TAP Portugal Business Class Review (A330-900 Lisbon - Chicago)
Airline: TAP Portugal, TP
Aircraft: Airbus A330-900neo
Aircraft registration: CS-TUL
Route: Lisbon - Chicago
Flight numbers: TP243
Seat: 8C
This is Europe's most attractive airline. An airline everyone wants to buy. Why? TAP Air Portugal has long been unprofitable or, during its best years, only mildly profitable. It is based in one of Europe's most slot and space-constrained airports, with an aging terminal. Yet all three major airline groups: IAG (owner of British Airways and Iberia), the Lufthansa Group, and Air France-KLM, are all keenly eyeing the airline for an acquisition.
So I had two questions. First, what makes TAP such an appealing purchase? And second, would someone buying them be good or bad news for us as passengers?
I doubt most people would consider flying TAP Air Portugal something to get very excited about since they’re not exactly a premium airline like Air France, but I cannot help it. Their A330-900neo has been taunting me. Although I've flown the airline before, I have never stepped aboard their flagship until now. Having flown over 200 premium products, that has been slightly embarrassing for me. Thankfully, that changes today as I spend ten hours aboard TAP's Airbus A330-900neo business class from Lisbon to Chicago.
Terminal and Lounge at Lisbon, Airport
Our day begins in Madrid, the home of Iberia. From here, it's a short 50-minute flight west to Lisbon. On the surface, it doesn't quite make sense why IAG, the parent company of Iberia, would be interested in another carrier so nearby. That mainly comes down to IAG saying, "step away from our turf." More on why in a moment.
Lisbon Airport
In the blink of an eye, we are approaching Lisbon, one of Europe's most congested airports. Even though this airport only has one active runway, TAP manages to squeeze in almost 90 destinations with a fleet of around 100 aircraft. A cramped ten-minute bus ride later, welcome to the terminal.
I was lost here in 2019 traveling with my family and have somehow managed to suppress any memories of the terminal interior. Honestly, given how poor a reputation this airport has, the airside area isn't that bad. The restaurant selection leaves a lot to be desired. Unless you want to eat bread and only bread. So we decide to check out the Tejo Lounge.
Lisbon Airport
TAP Premium Portugal lounge
TAP Portugal Premium Lounge Tejo at Lisbon Airport
The food selection in the Tejo Lounge is honestly in line with what I'd expect from a Holiday Inn Express breakfast next to a US airport, besides the pastel de nata. Like that Holiday Inn Express breakfast buffet, the lounge is also packed to the point where we see no reason to stay.
TAP Portugal Premium Lounge Tejo at Lisbon Airport
TAP Portugal Premium Lounge Tejo at Lisbon Airport
TAP Portugal Premium Lounge Tejo at Lisbon Airport
TAP Portugal Premium Lounge Tejo at Lisbon Airport
We clear passport control, which is quick today, and try the non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge instead.
Non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge Lisbon Airport
Non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge Lisbon Airport
Non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge Lisbon Airport
Non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge Lisbon Airport
Non-Schengen Atlantico Lounge wifi connectivity
This one opened just a few years ago and must be more premium than the other one, right? Oh, no it's not.
While I sympathize with there being literally no remaining space in this airport to build an impressive lounge, there are ways to make the most of what you have. TAP could provide far better food, much faster Wi-Fi, and more privacy partitions, just to name a few. Instead, my takeaway from the lounge is this: don't even bother, and pity the person who pays extra for business class hoping to enjoy this part of the experience.
Even worse: if TAP expands further and Lisbon becomes a hub used widely by a larger airline group, you can only expect the lounges to get even busier. As is often the case in Lisbon, we've got a bus gate to the aircraft. Let's get on board.
TAP Portugal Airline Routes
So why is everyone after TAP? Geography, mainly. Lisbon sits at the most optimal geographic position in Europe for South Atlantic flights. The idea is to shuttle people from your hub to Lisbon and onwards to Latin America, and why not Africa too? That is the vision of the Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM at least.
TAP will soon launch flights to their 14th Brazilian destination. No European carrier flies more routes to Brazil. They also serve 11 North American cities, including today's flight to Chicago.
Where IAG comes into this is twofold: they want to dominate the Iberian Peninsula and prevent competition from encroaching on their turf. So regardless of who ultimately wins, the motive is clear. TAP is a geographic asset. Keep that in mind as we go through this review, because it shapes everything about what this airline is, and what it isn't.
TAP Portugal Airline Seat Map
TAP's A330-900neo comes in a two-class configuration with business class located between doors one and two in a 1-2-1 layout. The 34 seats are in a common staggered configuration, with some seats being closer to the aisle and some closer to the windows.
TAP Portugal Airbus A330-900neo Seat Map
Quick seat guide
Odd-numbered window seats - best privacy, best overall choice
Odd-numbered center seats - honeymoon seats, great for couples
Even-numbered window seats - face the aisle, acceptable solo option
Even-numbered center seats - avoid these, no privacy and awkward positioning
The odd-numbered rows are angled toward the windows, so always go for those for maximum privacy. In the center, the odd-numbered rows have honeymoon seats that are further from the aisle, which are perfect for traveling with a companion. The seats you absolutely want to avoid are the even-numbered center seats, which are closer to the aisle, completely lack privacy, and are so far from the neighboring center seat that you're better off just sitting in a window seat altogether.
TAP Portugal Airbus A330-900neo Seat Map
Today, Oskar and I are in 9A and 8C respectively. There's a missing window at 9A, which isn't ideal. Since the flight is only at about 30 to 40% capacity, Oskar moves to 8D shortly after takeoff so we can more easily socialize.
TAP also seemingly offers three lavatories for business class passengers, which is quite a remarkable ratio. More on that later.
TAP Portugal Business Class Seat Features
On first impression boarding, the cabin feels nice. My attention immediately goes to the center honeymoon seats, which look oh so cozy. I also notice that the pillow and blanket are wrapped in plastic, which I commend. The desire to remove plastic wrapping shouldn't extend to the pillow we'll be putting our faces on, in my germaphobic opinion.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat
Along the sides we have our odd-numbered rows, which are vaguely reminiscent of reverse herringbones. In a way, this configuration is the closest thing we have to an alternating herringbone and reverse herringbone, with the odd-numbered rows angled toward the windows, the even-numbered rows angled out toward the aisle. Sitting angled toward the aisle is not the best thing in the world, but this seat is not meant to be the best in the world.
In fact, this cabin is one of the most space-efficient, low-cost-friendly business class cabins out there. Space is not its USP. Efficiency is. While TAP squeezes in 34 seats here, Virgin Atlantic's A330-900neo fits 32 seats in the same space. ITA has 30 and Delta has just 29.
The main thing I dislike about this seat is that it has no privacy whatsoever. You better get comfortable with the person sitting across from you, because you're basically bunkmates for the next nine hours.
In front of me, I have a slightly awkwardly angled entertainment screen that can be extended when needed. There's an empty floor area with a small storage compartment to the side, as well as a charging port, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack. To my left, I have the controls for my seat, an adjustable armrest, and a small storage bin. On the main surface to my side, there's a TV remote and a closable locker housing the headphones and a water bottle. On my right, another adjustable armrest.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
To my left, I have the controls for my seat, an adjustable armrest, and a small storage bin. On the main surface to my side, there's a TV remote and a closable locker housing the headphones and a water bottle. On my right, another adjustable armrest.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class seat features 9A
So they've done the best they can with a pretty compact seat. One impressive detail: you can actually leave the seat even when the tray table is in use, which is quite something given how tight the space otherwise feels.
As you probably know, in Europe the inflight entertainment selection can be wildly hit or miss. Here we have over 200 movies to choose from and almost as many TV shows. The accompanying headphones are pretty good as well.
TAP Portugal business A330-900 class seat entertainment
My favorite feature is actually a cute inflight map designed for kids. The closer Oskar and I get to having children, the more I notice this kind of thing, and the airlines that make the effort.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class inflight map
I also buy a €10 Wi-Fi pass to test the connectivity. Speeds are decent enough to check FlightRadar24 and stress myself out about how long the immigration line at Chicago is likely to be given all the international arrivals right before ours. Keep in mind the flight is at 30 to 40% capacity today, which probably helps.
TAP Portugal Business Class Inflight meals
For such a physical menu, it's funny to see no choice of appetizer and no explanation whatsoever of the pre-landing meal besides a mention that there will be one. In terms of drinks, there are a few different wines, the usual spirits, and a small selection of soft drinks. Oskar and I start out with a Coke Zero and still water, served with some nuts.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class menu
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class appetizer
The meal service starts around 50 minutes after takeoff. Everything arrives on one tray. I have my special meal: a curry, potentially Indian-inspired, with cabbage and chickpeas. There is also a hummus which I assume is the appetizer, a bread roll, and some butter. I had a look at the pasta option in the galley earlier and that looked really delicious, I'm not going to lie. What's on my tray? Not the biggest meal for a nine-hour flight.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class starter meal
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class starter meal
And then the plot twist of the decade.
I'm a big dessert person, so I cannot complain about the dessert being way more interesting and elaborate and fun than the main course or the appetizer. We have what looks like a mango and coconut mousse. Other passengers got ice cream. And then non-dairy cheese as well. I'm impressed. I wish we had some crackers to eat it with, but it's a pretty good showing overall.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class dessert
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class dessert
The efficiency of the meal being done and cleared 90 minutes after takeoff, along with the smiling, eager-to-please crew, I'm honestly left with a very positive impression.
I woke up mid-flight hungry and made my way to the galley, where a few snacks were available.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class snacks
We don't have to wait too long for the pre-landing meal either. We're already 90 minutes out of Chicago when the carts roll again. This time I'm really impressed with the investment in getting plant-based cold cuts and more dairy-free cheese on board. Maybe not the most visually enticing meal, but there's also chocolate cake, some nice bread, and fruit. Is this the most food you can imagine on a nine-hour flight? No. But I'm not starving. And the more I think about it: once you make a small open sandwich out of everything, it all actually tastes quite good. Overall, I found the catering far superior to the likes of Lufthansa Allegris Business Class.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class pre landing meal
TAP Portugal Business Class Amenities
TAP provides an amenity kit. There are no separate slippers or pajamas, just in case you were wondering. It's a standard kit for this level of product.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class amenity kit
One thing I'll mention here: I bring my favorite sweatpants on board and change after takeoff. This has become a new hack for me. You will be ten times more comfortable and relaxed. I highly recommend it.
TAP Portugal Business Class lavatory
Kudos to the crew who keep the lavatories clean and pristine throughout the whole flight. That matters more than most people realize on a nine-hour transatlantic.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class lavatory
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class lavatory
Although there are no special business class amenities in the lavatories, cleanliness is by far the most important thing, and TAP delivers on that. Three lavatories for 34 business class seats is also a pretty excellent ratio, better than most airlines bother with.
TAP Portugal Business Class Sleep Experience
Remember what I said about this being a low-cost, very dense space configuration? That is nowhere more noticeable than when you're lying flat. It is really tight. You feel like you're squeezing into a tube. Your lower half basically slides under the seat unit in front of you. I'm 6'2" or 188cm, so if you're shorter, you might not notice it as much. You also have essentially no privacy, with your head basically out in the aisle. You better hope nobody comes along with a cart and hits you.
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class bed
Luckily it's an empty flight, so I grab an extra pillow because these feel paper thin. After some decent sleep, with some very strange dreams about a Korean Air A380 inaugural event taking place in a giant sand pit.
TAP Portugal Business Class: Our Final Verdict
TAP Portugal A330-900 aircraft wing
TAP Portugal A330-900 business class approaching Chicago Airport
Oskar summed up this flight better than I could. He said he had been excited to finally try TAP and find out what they were about, but after ten hours he still was not sure. So much of Portuguese culture could have shaped this experience: the tiles, the ocean, the seafaring history. Instead the cabin is gray and green. There is nothing to remember, nothing that says this is what TAP is.
That identity gap is probably exactly what makes TAP such a clean acquisition target. Any of the three groups circling it could absorb it without changing much. Under Lufthansa it stays as it is. Under IAG it becomes an Iberia extension. Under Air France-KLM there is at least a chance that some of KLM's distinct character rubs off. Personally that is the outcome I would hope for.
What TAP does well: the crew are warm and efficient, the lavatory ratio is better than most, the entertainment selection is solid, and the pre-landing special meal showed real effort with the plant-based options. The dessert was the clear highlight of the food service.
What still needs work: both Lisbon lounges fall short of what a transatlantic business class carrier should offer. The seat has no meaningful privacy. The main course portion is too small for a nine-hour flight. And the product has no clear identity. You could put this cabin on any mid-tier European carrier and nothing would feel out of place.
Portugal is among the most beautiful countries in the world and the brand potential is enormous. TAP just has not decided to use it yet. For the right price on this route it is worth flying. Just go in knowing the experience is functional rather than memorable, and that the dessert will be better than you expect.
