SATA Air Azores

✅ Trip Verified | Lisbon to Toronto. I came to the airport to go to Canada with all my documents I needed to prove my Working Holiday Visa. At the counter for check-in bags lady didn’t want to take my suitcase saying I can not enter Canada without return ticket. I tried politely to explain there is no need to have a return ticket if you have proof of funds that state you are able to purchase a ticket. That is written in Canadian Goverment official site (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/iec/prepare-arrival.html). The lady wanted to cancel my flight and then I spoke with the supervisor whom I had to explain and show where this information are represented. After an hour of arguing they gave me boarding tickets saying I will be in the same consideration when I come to the gate and the flight was in 15 minutes. Luckily nobody at the gate checked anything except my boarding pass but I was in fear what will happen in connection flight in Azores. I arrived to Canada and I was eligible to enter with documentation I presented also to SATA where I was almost rejected. How can policies from airline company be different than Canadian goverment? Horrible experience and hopefully my journey won’t cross with this airline anymore.

✅ Trip Verified | Toronto to Funchal via Ponta Delgada. I am beyond angry! First time customer to SATA, and will be the last time ever. we booked Sao Miguel + Madeira 11 day vacation through Azores Getaway for Christmas and New Year holidays. The flight from Toronto to Sao Miguel on Dec 21st. Was delayed for 7 hours. Of course we didn’t find out until after arrived to Toronto airport at 5:30 PM. Too late to drive back to Ottawa. Stayed at the airport for 10 hours and we really tired and cold overnight. This was only the beginning of the nightmare. On Dec. 24th, Christmas eve, our flight from Ponta Delgada to Funchal was delayed again by 10 hours. We missed our paid rental car because the rental car office closed at 9 PM at Funchal. The SATA airline staff told us to take a taxi and get reimburse later. We did exactly that, and emailed the receipts to the provided email address. Guess what? The taxi fare was 23.5 Euro but SATA can only pay 10 Euro based on their rules. We never wanted a free taxi from SATA. We paid for our rental car already but we couldn’t get the car because of the delay. We missed our Christmas eve dinner. We had to take taxi again on Chrismas day to the airport again to get the rental car. What we have done to deserve that? we didn’t even choose SATA on our own as we didn’t know which airline Azores Getaway would use for the vacation package. I am too angry to write more for now. But I will later. It is not about the money anymore.

✅ Trip Verified |  Continues to remain the best value by far. Efficient, friendly check in at YYZ with one small snag. Our no-charge pre-selected seats were changed for load balancing purposes on an A321 that was only about 70% full. YYZ-PDL. We were delayed leaving Toronto 30 minutes because of fog at Ponta Delgadap in the Azores but caught up 15 minutes en route. Plane was newish and clean. No built in entertainment system. Full service, one choice meal with wine was served on a 5.5 hr flight. PDL-FNC. The second leg was on an older Q400 turboprop. On time departure from Ponta Delgada and arrival in Madeira. Polite service with sandwich snack and non alcohol service. When we landed in Madeira, the curious requirement to get from the plane to the terminal using a bus - maybe 100 metres - meant that our luggage arrived for pick up at the same time we did!

✅ Trip Verified | Terceira to Boston, We've been delayed for over 4 hours with no update. The plane is here in Terceira sitting in the runway. No update. No food. No drink. The only cafe will only take cash, no card. There's not an ATM in this airport, so unless you have cash you're out of luck. I'll never fly this airline again.

✅ Trip Verified | Boston to Terceria. This airline operates in an area where the weather is particularly difficult to navigate. Even with this being a common occurrence, they seem to have very little functional protocol in place for helping customers or staff find streamlined solutions. Our flight was unable to land due to weather, which meant rerouting more than 2 hours away. I was not upset about this, safety was most important. But there was nothing in place to help us know how to navigate the process of getting to our original destination. The captain and crew thanked us for flying like it was just a normal flight and we were left to figure out what to do next. No instructions were given, no directions to the airline desk, once we finally found airport staff to help guide us to the Sata counter, many of us waited in line for more than 4 hours with a blindsided staff getting mixed messages from management. New boarding passes were given then canceled, offers for local hotel and flying out the next day were offered then canceled .. many of us were put on a flight that had two more stops, the last one still not our original destination. Another long wait in lines until after midnight. This company needs some training on how to operate professionally. I feel terrible for their staff having to face so many weary, angry travelers with no workable options for making things right in anything barely reaching a timely manner.

Not Verified | We had a flight booked Business Class from Toronto to Las Palmas. The day of the flight we received a call at 9:45am telling us our flight was cancelled due to a strike. They attempted to book us economy until I insisted that wasn’t right. They booked us on TAP Portugal to Lisbon for two days. We have paid for a beautiful hotel in Gran Canaria and are not able to use two days of it. The airline gave us two $15 airport food vouchers and that was it. I called when we landed in Lisbon to find out which hotel we would be staying at only to find out we have to find our own but they only pay 80 euros a day (not quite the same as we have sitting empty in Gran Canaria). I think more compensation is necessary and will be pursuing once we get home.

✅ Trip Verified | Lisbon to Toronto via Ponta Delgada. This was the worst airline I have ever flown. It must have low priority as the taxi rides and bus rides to the runways are long and times do not seem to be factored into the flight schedule. All flights were late. There was zero communication from staff. Upon asking we were told different answers by different staff. From the time of booking (four months early) we attempted to be seated together, and then each subsequent time, without success. There is ZERO entertainment on board - not even a screen to monitor the flight progress (and no announcements). The entire crew sat in the back row and chatted for the full 6 hours. At the connection we were kept in a small security room with far too many people for longer than was expected without access to any services. I had been told I could not bring duty free from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada but that I could purchase it there. Upon arrival there I was told the kiosk would open. It did not and we were stuck without any entertainment for the 2++ hour wait and the 6 hour flight. There were many children on board and they were allowed to join their friends and share seats (even when the seatbelt sign was on) Best of all, the dinner "service" was one hour into the flight. They ran out of wine before it completed (not even available to purchase). In Portugal! Mickey Mouse Air.

Funchal to Ponta Delgada. Half of the passengers got through the gate & on to the bus, then we had to go back to the terminal and start boarding again 15 minutes later. Finally we were on our way 45 minutes delayed. Flight on a Q400 they offered sandwiches with cookie and drinks and wine. Professional cabin crew.

✅ Trip Verified | Do not recommend this airline as their service is terrible. We flew Ponta Delgada to Lisbon and had connection in Lisbon with KLM. Ticket was sold with connection. When we tried to check in luggage all the way to Amsterdam it was refused even though SATA does have interline agreement with KLM. As result of it we had to recheck luggage in Lisbon. Flight was delayed, took 25 min. for luggage to arrive in Lisbin, check in desk was closed by the time we arrived to recheck luggage. Missed connecting flight just because luggage was not checked all the way. Zero help from SATA, sent complain letter to them , after more than a month none reaction. Use TAP as they more flexible than SATA.

Not Verified | Fake advertisement of the ability to purchase additional baggage. 15 euros per kg. When I had originally purchased the ticket, it was made clear on the website that I would be able to purchase additional baggage. Today I was trying to complete my check-in and purchase the extra luggage however the website did not allow this option, I therefore rung the contact number available on the website to make the purchase and to my surprise was told that I could purchase the extra baggage only once I arrive at the airport, only after questioning the lady on the phone, I was told that in fact I could not take an extra suitcase but only pay for extra kilos in the luggage which I already have (£15 per kilo from the suitcase I already have). Unfortunately, I have already brought and paid for an extra suitcase from London to Lisbon with the expectation that I would be able to take it to Cape Verde. Im highly disappointed with the service I have received thus far, I usually take this trip with TAP however decided to try something new and now I am being charged an additional £450 for a suitcase. This was extremely unclear across the website and now I have no choice but to throw away my suitcase with all my belongings as the price of this was not advertised.