Review: TAP Air Portugal A320 Business Class

Winter fog delayed my TAP Air Portugal flight to Lisbon, but the onboard experience was mostly satisfactory.

I purchased a cheap one-way ticket from Frankfurt to Boston via Lisbon in business class and this was the first segment, operating at the early hour of 6:05AM.

TAP Air Portugal 573
Frankfurt (FRA) – Lisbon (LIS)
Monday, January 13
Depart: 06:05 AM (delayed 8:05 AM)
Arrive: 08:05 AM (delayed 9:45 AM)
Duration: 3hr, 0min
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 3A (“Executive” Business Class)

Stepping onboard, I was greeted by two crewmembers, one whom retreated to the rear of the aircraft.

TAP Air Portugal A320 Business Class Seat

You won’t get a “real” business class on TAP, just a blocked middle. These are the same Recaro slimline seats Lufthansa, Austrian, and SWISS use…meaning a flight to FRA-LIS is really pushing it considering how little padding they have.

But I was elated to see power ports onboard, since my laptop was not fully charged and we would soon encounter an extended delay. In fact, that power port alone would move me to take TAP over Lufthansa to Lisbon, all else equal.

No pillows were offered, but a thin red blanket was available. It actually came in handy, as the cabin was kept cold.

Each seat also has a coat hook and a mechanism for mounting your phone or tablet. Bring your own IFE, though.

Delay…

Once everyone was boarded and the aircraft door closed, the captain announced a one-hour delay due to fog in Lisbon. That hour came and went and the captain announced a further one hour delay, though he remained optimistic that we would be cleared to leave sooner.

When the delay was extended, the aircraft door was opened. Passengers were advised not to leave the aircraft, but some did.

Right at the two-hour mark we were cleared for takeoff and finally departed. It was now after 8:00AM, but the January sun had still not risen.

TAP Air Portugal A320 Business Class Meal

Breakfast was offered after takeoff. The meal was served with a card explaining that the menu had been created by two flight attendants. Breakfast included mushroom and cheese quiche (served cold), a bowl of grapes, plain yogurt, almonds, a green muffin, and choice of bread with butter and preserves.

I thought the quiche was fresh and tasty, but would have been 10x better warmed up. The coffee, which should have been warm, was weak and cold…a big disappointment.

When the flight attendant collected my breakfast she asked me if I liked it. When I said yes (it was obvious…I had eaten almost everything), she asked me if I wanted another one! No thanks, but that was a nice gesture.

TAP Air Portugal A320 Business Class Service

On that note, service was courteous onboard. The female crewmember was friendlier than the two male crewmembers, who were either shy or disinterested in engaging customers.

During the delay, only a glass of water was offered during the delay. I probably could have asked for something else, but it would have been nice if that was proactively offered.

But the service was satisfactory and the cabin monitored more closely once we finally took off.

TAP Air Portugal A320 Business Class Lavatory

I briefly visited the lavatory, which was clean but did not have any extra amenities.

CONCLUSION

Oh yes, this was also the flight where my seatmate enjoyed watching porn from his mobile phone.

We landed in thick fog in Lisbon and pulled up to a remote stand.

Although the delay and remote stand were annoying, the onboard product was fine and the breakfast tasty. The power ports really saved the day because of the delay. It’s a shame that TAP doesn’t have internet yet onboard.