Quick visit to the TAP lounge that had moved from my last visit to a nice bright space with serviced bar and buffet. Lounge food was never very good here and again did disappoint, staff friendly and helpful, lounge clean with lots of attention for social distancing. Very early boarding call for the LIS to AMS leg. Extensive covid documentation check before boarding a bus to a remote stand. Portugalia's EMB 195 seems a have a bit more luxurious seats, nice cabin but the 2-2 seating in business class is a problem especially with economy class half empty (just move the curtain to have business class passengers be able to spread out, right?). Again a lovely crew, bar/dinner service combined and from a trolley. Here is where things go wrong. Obviously the EMB-aircraft don't have a sizeable oven, so only cold food. Despite an invite during booking from TAP to select my entree, no reference or explanation why it was just a cold platter and no choice. Very disappointing. The tray does not look bad and the food is fine, a bit heavy on meat and not very sophisticated. Staff kept offering refills even though I think I heard an automated announcement during boarding that alcohol would be limited. Flight on-time with early arrival in Amsterdam, but then accumulated a delay because of ridiculous taxi times at Schiphol and a slew of miscommunications in getting the plane to dock and disembark. All in all TAP does an acceptable job when you travel business class even though seating arrangement is sub standard. Friendly, on time and good value for money. Communication on some of the service lapses could be better.

✅ Trip Verified | A domestic flight of one hour and twenty minutes in a flag carrier on 'discount' fare cost 242,73 euros and included no onboard service or checked luggage. This will automatically keep equaling a one star review for me. I am finding it quite amusing the reviews from Canadians, Americans and British saying TAP is 'cheap' when it is the Portuguese who are supporting these exorbitant prices to travel in their own country, identical to transatlantic flights. I hope the EU Commission is as bold with TAP as it was with Alitalia and save Portuguese taxpayers and Portugal's name from this mafia of the air. Flight on schedule and generous legroom on exit row. I asked for a cup of water and crew seem worried that I was interrupting their conversation in the galley.

✅ Trip Verified | We cancelled the trip from Miami to Casablanca (Morocco) in October of 2020 due to COVID-19. We literally spent hours on the phone (every call was 2-3 hs.) with TAP until they gave us vouchers for the tickets valid for one year. This year we tried to use the vouchers and again after hours and hours on the phone we end up paying double of money as the original tickets plus the redeeming of the vouchers. So, we lost it all of the original tickets plus we paid almost double for the same tickets. A real rip-off and a terrible wasting time on the phone.

✅ Trip Verified | Back in June, I booked my ticket to Lisbon for 4 months later because they advertised "1 free change, up to 3 days before the flight". With the COVID situation still not looking too good, I wanted to move my flight to next year. The total cost of the new flight is $100 less than the original flight, so you would think that I do not need to pay anything extra. However, they structured the new ticket in a deceiving way so that even though the ticket is cheaper, you still end up paying more. Here is how. My original ticket was made up of around $600 base fare and $50 airline surcharge. The new ticket is $250 base fare and $300 airline surcharge. This means that the new base fare ($250) is covered by what I originally paid ($600), but I now have to pay $250 extra to make up the difference in the airline surcharges ($50 vs 300). Also another $50 in taxes/fees, bringing the total to $300 extra, to change to a cheaper flight. This is completely deceiving and dishonest. They intentionally offered "free changes" and then jacked up the airline surcharge and decreased the base fare so that customers would still have to pay to change their flight. How did I find this out? It is not written anywhere explicitly. I spent over 2 hours waiting to speak to someone on the phone, and when I finally got someone, she gave me a vague response about the base fare needing to be equal or higher. This obviously does not sufficiently explain what's really going on, but she kept repeating this and provided no other explanation. She never once mentioned the significant airline surcharge increase. Only after comparing the cost breakdown of the two flights myself, I found where the $300 discrepancy came from. When I questioned the 600% jump in airline surcharge fees, she simply answered that it fluctuates and can happen. As someone planning to purchase a second home in Portugal, I will never use this airline again for any of my future travels, and I will tell my family and friends to avoid as well. Lesson learned.

✅ Trip Verified | The flight was fine considering it was in March 21 2020 at the start of Covid. However as this was a flight covered by my Insurance, I requested a simple note from TAP in September 2020 stating that there was no refund provided or forthcoming for the $2,000 ticket I purchased. This was a prerequisite from the Insurance company in order to pay out the claim. To this date September 2021 and after numerous hour long hold phone calls to very nice people at TAP there has been no response from the airline. Even the request of an explanation of the very confusing "electronic" ticket with some charges in euro, some in Canadian dollars and all with code letters that nobody understands, fell on deaf ears. Hate to find out what would happen if I actually had a monetary request. Worst customer service from friendly people without head office back up!

✅ Trip Verified | The cabin on this 6am flight was full but very silent with the exception of the crew at the rear who were enthusiastically speaking about personal matters for anyone willing to hear. Apart from that, the crew were friendly, the flight was on time, but hit a lot of turbulence particularly when approaching Lisbon. If you are feeling lucky, book TAP and pray nothing goes wrong or that you don't need to contact them before your flights. That's my advise to you.

✅ Trip Verified | The flight was uneventful, the A319 was impeccable, however I had the brilliant idea of ordering a lasagna. They bought it still on the package sold in the supermarket - their "catering" is offered by a Swiss company, according to the receipt I got. Cabin crew was nice. Don't click on "change/pay seat" when making your check-in on TAP website, this will mean you won't be able to return to the original allocated seat. I called them and spent 40 minutes until their Brazilian call center thought it was time to speak to me. They can do absolutely nothing. On boarding, the famous twisted staff at Lisbon airport, made me wait on premium boarding line until they lengthily fixed the issue in a very displeased manner.

Not Verified | Awful experience, they cancelled my flight once, then put me on another flight but I got there too late (because they were 40 minutes late with the first flight). No assistance at the airport, no information whatsoever, I received a message saying that I have to fly to Amsterdam and then Rome. It will take me 10 hours to go from Lisbon to Rome and didn't have any sort of help. Never again.

Not Verified | The fares are low and it’s tempting, but don’t do it. I booked a round trip flight but was informed the evening before the first flight that the schedule had been changed. The proposed new flight had a 10+ hour layover and a post-midnight arrival time, but the email from TAP included a “Confirm or Change Flights” link. The link offers the option to change both the departing and return flights free of charge. I changed the departing flight that night, but, a few days later, checked to see if it was still possible to change the return flight, and it was. The website clearly stated that the cost of the change was “€0,00” and even included a message noting that “changes to this journey are free of charge.” I decided to push my return flight back a few days. The change was confirmed on the website and was viewable under my bookings. Fast forward to the night before this rescheduled flight, when I have not received a check in email. Finding that odd, I logged into my TAP account to find that the return booking - which had been viewable one day prior - did not exist. I attempted to call the helpline and was greeted with an automated message letting me know that “customer service is available starting at 8am” before disconnecting. It was within the hours of operation listed on the website, but I guess they don’t follow those. At the airport, I arrive first at the check-in desk, at which the attendant tells me that he can see the return flight date change, but that I must collect a new ticket at the airline ticket desk. I arrive at the ticket desk and am told that the booking doesn’t actually exist because it was cancelled by TAP on the same day the change was made. So I’m left without the return flight I had paid for in my initial booking and changed, via TAP’s link, a few days earlier. I call the TAP customer support line again and receiving the same auto message (it’s 9:30am local time). I soon learn why TAP gives this bogus number: they want you to call the toll line. So I call, and after about half an hour, I speak to a nice representative who promises to confirm a new booking for later that day and transfers me to the ticket change desk. The ticket change desk picks up the phone after 45 minutes, and I speak to someone from TAP’s equivalent of the Politburo, who informs me that the booking does not exist, but I can pay $1000 for a new one. I explain that I’ve already booked a round trip ticket, that I changed it on the link provided by TAP, and that I am happy to pay the usual change fee (a ridiculous $270, but I digress). At this point the TAP agent’s logic changes: she tells me the flight change wasn’t supposed to be free, so when I booked it on TAP's website it didn’t process, and the confirmation message I received after changing it was a fluke. When I was a “no-show” for the original flight - for which I never received a check-in email - the journey auto-cancelled. This is different from what the ticket office told me - that the flight was cancelled by TAP immediately after the change request was submitted. Then, she begins to lecture me about not paying the change fee that TAP claimed didn’t exist - as if I’m the one being dishonest! So: fork over the extra $100 for Lufthansa or British Airways. You’ll save a headache, a toll call, and the surprise $600 you’ll have to spend when this dishonest airline decides to cancel your booking.

Not Verified | Don't ever book through TAP. I tried changing my flight due to COVID and military orders. I called at least 10 times between June and August and every time I called I would be on hold for hours and when I finally got someone on the line there was an issues. Every person I spoke with gave me different information. First they told me I didn't have to pay for rescheduling my flight as long as I rescheduled by June 21. I called June 19 I called several times to rebook my flight but keep telling me I have to pay a fee when they had already told me I didn't have to. I spoke with several representatives, who directed me to Dial 2 then 3 then 1 in order to reach the Central department of alterations For booking waiver. I called that extension and representative told me to dial 2, 3, 2 instead which I did but every person I spoke with kept giving me different answers. I spent about 6 hours on the phone with TAP, most of that time I was on hold and none of these representatives seemed to be on the same page as they all told me different things. I even contacted them via email which was a waste of time because they never addressed my issue. My dad, who was also traveling with me called them because at this point I had given up, he asked them how much they would charge in fees to cancel the booking, they told him $172 was the fee so he cancelled the booking which was for 9 people, and told him it would take 7-10 business days to get the refund. It's been 28 days and I haven't received my refund yet, so I called to check on the status of my refund and not only they told me it can take up to 90 days to get the refund but also said they charged each passenger a fee of $340. So we lost over $3,000 just because TAP airlines representatives kept misinforming me and my dad. Booking with TAP airlines was a big mistake and I will discourage everyone I know from booking with them.