Review of TAP Air Portugal Business Class

Premium check-in areas at its Lisbon and Porto hubs give travellers more space and shorter queues for checking luggage and acquiring boarding passes. Kiosks can print luggage tags for those who want to do it themselves. At all other airports, Business Class passengers have dedicated lanes for check-in. Fast-track security at most airports is another appreciated benefit to minimise waiting time.

Read more about TAP Air Portugal Premium check-in

TAP Air Portugal flies most of its long-haul flights via its Lisbon hub, with a handful of longer flights leaving from Portugal's second-largest city, Porto. Both operate as hubs for the airline bridging Europe and the Americas, although Lisbon has most of the premium facilities for lounges and priority waiting areas.

Business Class passengers - and Star Alliance Gold members in all cabins - can access TAP's recently refurbished Premium Lounge in Lisbon. Thanks to the upgrade, it now features bold colours and impressive apron views. A manned bar prepares craft cocktails and serves a wide variety of Portuguese wines. TAP is well-known for its wine program and regularly highlights national producers on its flights and in the lounge.

The lounge offers a substantial buffet serving hot and cold items throughout the day. Of course, one of Portugal's national culinary delights - pastel de nata - is in ample supply, which is a highlight of the visit for many. Free Wi-Fi with quiet areas equipped with computers and printers, napping areas, shower rooms, a large selection of periodicals, and plenty of power outlets make the time in the lounge fly by before a flight.

When departing from Lisbon on long-haul flights, the lounge is located before the immigration desks. It would be best if you allowed time to pass through passport control to depart the European Union, and lines can be long, so plan accordingly. Since the Lounge is on the Schengen side of the airport, passengers travelling from the United Kingdom, for example, and onward to the Americas would have to clear immigration to and from their visit.

When departing most other cities in its network, Business Class passengers can access premium lounges, and in many cities, these are often affiliated with its Star Alliance partners. Business Class passengers enjoy priority boarding lanes to have more time to settle.

More information about TAP Air Portugal lounges

Within the last couple of years, TAP Air Portugal has completed a significant renewal of its long-haul fleet, resulting in an onboard experience that is much more consistent than in the past. The long-haul fleet is now centred around the new A330-900neo, supported by a handful of retrofitted A330-200 and the narrowbody A321-200LR. The latter allows the carrier to serve long-haul routes with limited demand but offers cabin products similar to the widebody fleet.

Discover the TAP Air Portugal Fleet on flytap.com

Pops of colour punctuate the TAP Air Portugal Business Class cabin, including the airline's signature lime green and dark red hues. Designers put much thought into weaving TAP's symbolic features into every aspect of the experience. You will also find similar colours on the duvets, decorative seat tags, and inflight service items. There is a sense of spaciousness thanks to Airbus' new Airspace cabin design on most of the airline's newer aircraft. This means that overhead bins are recessed - allowing more headspace, and are larger - giving extra storage space. Mood lighting adds to the chic design.

TAP Air Portugal Business Class now offers fully flat seating on all aircraft in three different staggered, forward-facing configurations. On the flagship A330-900neo, the 1-2-1 seating is popular with many passengers and provides direct aisle access from every seat. It allows couples to sit together in the centre section, where every other row has two seats very close to one another, lovingly referred to as honeymoon seats. Solo travellers appreciate the high number of single seats placed along the sides of the cabin. The A330neo's Recaro seats offer a pitch of nearly 107 centimetres, a width of almost 56 centimetres, and a fully flat recline. Seats alternate between being closer to the aisle with a side table closer to the window or closer to the window with a side table closer to the aisle. Seat maps show which seats have a small table closer to the aisle for those that prefer that more private option.

On the retrofitted A330-200, rows in the Business Class cabin alternate between 1-2-2 and 1-2-1 seating and offer slightly more room than the A330 neo with a seat pitch of almost 112 centimetres and a width of nearly 70 centimetres. The prized single "throne" seats - the solo seats with a table on either side and no seat neighbour - provide maximum privacy. Unlike many other airlines, TAP Air Portugal does not charge extra fees to assign these seats. The only downside to the "throne" seats is that they have small footwells.

Airbus A321-200LR planes flying long-haul routes feature similar seats as the retrofitted A330-200, with rows alternating between 2-2 and 1-1 seats with the same specifications. The four solo "throne" seats are especially popular for single travellers. With only 16 seats in the Business Class cabin, these narrowbody long-haul jets provide an intimate and exclusive Business Class experience which some passengers prefer over larger aircraft.

Wide side tables and easy-access power outlets provide flexibility and utility on all aircraft. Customers want everything they need for a long flight within easy reach. Passengers will find a water bottle, amenity kit, large anti-allergy pillows and wrap-round duvet (on selected routes), and noise-cancelling headsets waiting at their seats. Business Class seats recline into a fully flat, two-metre-long (6.5 feet-long) bed with various positions for relaxing or lounging should you wish to catch up on the latest movies or work rather than sleep. The armrests on either side are lower on the airline's newest planes to give passengers more stretching room when working or relaxing. An especially nice feature is the mesh net area for passengers to store shoes when sleeping, so they do not get caught under the seat when you bring the seat to the upright position.

More details about TAP Air Portugal Business Class seats

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes images, videos, and seat maps for most airlines and aircraft Search results also include details such as seat pitch, width and recline. This way, you can see the seat and cabin configuration of the flight you are interested in before making your choice.

TAP Air Portugal allows passengers to sample local flavours focusing on Portuguese produce, with sustainably sourced fresh ingredients, traditional desserts, and an exclusive range of Portuguese wines.

The TAP Local Stars Project - in conjunction with The Art of Tasting Portugal - is bringing together the country's top twelve chefs, from different regions of the country - highlighting the local cuisine and indeed wines.

For January and February 2024, Michelin-starred Chef Oscar Geadas from Braganca is serving up meals that include chestnut. Passengers will be served a starter of fresh water fish, beetroot and orange salad, a main course of stewed veal, chestnut purée and mushrooms, and a dessert of almond pudding with Montesinho honey.

Inflight service is delivered via carts with drinks stacked on top, and meals are served via trays on linen-lined tables. The first tray setting features an appetiser, salad and warm bread; this is served with the beverage of your choice (sometimes a round of drinks comes with a canapé before a tray of food arrives). On many flights, soup is poured at your seat from decanters and is a lovely touch that few other airlines offer or execute well. The airline uses new Executive Class Portuguese tableware for its meal services.

The next course includes a choice of three main dishes. These usually consist of beef, poultry, seafood, or pasta dishes pre-heated and placed on the tray after the appetiser and salad dishes are collected. When the main meal is served, flight attendants refresh beverages. Dessert includes Portuguese cheeses (some of which can be pretty strong), fresh fruit, sweet chocolate or cake.

Service is typically not drawn out, even on day flights, allowing for more time to work or rest. On late-night departures, the meal service is abbreviated with fewer main course options, and the appetiser and dessert are delivered on the same tray to expedite the meal in favour of more sleeping time.

On longer flights departing Lisbon, passengers can pre-select a meal option online between one and 30 days before travel. If you have special dietary needs, there is a wide range of meals to pre-order, including vegetarian, seafood, Kosher, or gluten-free.

Pre-arrival meals are light, with continental breakfast served when the flight lands in the morning or a sandwich, cold cuts, or pastries for afternoon arrivals.

On late-night departures (common for Brazil-bound flights or those leaving North America bound for Portugal), meal service may be expedited, with everything served on one tray to allow for more sleeping time. There is no standard mid-flight snack service, although the crew is happy to bring an extra snack if available.

Read more about TAP Air Portugal Business Class dining

Unlike most other airlines, TAP Air Portugal no longer serves pre-departure beverages in Business Class. Once in the air, passengers expecting Champagne as a standard offering may want to note that TAP Air Portugal has opted to focus exclusively on Portuguese wines.

Printed menus showcase one of the airline's standout features: its Portuguese wine program. So involved and prestigious is TAP's wine that there is an annual awards dinner to honour the producers chosen for inflight service.

There are typically two white wines, two red wines, a Portuguese "vinho verde," sparkling wine and port wine on the menu. Wine choices rotate several times throughout the year, so frequent fliers can try them all. Flight attendants are well-briefed on the nuances of each so that they can provide suggestions on what to enjoy.

More information about the TAP Air Portugal wine experience and access to featured wines, and the current wine list

In addition, there are plenty of other drinks, including Portuguese and international beers, spirits, soft drinks, aperitifs, liqueurs and juices.

Following the main meal, coffee and tea are the grand finale, along with a small box of chocolates.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on which Champagne is served in Business Class and First Class on many airlines. We do our best to keep track of any changes but feel free to let us know if we need to include something. As mentioned above, TAP Air Portugal does not serve Champagne.

TAP crews are friendly and multilingual, and the language of any flight’s destination is always spoken by several crew members. While there are not midflight beverages offered proactively, the onboard staff is always happy to oblige.

Excellent noise-cancelling headphones by Phitek plug into easy-to-reach outlets at arm's level so that passengers can stay entertained via the wide, high-resolution screens facing each seat. For TAP's long flights, there is no shortage of movies (including some of the latest films), television programs (including box sets to watch an entire season), a moving map with flight details, video games, and a selection of world music including programming in foreign languages. The touch screens are easy to use, but remote controls keep you cosy in your seat without having to lean forward if you prefer.

Detailed information about inflight entertainment and the current programme is available on flytap.com

The airline's inflight magazine, UP, is available in the seat pocket. Wi-Fi is available aboard the airline's A330neo and A321LR aircraft, including free messaging services. Paid options are available based on the type of data requirements you have.

Read more about connectivity on TAP Air Portugal flights.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi.

TAP does a great job with its amenity kits, which often feature collectable versions in different colours and styles. In the past, it offered kits designed like sardine tins (a popular Portuguese snack) or colourful satchels with famous Portuguese landmarks. They include standard items like socks, eyeshades, ear plugs, lip balm, dental kits and moisturising lotion.

For the current Business Class amenity kit, TAP Air Portugal has partnered with Lisbon-based cosmetic brand Benamôr to launch a new amenity kit containing premium Portuguese beauty products. Benamôr supplies all liquid soaps, creams, and beauty products for TAP's Business Class flights, as well as for use in the recently revamped Lisbon Premium Lounge.

Hot towels refresh before the main feast and again before landing.

Families can request a bassinet on widebody aircraft, but these must be reserved before departure. Bassinets are only available for babies up to one year old and weighing less than 11 kg.

More information about flying TAP Air Portugal with children

Depending on the destination and the length of the flight, a different beverage and meal service is offered. Passengers on eligible flights over two hours can select between two main courses. Seats on the carrier's narrowbody planes recline by up to 9 degrees and have a centre seat blocked, providing more space. Unfortunately, on Embraer 190/195 aircraft, short-haul Business Class is in a 2-2 configuration with no middle seat to block. So, you will jostle for elbow room even in the premium cabin.

TAP Air Portugal offers an open bar, including an impressive (albeit abbreviated) wine list, with snacks and meals depending on the flight length. Portuguese sparkling wine is a delightful addition, although inflight entertainment, amenity kits and pre-departure beverages are not part of the short-haul product.

Part of the airline’s effort to reduce waste includes inflight recycling and transitioning away from full reliance on newspapers and magazines in favour of access to an even larger digital library of publications. These are delivered via the airline’s mobile or media apps and available to customers after they enter their flight reservation details.

The airline is pushing towards an 80 per cent reduction in single-use plastics by 2025, and the new meal service is 15 per cent lighter, allowing for savings in fuel and reduced CO2 emissions.

The airline is committed to reducing carbon emissions and is working with partners to promote sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use. In the summer of 2022, TAP Air Portugal successfully operated an Airbus A321 neo out of Lisbon using SAF. 

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on CO2 emissions for each flight. Our quality algorithms also score higher on flights operated by the most modern and environmentally friendly aircraft.