It’s finally time to return home from my extended trip to Europe and Israel and this year, I am determined to try as many new products as I can. I’ve just booked a ticket him on TAP Air Portugal to try out the new A330neo in business class.
It’s not like I’ll forsake my 1K status and avoid United this year for the majority—or at least the plurality—of my my ocean crossings and domestic travel.
But I’m trying to be mindful of the fact that Live and Let’s Fly has more than enough Untied Polaris and Lufthansa First Class reviews. What I don’t have is a single longhaul review on TAP.
The great thing about TAP is one-way fares are cheap out of Europe. Try $881 for a last-minute ticket from Frankfurt to Boston, which was about half the price of a last-minute ticket to SFO.
Had I planned in better, Frankfurt – Lisbon – San Francisco runs as little as $1300 one-way.
Interestingly, mileage space has been bad lately. A lot of space on United, but not on other partners. Even the usually-reliable last-minute openings on SWISS and Lufthansa have not appeared in recent days to the West Coast.
From Boston, I’ll fly to Los Angele nonstop on United, a flight (at 6 hours, 54 minutes) that is almost as long as the flight from Lisbon to Boston. While United offers premium transcendental service with lie-flat beds, nice bedding, and enhanced meals between Boston and San Francisco, I’ll be on a 737-900 to LAX. At least my upgrade cleared…
CONCLUSION
Stay tuned for a TAP Air Portugal A330neo review. Also note that TAP continues to offer excellent one-way fares in both business and economy class from various cities in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, to the USA.
Matthew
Have you ever had a bad experience with TAP in regards to EC261/4000 or any issues getting a replacement flight? I’ve been going back and forth with them in regards to just a refund on a canceled flight and they won’t even pay that. I know your writing your experience on the flight but when customer service is so horrible, its not just one person that suffers. It’s the whole community. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated, thanks
Don’t like to be the spelling guy buttttt….. “transcendental service”, “booked a ticket him”. Does United not offer 757-200 BOS-LAX? I seem to recall that they had at one point.
What, they play the Maharishi Channel on the Inflight Entertainment system? This is one of your better typos/auto select errors. Love it….
I’ve met a lot of Americans who use TAP, mostly families looking to save. Most seem to like it.
I flew TAP from BOS to BCN first class recently. The plane landed out on the tarmac and left us with a 15 minute bus ride to the terminal. Missed our connection to BCN lost luggage.
Overall not a great experience.
A fellow I met in the lounge told me TAP acronym for “ take another plane”.
.
the waiting time on the tarmac is not the airline’s fault. That’s an airport authority issue.
That guy who told you TAP acronym must surely be an idiot [redacted by admin].
Flew the A339 LIS-SFO in late August last year in J. Had a very pleasant experience. Food was decent and plentiful, alcohol was fine. FAs were attentive but not overly so. Seat was still very new so it was firmer than I like but otherwise it was perfectly adequate for sleeping and lounging on the fairly long flight. Can’t speak to those travelling in Y, but I’d gladly fly with them again.
I flew them in J last Sept from SFO to Marrakech with a stop in LIS using UA miles (interestingly enough, J was only available going, but not available LIS-SFO). I picked a throne seat away from the aisle, which was nice and private.
The highlight of the trip? Getting to check out the Polaris lounge in SFO. Otherwise, service was fine and the amenities were acceptable. But at one point the cabin got WAY too hot and I woke up in the lie-flat sweating. This was later confirmed by my friend who was one row behind.
At LIS we were funneled into a different part of the terminal that had no access to the TAP lounge, which was a bummer. I think it’s also kinda hard to find so make sure you look up how to get there before wandering around.
I flew on the 339 LIS-SFO for about €1200 return. For that money, I can’t complain at all. A flat bed, ok food, ok service. Nothing special, but way better than, say, BA Club World (classic version) for hard product.
If I’d paid full price, I’d say that the food was a bit scant. One hot meal after takeoff and then some cold cuts before landing. I got a bit peckish.
The seat was fine, although when laying on my side there was very little room for my legs under the table – I couldn’t part my knees.
The entertainment selection was fine, although there was no remote, which made using the system when flat a bit awkward.
The crew were okay. The woman on my side of the cabin was grumpy on two counts – firstly she was left to do my aisle alone whereas there were two crew on the other aisle, but they never helped her. Secondly, she had been called in on standby that morning and it meant she would be missing her new year celebrations.
The lounge in Lisbon was fine, if busy. In SFO, it’s the United Polaris Lounge, which was good. The flight was to Dublin, so there was a short haul connection each end. TAP don’t use any lounge in Dublin, so don’t get to the airport early.
Just got off a flight on this one. All was quite ok and the seat is comfortable for a good sleep.
If anything they should do something better on the pillow. It is too thin.