Tag Archives: TAP Portugal

TAP to offer flights from Porto to Barcelona, London City and Ponta Delgada and boost its services to Brazil and Canada

CS-TJH with new titles and tail logo

TAP Postugal (Lisbon) has announced it will add new routes:

  • TAP will again fly from Porto to Milan and Barcelona, after the suspension of the route in 2016, offering a greater number of flights
  • The airline also announces new routes from Porto to London City and Ponta Delgada
  • TAP’s operations out of Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport grow by an additional 41 flights every week
  • The airline also announces 10 flights per week between Lisbon and Florence
  • And a further four flights per week to São Paulo and one additional flight to Brasilia and to Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and one to Toronto, Canada

TAP Air Portugal will grow its operations from Porto Airport over the coming year. The airline has started two flights a day to Barcelona and to Milan, reinstating and intensifying two routes that were suspended in 2016 as part of the operation redesign carried out at that time.

In addition to reinstating these routes, TAP has also announced the launch of new routes from Porto, with six flights per week to London City airport and a new daily service to Ponta Delgada.

With these new flights, which start on March 25, 2018, TAP is introducing a total of 41 new services per week between Porto and four different cities. These flights will be available to book as soon as the operational details have been finalised. The two daily flights to Barcelona will depart Porto at 6.30am (TP1030) and 7.35pm (TP1031). The flights to Milan will depart Porto at 6.30am (TP818) and 5.55pm (TP816). The six flights a week between Porto and London City will leave Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport at 12.05pm (TP354), arriving in London at 2.20pm, with the return flight leaving London at 2.50pm (TP353), arriving in Porto at 5.10pm.

Another new flight on TAP’s summer timetable from Porto is the creation of a daily flight to Ponta Delgada. TP1861 will depart Porto at 1.20pm, arriving in Ponta Delgada at 2.45pm. The return flight (TP1866) will take off at 3.35pm, landing in Porto at 6.50pm, both local times.

From Lisbon to Florence

TAP also announces the launch of a direct service between Lisbon and Florence, with 10 flights per week, beginning on June 10, 2018. Florence joins Rome, Bologna, Milan and Venice to become the company’s fifth destination in Italy. This demonstrates TAP’s commitment to the Italian market, which is important not just for point-to-point traffic, but also as a way of generating traffic to other TAP destinations through its Lisbon hub.

The service between Lisbon and Florence will have two different timetables. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the flight will leave Lisbon at 7.05am, arriving in Florence at 10.50am. Flights will depart Florence at 11.35am, arriving in Lisbon at 1.35pm. On Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays there will also be flights leaving Lisbon at 3.50pm, arriving in Florence at 7.35pm. Flights will then depart Florence at 8.20pm, arriving in Lisbon at 10.20pm.

More flights to Brazil and Canada

From June 1, 2018, TAP is also boosting its long-haul operation with four more flights each week to São Paulo and one more to Brasilia and Belo Horizonte in Brazil and to Toronto in Canada.

Next year the company intends to offer flights between Lisbon and Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, a service that is currently awaiting government authorization.

Copyright Photo: The pictured TAP Airbus A321-212 is wearing the revised “Air Portugal” titles instead of “TAP Portugal” on the tail. In addition, the web address has been changed from www.flytap.com to flytap.com with some additional touch of color. TAP Portugal – Air Portugal Airbus A321-211 CS-TJH (msn 2270) MUC (Arnd Wolf). Image: 940450.

TAP Portugal aircraft slide show:

TAP to offer flights from Porto to Barcelona, London City and Ponta Delgada and boost its services to Brazil and Canada

TAP Portugal Airbus A319-112 CS-TTQ (msn 629) LHR (SPA). Image: 937481.

TAP Air Portugal has made this announcement:

  • TAP will again fly from Porto to Milan and Barcelona, after the suspension of the route in 2016, offering a greater number of flights
  • The airline also announces new routes from Porto to London City and Ponta Delgada
  • TAP’s operations out of Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport grow by an additional 41 flights every week
  • The airline also announces 10 flights per week between Lisbon and Florence
  • And a further four flights per week to São Paulo and one additional flight to Brasilia and to Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and one to Toronto, Canada

TAP Air Portugal will grow its operations from Porto airport over the coming year. The airline has started two flights a day to Barcelona and to Milan, reinstating and intensifying two routes that were suspended in 2016 as part of the operation redesign carried out at that time.

In addition to reinstating these routes, TAP has also announced the launch of new routes from Porto, with six flights per week to London City airport and a new daily service to Ponta Delgada.

With these new flights, which start on March 25, 2018, TAP is introducing a total of 41 new services per week between Porto and four different cities. These flights will be available to book as soon as the operational details have been finalized. The two daily flights to Barcelona will depart Porto at 6.30 am (TP1030) and 7.35 pm (TP1031). The flights to Milan will depart Porto at 6.30 am (TP818) and 5.55 pm (TP816). The six flights a week between Porto and London City will leave Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport at 12.05 pm (TP354), arriving in London at 2.20 pm, with the return flight leaving London at 2.50 pm (TP353), arriving in Porto at 5.10 pm.

Another new flight on TAP’s summer timetable from Porto is the creation of a daily flight to Ponta Delgada. TP1861 will depart Porto at 1.20 pm, arriving in Ponta Delgada at 2.45 pm. The return flight (TP1866) will take off at 3.35 pm, landing in Porto at 6.50pm, both local times.

From Lisbon to Florence

TAP also announced the launch of a nonstop service between Lisbon and Florence, with 10 flights per week, beginning on 10 June 2018. Florence joins Rome, Bologna, Milan and Venice to become the company’s fifth destination in Italy. This demonstrates TAP’s commitment to the Italian market, which is important not just for point-to-point traffic, but also as a way of generating traffic to other TAP destinations through its Lisbon hub.

The service between Lisbon and Florence will have two different timetables. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the flight will leave Lisbon at 7.05am, arriving in Florence at 10.50am. Flights will depart Florence at 11.35am, arriving in Lisbon at 1.35pm. On Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays there will also be flights leaving Lisbon at 3.50pm, arriving in Florence at 7.35pm. Flights will then depart Florence at 8.20pm, arriving in Lisbon at 10.20pm.

More flights to Brazil and Canada

From June 1, 2018, TAP is also boosting its long-haul operation with four more flights each week to São Paulo and one more to Brasilia and Belo Horizonte in Brazil and to Toronto in Canada.

Next year the company intends to offer flights between Lisbon and Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, a service that is currently awaiting government authorization.

Copyright Photo (all others by TAP Air Portugal): TAP Portugal is going back to TAP Air Portugal for its titles. TAP Portugal Airbus A319-112 CS-TTQ (msn 629) LHR (SPA). Image: 937481.

TAP Air Portugal Aircraft Slide Show:

Videos:

TAP Portugal’s first retrofitted Airbus A330 is now flying US-Lisbon routes

TAP Portugal is investing more than $73 million in a new onboard cabin for the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet. Seven A330s will be retrofitted by the end of the year. The first A330 to be completed, named João Gonçalves Zarco (CS-TOL) (below), has commenced flying between the U.S. and Lisbon this week.

TAP Portugal Airbus A330-202 CS-TOL (msn 877) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 937216.

Copyright Photo: TAP Portugal Airbus A330-202 CS-TOL (msn 877) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 937216.

This A330 upgrade program represents TAP’s commitment to improving comfort and improving its onboard product for passengers in all classes, bringing the cabins into line with that of the A330neo, which will soon be joining the fleet.

TAP’s proud Portuguese identity is recognizable through the aircraft interior, thanks to partnerships with Portuguese companies such as Almadesign, which selected the materials and developed the finishing, and with Couro Azul, which supplied the leather used in the Executive class seats.

New Comfort in Economy Class

The economy cabin now comprises two categories: Economy and Economy Plus. The configuration and design provide a fresh atmosphere, with more legroom, deeper seat recline, and new seat covers in shades of green and grey in Economy, and green and red in Economy Plus.

More Modern and Comfortable Executive Class

In Executive Class, the changes are even more pronounced, with 25 new fully-flat reclining chairs that are more than six feet long when fully reclined.

Also, TAP has powered up its new business class chairs to include USB slots and individual electrical sockets, connections for headphones, individual reading lights, tables with storage space, and supports for bottles.

TAP Portugal launches the first-ever Jingle Bells composed exclusively with Airbus A330 aircraft sounds

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) issued this statement and video:

TAP Portugal logo-1

For its 2015 Christmas video, TAP, the Portuguese leading airline, sought inspiration from its daily sounds to adapt, in an innovative way and for the first time ever, the renowned Christmas melody Jingle Bells, exclusively using aircraft sounds.

The leading actors are TAP employees and the Airbus A330 aircraft, registration CS-TOQ named “Pedro Teixeira”, that embraced the spirit of the season to wish its passengers a Merry Christmas.

It’s time for the world to see it! Happy holidays!

AG Over 2,000 galleries

TAP Portugal orders 14 Airbus A330-900neo and 39 A320neo Family airliners

TAP Portugal A330-900neo (05)(Flt)(Airbus)(LRW)

TAP Portugal has signed a firm order with Airbus for 53 Widebody and single aisle aircraft including 14 A330-900neo, and 39 A320neo Family aircraft (15 A320neos and 24 A321neos). The aircraft will join TAP Portugal’s fleet as part of its fleet renewal announced by the airline’s new majority owner Atlantic Gateway. As part of the agreement, TAP Portugal is replacing its previous order of 12 A350-900s with the A330-900neo.

TAP Portugal is an all Airbus customer, currently operating 43 A320 Family aircraft and 18 Widebody Family aircraft.

The A330-800neo and the A330-900neo are two new members of the Airbus Widebody Family launched in July 2014 with first deliveries scheduled to start in Q4 2017.

Image: Airbus.

AG Read the Real WAN

Why is David Neeleman buying a controlling share of problem-plagued TAP Portugal?

David Neeleman, the airline entrepreneur who was involved with running Morris Air (Salt Lake City) with June Morris before he founded NewAir (later JetBlue Airways) (New York) and later Azul Brazilian Airlines (Sao Paulo), has struck out again with a new airline venture. This time he is not creating something new but buying into something old.

TAP Portugal logo-1

 

Neeleman lead an investment group which has been selected by the state of Portugal to acquire their controlling share in troubled flag carrier TAP Portugal (Lisbon) for €348 million ($391 million), outbidding investor German Efromovich. Besides running Azul, he will now be running trouble-plagued TAP Portugal. His group will control 61 percent of the stock of TAP Portugal. Neeleman’s group will upgrade the carrier with new aircraft (probably new Embraers for the European routes).

TAP Portugal is also likely to receive a new makeover with the new ownership group, possibly with a new blue theme.

Read the full report from Bloomberg Businessweek: CLICK HERE

Portugal is the mother country of Brazil. The ties are strong. Both countries speak the same language and the traffic patterns are strong between Brazil and Portugal. The Azul-TAP alliance will now compete against TAM and the LATAM Airlines Group which wants to increase the number of flights between Brazil and Europe. The battle lines are being drawn in Brazil.

For Neeleman, his Brazilian roots are deep. According to Wikipedia, Neeleman was born in São Paulo, Brazil, but raised in Miami. He lived in Brazil until he was five. He later attended Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and attended the University of Utah for three years before dropping out. He served on a religious mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons) in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

JetBlue logo-2

 

After starting JetBlue Airways, CEO David Neeleman on May 10, 2007 was forced out and replaced by David Barger.

Neeleman headed south, back to his original roots. On March 27, 2008 Neeleman officially announced plans to launch a new airline, Azul (Portuguese for “blue”). Azul is now Brazil’s third largest airline and it is expanding internationally.

Azul logo

Also according to Wikipedia, Neeleman lives with his family in New Canaan, Connecticut, United States. He is the father of nine children. In 2000, he disclosed to CNBC that he has adult attention-deficit disorder (see the video above).

When Azul expanded to the United States it picked two cities that are big on the JetBlue Airways route map – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and Orlando, Florida. The ties between Azul and Neeleman’s old JetBlue Airways remain strong.

JetBlue has considered larger aircraft and longer-range routes to Latin America in the past. In essence, Azul is now filling this void (at least to Brazil) with its newly-acquired Airbus A330s.

It is very likely that Neeleman has much bigger plans in mind. The synergy between Brazil (and Latin America), North America and Europe are strong. For Neeleman, he now has the European piece in place once he solves the problems plaguing the flag carrier of Portugal. He also has remaining ties to the North American airline he founded – JetBlue Airways. Are the three the future base of a much larger airline alliance?

For JetBlue, their strategy is to make airline friends with any international carrier that has the potential of code sharing at their point of entry into the United States. They have successfully carved out a niche feeding international airlines especially at New York (JFK), Orlando and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood. This strategy has recently put them at odds with the “Big Three” (American, Delta and United) over the on-going Open Skies dispute with the “Gulf Big Three” (Emirates, Etihad and Qatar). Due to their stance, their ties with the Gulf Big Three are likely to expand. Will Qatar Airways leave the oneworld alliance for JetBlue?

There is a lot of potential for a future Azul-TAP Portugal-JetBlue alliance although JetBlue is unlikely to do anything that would upset any relationship it has.

For David Neeleman, this is only the beginning.

Video: GE Capital. David Neeleman on Leadership and Innovation.

 

 

TAP Portugal is facing a 10-day strike by its pilots

TAP Portugal’s (Lisbon) pilots union, SPAC, has announced a 10-day strike starting on May 1. The pilots, as previously reported, are unhappy with the ongoing privatization process.

TAP Portugal issued this statement:

The Pilots’ Union announced a strike from May 1st to May 10th, which, to be held, will strongly affect TAP operation.

Therefore, TAP will now allow passengers, with confirmed bookings on flights scheduled for the announced dates, to change to TAP flights outside the strike period, within the same cabin.

The establishment of minimum services – flights whose implementation has to be ensured by the Union – will be expected in the forthcoming days.

Any updated information concerning this situation will be published as soon as possible in all of our communication channels.

TAP will make all efforts in order to minimize the impact of the strike on our passengers.

TAP regrets all the inconveniences caused by this decision of the Pilots’ Union and will do everything in its power to ensure that this strike does not take place.

Copyright Photo: Chris Sands/AirlinersGallery.com. TAP Portugal’s Airbus A330-203 CS-TOR (msn 486) arrives at Miami International Airport.

TAP Portugal aircraft slide show: AG Airline Slide Show

AG Up-close action photography

As TAP Portugal marches towards privatization, the unions threaten to strike on December 27-30, the government attempts to block any disruptions

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) has had a challenging year in 2014. As the government continues to move towards privatization, the company has been facing an on-going labor strife situation. TAP’s 12 unions had been planning to strike the company from December 27-30 in protest against the privatization. However the council of ministers remains resolved to privatize and has evoked a civil requisition to block the strike. Now the unions are threatening legal action against the government.

Read the full story from the Portugal News Online: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 CS-TNR (msn 3883) departs from London (Heathrow).

TAP Portugal aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/TAP-Portugal

TAP Portugal to increase the frequency on the Miami route

TAP Portugal (Miami) from June 28 through September 22, 2015 will go to daily service on the Lisbon-Miami route. Ironically this is the summer rainy season for Miami, the off season for North American visitors. The route is operated with Airbus A330s and A340s.

Copyright Photo: Pedro Baptista/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330223 CS-TOH (msn 181) in the Star Alliance livery arrives at the Lisbon hub.

TAP Portugal aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/TAP-Portugal

 

TAP Portugal braces for a cabin crew strike, delays Guinea-Bissau inaugural for 45 days

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) has issued this statement regarding a strike planned by its cabin staff on October 30 and November 1:

TAP Cabin Crew Union announced two separate strikes to take place on October 30 and November 1 between 00.00 and 23.59.

Therefore, and in order to mitigate as much as possible the effects of the strike, TAP is authorizing date changes free of charge within the same cabin and tickets validity, or its refund. In order to do so, passengers should contact TAP through the Contact Center or their Travel Agencies.

Despite the situation, we inform that TAP flights operated by PGA Portugália Airlines will not be affected, as well as the flights established to operate as minimum services, available below.

All passengers with flights affected by the strike will be contacted, in order to find the best alternative.

Whenever the contact cannot be established TAP will reissue the ticket for the next available flights, keeping the schedule and dates as closer as possible to the original ones.

We suggest passengers to check their bookings here and do the online check-in if the flights are confirmed. This option is available up to 72 hours prior to departure, despite some exceptions depending on the destination.

Beforehand, and due to the high number of calls received, we apologize for any delays that may occur on the Contact Center response.

TAP regrets the situation and assures all efforts are being made to minimize the impact of this strike.

In other news, TAP Portugal has announced the delay of its new services to Guinea-Bissau in west Africa for 45 days due to the Ebola virus concerns. The carrier had planned to start three weekly flight from Lisbon to Guinea-Bissau on October 28.

Copyright Photo: TAP’s Airbus A321-211 CS-TJE (msn 1307) taxies at London (Heathrow).

TAP Portugal Aircraft Slide Show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/TAP-Portugal