TAP boarding gate agents singled out Group A line to gate check all carry on bags …. Supposedly because of lack on bin space. BUT ALL OTHERS WERE PERMITTED WITH CARRY ON BAGS. Additionally so many passengers entering the plane after us were permitted carry on bags. And when the plane was fully loaded, there was a number of open spaces in the overhead bins. I WILL SEARCH OTHER OPTIONS BEFORE FLYING TAP AGAIN
Baggage check in was very slow. No sign that the check in was TAP until the station opened. Understaffed and overworked team.
Our flight was canceled for a reason that suggests gross mismanagement. We were re-booked for a flight to a different airport.
Worst: long walk to baggage claim Best: left on time
Flight delayed by >1 hour. Long boarding involving riding a shuttle to the plane.
First, I was moved from my scheduled flight at 10:45 to 6:30. Bad form as I had a scheduled lesson in the morning that I couldn't get a refund for. Second, we were bused out to the plane and bused back to the terminal and sat and sat all with NO explanation until the end of the long wait. Third, once we boarded the plane, we again sat for at least an hour WITH NO EXPLANATORY ANNOUNCEMENT. Plane left and arrived 2 hours late. I missed a train connection adding hours to my trip home. Lastly, it's time the airport is upgraded or TAP gets priority for walk-on gates. As a 74 year old, carrying my carry on luggage up and down stairs between the terminal and the plane is a pain. Might be the last time I fly TAP.
Bused out to the plane, then back to the terminal. Plane was delayed for 2 hours - most of that time spent sitting in bus or plane with NO EXPLANATION of what was going on. Departure delay due to crew not showing up on time. FIX THAT. Why do your own international flights NOT have gates with ramps. Being 74 and having to carry my carry ons up and downstairs is awful.
The flight staff was nice enough but the seats were not up to business class standards. The food was also not something I would get on any day. The seats we had were right up to the galley and the crew were very noisy with their chatting the entire flight which woke us up after we fell asleep and we could not get back to sleep due to all the chit chat! The flight was delayed and we were in transit for less than an hour in Lisbon yet there were no TAP staff anywhere to be found to assist pax who were worried about catching our connecting flight. Another thing that was poor in service was that, if TAP flies out of Rome at 5.55am, TAP should have a lounge open for your Business Class pax. We were told that the lounge opens at 5.30am yet TAP's flight is scheduled to leave at 5.55am. Why offer a departure that early when you don't have lounge open by at least 4.30am? It's been a very disappointing experience with TAP and we paid for Business Class. It is at best a Premium Ey class on better known airlines like Lufthansa, British Airways, United. It's at best sort of comparable to Economy class on Singapore Airlines but I still think Singapore Airlines Economy class service is better apart from the seats.
Crew woke me up to see if I wanted food - NEVER want food on a 12 hour flight more than I want to sleep. Sleep was not easy, as a child screamed and threw fits 70%of the flight. That same child kicked my seat most of the flight. BUT, despite the child and a poor boarding effort, the rest was solid. The crew worked hard otherwise - just don’t wake me up IF I actually get to sleep.
Not much to like. Check-in and bag drop procedures are a crowded, disorganized and confusing mess. Agents were grumpy and unhelpful, somehow expecting passengers to automatically know and understand the airline's procedures. Boarding was chaotic and included a stand-up, sardine-packed bus ride to a stairway pushed up to the aircraft out on the tarmac. Passengers were left waiting in the bus for a lengthy period on both ends. Flight departure and arrival were delayed by passengers scrambling to find space for bags in the overhead storage. Many passengers not in compliance with carry-on rules. Everything you could hate about flying in this ride.
