My flight aboard a TAP A330neo in business class to São Paulo, was the second part of a two-sector trip to Brazil. This review covers everything from the airport services and lounge access to boarding, seat comfort, in-flight amenities, and overall service quality. Join me as I walk you through my experience, highlighting the best parts and areas that could use some improvement.
In this review:
Flight Details
Flight No: TP89
From/To: Lisbon (LIS) to São Paulo (GRU)
Departure time: 12:00
Ticket Class: Business
Flight time: 9 hours 30 mins
Frequent Flyer Points: 9,870
Status Points: 9,870
Aircraft: CS-TUQ
Aircraft type: Airbus A330-900 (neo)
Number of classes: 2
Number of seats in flying class: 34
Seat: 6C
Position: left hand side of the aircraft, 6 rows from the front
Airport Experience
A new lounge has opened in the non-Schengen area of Lisbon Airport, simplifying access for passengers arriving from and departing to non-Schengen destinations without additional security checks. The TAP Atlantic lounge, despite being small, congested, and windowless, offers maximised seating options. It struggles to handle the traffic from TAP’s A330 fleet but maintains high cleanliness standards, including the toilets – better than the larger TAP lounge in the Schengen area. The well-presented food and drink were a welcome sight in this part of the airport. After a quick coffee and a piping hot Pastel de Nata, I chose to pass through immigration and spend my three-hour layover browsing the shops.
Boarding & Welcome
Departing from gate 43A meant another bus gate, a common occurrence at Lisbon Airport due to its aging terminal. The journey to the aircraft was quick and uneventful, with mild, dry, and sunny weather making for a pleasant February day. Onboard, I found my menu card placed on the ledge by the window. While no beverages were served before departure, a bottle of still water was left at the seat.
Seat
TAP Air Portugal uses Recaro lie-flat seats in a staggered cabin configuration for their A330neo business class cabins. I was assigned seat 4C but was asked if I would be willing to move to 6C so that two passengers could sit closer together. Not seeing an issue, I agreed and moved two rows back.
Regardless of the move, I quickly regretted choosing a C seat instead of an A seat. Not all seats are created equal in TAP’s A330neo business class. There is a significant difference between seats in alternating rows, so it pays to be vigilant when selecting your seat, especially when they are assigned or changed.
The proximity of the C seats to the aisle was bothersome for me. The C seats are angled towards the aisle, while the A seats are angled towards the window and away from other passengers. The A seats are also better because they are further from the aisle and have an eye-level privacy divider.
The seat itself was filthy. Months of poor cleaning were evident around the edges of surfaces, in the cracks, along the hinges, and down the harder-to-reach areas of the seat. I used one of my travel wipes to remove some grime from areas I was likely to touch. The ease with which it was removed speaks volumes about the standard of cleaning TAP upholds.
The seat controls all seemed to work fine, but the left folding armrest was broken and would buckle under the weight of my arm. This made sitting less comfortable than it should have been. Other passengers experienced the same issue, indicating a design defect that TAP should address with the manufacturer sooner rather than later.
The seat performed well for storage. There was plenty of room in the overhead bin and a floor-level pouch for shoes, which I found useful for books and bottles. A small compartment to the left of the seat held small items like cables, and there was a shoulder-height cupboard with a roll-shut door. This well-designed cubby housed the safety cards, headphones, and the Benamôr amenity kit. I discovered one benefit of having an aisle-facing seat: there was plenty of space on the floor below the window for either shoes or other items you might need around the seat. I believe the space had to be clear for take-off and landing, but I managed to keep my pillow and duvet there.
The good design extended to the at-seat power provisions, which included one mains socket and two USB sockets. One was conveniently located beside the headphone jack for the entertainment system, allowing me to charge my AirFly AirPod adapter while using it. This meant only the battery life of my Apple AirPods limited my use of the onboard entertainment. Unfortunately, the second USB socket wasn’t functioning. It usually works on other TAP A330 aircraft I’ve flown, so I assumed it was a fault and informed the crew.
I’m sceptical whether my pre-booked seat prior to agreeing to move would have been any better.
What is the best seat on TAP A330neo business class?
Any window seat on rows 3, 5 or 7 (A and K)
If you like your privacy and/or don’t want to have folk brushing past you, avoid all C and H seats.
See the seating plan on SeatGuru.
Onboard Experience
The business class amenity kit provided on TAP Air Portugal’s long-haul services is from the Portuguese brand Benamôr. The kit includes skincare products such as hand cream and face moisturiser, as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs, an eye mask, and a pair of flight socks.
There was one washroom at the front and two at the rear. As with other TAP flights, the crew restrict the use of the front washroom for most of the flight. I noticed it appeared “occupied” throughout the entire journey, which made me suspect it was locked. The crew seem to always want that front vestibule and galley to be their private area. To compound the issue, passengers from economy were using the rear washrooms without challenge. This meant as many as 70 passengers were using just two toilets.
Food & Drink
Cabin service began with a drink and some nuts 40 minutes after take-off. There were two Portuguese red wines on the trolley. Unsure which I would prefer, the flight attendant kindly let me try a sip of both. I chose the Quinta da Alorna Reserva, a blend from Tejo, which, though less famous than the Douro, was particularly good.
The main meal was served 75 minutes after leaving Lisbon. Although I’m not usually a fan of freshwater fish, the river fish starter was cured and smoked, making it quite moreish. Local stars gained a new fan.
The veal main course was underwhelming—a stodgy bowl of comfort food. While the veal was slow-cooked, the chestnut puree and mushrooms made it very rich but lacked texture.
The dessert was a trio of almond and honey pudding, a small bowl of kiwi and pineapple fruit, and a large block of seven cheeses.
While drinks were offered while the trolley was out, refreshment service was otherwise by request only. Water wasn’t offered during the flight, which I think is quite poor for a 10-hour business class journey.
Before landing, the crew served a light meal of cold cuts, dessert, and fruit, along with drinks from the trolley. The meal was very similar in type and presentation to the short-haul business flight I had taken earlier in the day. This wasn’t described on the menu card.
In-flight Entertainment
The touch-screen 18” display had to be folded away for takeoff and landing. The software was very responsive, providing a good browsing and viewing experience. There was a decent amount of old and new content, so I found enough to keep me entertained.
The rubber on the supplied noise-cancelling headphones was disintegrating and leaving bits everywhere, including in my ears. I asked for a replacement.
Wi-Fi was activated fairly quickly after departure. The internet became available once the seatbelt sign was switched off, about 15 minutes after takeoff. Prices were on the high end, but they do offer 60 minutes of free messaging. They also have a deal for Boingo subscribers, which gets you discounted access to the basic plans.
BG1 Verdict
The seat design isn’t great, and the cleanliness was really poor. Maintenance issues with the seat and headphones give the impression of neglect. However, the IFE system performed very well and had good content. The wine was good, but the food was an average show, especially the main course.
We departed Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport 40 minutes late, something that wasn’t even remarked upon by the crew as we arrived late into São Paulo.
Because of these points, the TAP Air Portugal business class product remains weak. However, their dominance over transatlantic routes between Europe and Brazil will ensure continued high demand in their premium cabin. For this trip, I didn’t think it represented very good value for money.
BG1 Tip
Even if you are traveling outside of the Schengen area, it is possible to enter the EU at Lisbon Airport and pass into the much larger Schengen terminal, which has a wider selection of shops and places to dine.
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