Review of TAP Air Portugal flight Funchal Lisbon in Economy

Airline TAP Air Portugal
Flight TP1690
Class Economy
Seat 12D
Aircraft Airbus A320
Flight time 01:35
Take-off 10 Apr 21, 06:00
Arrival at 10 Apr 21, 07:35
TP   #74 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 314 reviews
Matthevv
By 1219
Published on 27th April 2021

Hello!


Bom dia! 
As promised, I am continuing with my flight reports from the trip to Madeira with TAP Air Portugal, a new airline to me. In this report, I'm going to start with a few memories back from this beautiful island. If you don't want me to tempt you to go there, I'd suggest jumping to section "The airport" ;-) Otherwise, please enjoy some of my favourite pics from Madeira. Later on in the report, I will focus on the experience at Funchal Airport and my very early morning flight from Funchal to Lisbon.

I hope you will enjoy the read. 


Routing


Flight details:
Flight number TP1690
Route Funchal Madeira - Lisbon Portela
Flight date 10th April 2021, 0600-0735 (actual 0604-0728)
Scheduled flight time 1:35 (actual 1:24)
Aircraft model Airbus A320
Aircraft registration CS-TNX
Seating configuration CY174
Aircraft age (at the time of flight) 14.9 years
Seat number 12D
Departure gate 5 (walking gate)
Arrival gate Bus gate in Lisbon, a very remote stand
Load factor (approx.) 50%
Flight price 250 EUR (whole itinerary)


Madeira <3


I can't possibly describe with words how much I felt in love with this island. It's been my little dream to go there for quite some time and I finally got the opportunity to fulfil it! Many would say, Madeira is like any other touristic holiday destination, where people come on package holidays, but that's not true! This island gives you so much more: amazing sights, breathtaking nature and delicious food. It's a place to be active, a place to relax, a place to enjoy your best life. Definitely.


1. Madeira - views
This is the main thing of interest here. If you don't like juicy green landscapes, breathtaking waterfalls and the views of the ocean twining with cliffs, don't go there. 



2. Madeira - nature
Continuing from amazing landscapes, the richness of plant species - colours and scents is out of this world too.



3. Madeira - sights and local food
Well, what can I say - you just need to go there and try everything yourself. I hope I incentivised you :-)



If you have any questions about Madeira, what to do, where to stay or you want any other tips, please post them in the comment section, I'll be more than happy to answer!


The Airport


Our journey begins in a very early morning, actually at night eheh. We set off from Savoy Palace in Funchal a few minutes before 4 at night, from where we had a 25-minute ride to Madeira Airport which is located in Santa Cruz. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6am.

Let me give a short digression at this point… For both the flights TO Madeira and FROM Madeira, TAP offered flights with shorter connection times than the ones we chose (we could easily depart Funchal on a 9:30 flight and would have made it to our flight to Warsaw), however these "more convenient" options were more expensive. And from what I've seen, this is usually the case with TAP. They seem to be putting much effort into their "Stopover programme" at Portuguese airports, and hence the longer connections are better priced than the short ones.


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We arrived at the airport in the middle of the night or early morning depending who you ask :p


From the parking, where we left our rented car, it's a 5 minute walk to the terminal. Obviously it was empty all round, as we were the only flight departing that early in the morning. There were no temperature or document checks at the entrance. Everyone can enter the terminal.


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Quite a few flights scheduled for today - but Saturday explains that. There was even a direct flight to Warsaw later, in the evening - operated by Enter Air - a polish charter airline - on a 737 MAX 8.


Quite unexpectedly, a day before departure, both of us, Asia and me, received an email from TAP, saying we've been automatically checked in. It was quite strange because neither of us selected the automated check in option and also for the outbound flight (from WAW to FNC) this automatic check in did not happen to us. Unfortunately, as we had two separate bookings, the system seated us separately. To change it, I decided to go to the check in desk and ask the agent if he could reassign our seats.


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The man at the counter said it was not possible and we should just try reseating ourselves once on board. He also asked us, again quite unexpectedly, to show our COVID test and this question chilled our blood, because neither of us had a COVID test. Fortunately, we knew our rights and Poland does not require a negative test before departure - you can take it after arrival into the country. Vaccinated people are also exempt from test/quarantine. But the guy at the counter seemed to be a bit under informed and had no clue about that (well, the regulations only changed two weeks earlier, it's not easy to keep track). Luckily, the man at the next counter was aware of the law and explained to our agent that we did not need a test. But anyway, quite a stressful experience in the very early morning (and not the last one that day!). Even though I understand the restrictions change daily, I would appreciate if the ground staff knew what the should and should not demand from passengers, because otherwise it all becomes really stressful (applies to both Funchal and Lisbon airports).


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Security was a breeze and generally the whole airport was super empty (about 70 people at the whole airport). In the photo above is the only cafe open. The big duty free store opened only at 5am, but before that everything else apart from Cockpit cafe was closed. And now I come to the best feature of Funchal Airport - "the smokers' terrace", which should rather be called "an avgeek terrace", since no one was smoking there, everyone used it to spot some planes (and get some fresh air).



A very large outside terrace just in front of the apron. It gives an amazing feeling of how close the airplanes and the runway are. It's just a pity, it was so dark and that nothing was taking off/landing. But still it's a really nice feature of the airport. The TAP's A320 in picture two is the one that's going to take us to Lisbon, CS-TNX.


Boarding started at 5:20, so 40 mins before take off time and like all my boardings with TAP, was carried out in well-organised groups: priority and then back to front.


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Gate 5 area. It's nice to see how people try to keep at least minimal distance from each other when it's possible.


the flight


There is no better way to start the morning, than walking down the apron, next to an A320, smelling the aviation fuel in the air… We boarded through rear doors. We were greeted by a bit sleepy crew and were given a refreshing tissue, as on previous flights with TAP. Whilst the tissue is not of the best quality, it's still a nice gesture to receive it. Also as on previous flights, I asked whether I would be allowed to take the exit row, as long as it's free :-) They said to wait until the boarding is finished (but Expertflyer already assured me there shouldn't be anyone seated there, and wasn't wrong).


photo img_1546

Oops! A blurred picture of the rear "green" cabin. I must've been a bit sleepy ;)


I initially took my assigned seat in row 13, just behind the exit row. And actually it's the best seat of the "green" zone - even though it already has the worse legroom, it features more seat pockets and the tablet holder, like the "red" zone seats.


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…or maybe even the legroom is a bit better than the one you get further back (?) It looks to me for a 30" and not 28" as it is at the back. But definitely not the 34" that you get in the front.


photo img_1548

And here is the seat itself, a "Recaro ironing board", as @KevinDC would call it :-) We all know, unfortunately, what the comfort level of these seats is. I won't comment on it. At least the seat looks nice (my personal opinion).


Once boarding was finished, one of the crew members, who I previously asked about the exit row, came to me and confirmed that I can take row 12DEF. By the way, we had an all-female crew this morning. I moved my things quickly and realised once again that yes, exit row makes a huge difference for my long legs (but I always stint money on it and never reserve seats :p).


photo img_1549

Cabin view after boarding, before departure. Even though our Airbus wasn't brand new this time (rather 15 years old), the new interior design has been implemented throughout the whole TAP's fleet so also in the older jets. Thanks to it, the age of the aircraft wasn't that clearly palpable - you could feel it's not a Neo but neither did you feel like in a 15-year-old airplane.


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Here's the legroom in 12D, exit row. And again, the seat features: 2 pockets, literature compartment, tablet holder, movable headrest, recline and a power socket + USB port (2 per each 3 seats) - so quite a decent offering.


Yet before departure, one of the crew members walked through the cabin and sprayed all the luggage in the overhead compartments. I assume, it was some kind of insecticide to kill the insects endemic to Madeira, since it's quite a unique ecosystem in terms of its fauna and flora - but correct me if I'm wrong. To my eye, she did not do it thoroughly but maybe that's the procedure…


photo img_1551

One more view of the cabin before the doors get closed. You can see, by looking at the windows or overhead panels, it's one of the older generation Airbus A320. But the good thing is that every row seemed to feature personal lights and air vents.


We had a very pleasant, smooth and on time departure. I must say, we were quite lucky to not experience the infamous turbulent Madeiran landing or takeoff - but only a weekend before we came they had such terrible storms on Madeira that many airplanes were forced to land on Porto Santo, an island nearby. Everyone seemed to be half-asleep due to the early departure time, well, everyone except for me :p. I nearly never sleep in any means of transport, be it an airplane, a train, a bus or a car which I don't think is a good thing.

Like on my previous TAP flights, the seatbelt signs were kept on for very long after departure. The Buy on Board service started 30 mins into the flight. The menu differs from the one available online in a few places and was displayed on the trolley. I decided to have a little breakfast. The offering was much better than on my flight from WAW to LIS, where I was forced to take the Lasagne which was pretty much the only option available.


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I had a black tea, a Belgian waffle and a toast with turkey ham and cheese. Whilst the pricing is alright in my opinion (10.5 EUR altogether), the quality leaves a lot to be desired. The waffle was dry and the toast was probably the fattest I had ever eaten. It was so greasy, that I felt as if I was eating butter and a toast and not a toast with some butter. But at least it filled my stomach for some time. I would also like to comment on another snack - the tapas box - which the people seating in the row next to us chose to buy. I don't know how to describe it, but it's packed in such a way that it's really hard to eat in airplane conditions. You might want to avoid it.

On the other hand, the lady serving me was very kind and smiling despite the early time. She seemed to be the most cheerful of all crew on that flight. She said that she can always give me a refill for my tea should I want it. 


Whilst they were serving me, I asked the crew, if they have layovers in Funchal since the flight departs so early in the morning. And they are very lucky to actually have a 2-night layover there!


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Excuse my little digression, but I'd like to comment on the cabin divider. You might call me grumpy but in my opinion, a cabin divider like that - literally covers half of the aisle and that's it - doesn't make too much sense. I heard about these cabin dividers already before… but they are different in Neos - there they work like in most other European airlines (see next report).


After the meal, with my greasy fingers, I desperately needed to go to the toilet to wash them (hahah). We were already half-way through the flight and most of people were still sleeping. Lavatory was pretty standard, clean, and amenities were consistent with those on the previous legs. I really do appreciate that they had extra refreshing tissues left in the lavatories, even though, like I said, their quality wasn't the finest.



Going back to my seat, I managed to capture the cabin from the back and also some photos of the lovely sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.


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For the rest of the flight, I kept watching an episode of Suits, taking advantage of the phone/tablet holder installed in the seats. I really really would like to say, it's an amazingly useful feature for people who want to watch something on their phone. I finished the episode exactly in the moment of touchdown, which was after a very long "cloud surfing session". Oh my God, it was such bad weather in Lisbon that morning, stormy, rainy and windy. I hadn't had a more turbulent landing probably since my flight to London last January when I was landing during one of the winter storms. I was really hoping we were going to get a jet bridge gate so that we can avoid being exposed to the bad weather… but how unlucky were we to be parked at one of the remotest stands at Lisbon Airport (what an irony) - I don't have to add that most jet bridges were available at LIS at that time.



Alright, it did not rain for w while when we were boarding the bus. The ride to the terminal was obviously quite long but once we arrived at T1 LIS, there was no additional control (domestic arrival) and we went straight into the mid part of the terminal which was surprisingly empty at that time. It would get much busier later on in the day, which I'm going to talk about in the next report (to be released soon) - of my last flight with TAP Air Portugal from LIS to WAW on an A320neo. For now, I hope you enjoyed this one and that I incentivised you to go and explore Madeira. As always, any questions or comments - feel free to post.

Thanks for reading,
Matthevv. 

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Verdict

TAP Air Portugal

6.9/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering4.0

Funchal - FNC

7.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access7.0
Services4.0
Cleanliness8.0

Lisbon - LIS

6.5/10
Efficiency6.5
Access7.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness5.0

Conclusion

Whilst I think TAP Air Portugal is a decent airline, a good value for money, they have a few areas for improvement definitely. I know, most of the European carriers are getting very similar to low cost airlines, but TAP seems to be the closest one to crossing the line. In my opinion, they are more low-cost-carrier-like than LH, BA, LX or LO.

Crew, like I once heard, is a bit of hit and miss - depending on the member. Buy on Board offer, despite being well-priced, is of a poor quality. The flight connections with better timings are deliberately more expensive. Some features of the cabin, like the dividers or seat padding could also be better.

Apologies for pointing out only the downsides in this conclusion, but I hope that after having read this report, you can see that TAP has many assets too. And like I said, it is a decent airline - I wouldn't hesitate to choose it again.

Information on the route Funchal (FNC) Lisbon (LIS)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 6 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Funchal (FNC) → Lisbon (LIS).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est TAP Air Portugal avec 7.2/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 33 minutes.

  More information

8 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 573523 by
    momolemomo GOLD 9448 Comments
    Thank you for this report and the bonus. I’ve always wanted to go to Madeira and I was supposed to be there right now but TAP refused me check in, saying tourism wasn’t allowed in Madeira and I needed an essential reason to travel there...
    Beautiful light at sunrise.
    The BOB seems quite qualitative, although a bit expensive.
    • Comment 573528 by
      Matthevv AUTHOR 163 Comments
      Hi Momolemomo,

      Thank you for reading and you’re very welcome :)
      I can’t believe they really told you that?! It’s insane because we were told exactly the opposite - Madeira is open for tourism. The disinformation worldwide is appalling. It’s a shame you couldn’t go there but I hope you’ll find an opportunity soon.

      Best Wishes
      Mateusz
  • Comment 573529 by
    NewYorker 194 Comments
    Hey Mateusz, thanks for sharing this report! I love that spotter's terrace in Madeira, looks like it provides some pretty nice views... As for the flight, it's a shame that the food wasn't to your liking, but props to TAP for having chargers onboard their older aircraft! That's a rare thing to see in Europe for sure. Although it's pretty annoying that the cabin has different seats behind the wing. Not very aesthetically pleasing, I must say :// Again, thanks for sharing, and happy flying!
  • Comment 573541 by
    Matthevv AUTHOR 163 Comments
    Hey NewYorker, glad to hear from you!
    Yes you’re right the terrace was amazing, I just hope I was there in the daylight...
    Haha yes both of the cabs in sections look great on their own but not combined!

    I’m just about to read your latest report of Austrian.
    Best,
    Mateusz
  • Comment 573602 by
    Plainfreak 46 Comments
    Hi Mateusz,
    You should work for Madeira Tourist Organization - very enthusiastic ;-) Super nice pics, Madeira has been added to my 'go to'-list. What did you think of the people - I've met very nice Portuguese, and very rude ones!
    Looks like a standard flight, exit row once again, the magic touch haha
    Safe travels, Dani
    • Comment 573603 by
      Matthevv AUTHOR 163 Comments
      Hey Daniel :-)

      You should work for Madeira Tourist Organization - very enthusiastic


      Thank you so much for these very kind words, it's a pleasure to share some enthusiasm with others and this trip to Madeira was a true gem.

      What did you think of the people - I've met very nice Portuguese, and very rude ones!


      Unfortunately I had exactly the same experience... really depends on the person - some of them were really friendly but some grumpy and unkind :(

      A very standard flight, exactly - but I liked it in TAP - they were very consistent on all flights throughout my itinerary.

      exit row once again, the magic touch haha


      Shall I entitle this whole trip "An exit row trip"? ;-)

      Take care,
      Matt
  • Comment 573934 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Wow, I honestly had no idea Madeira was so beautiful! The sights are colours all seem breathtaking! I've always heard more talk about the Azores--it seems Madeira is a bit or a hidden gem!

    Fortunately, we knew our rights and Poland does not require a negative test before departure - you can take it after arrival into the country.

    And this is exactly why so many people are avoiding international travel altogether, even when destinations are opening to tourism. It's almost impossible for the airlines themselves to keep up with all the changes and requirements, much less passengers. But yes, lucky for you, Poland is one of the few EU countries not requiring a test before departure.

    …or maybe even the legroom is a bit better than the one you get further back (?) It looks to me for a 30" and not 28" as it is at the back. But definitely not the 34" that you get in the front.

    That seems about right. Pitch can vary depending on the row, but the majority should be pitched at 28-29" behind the exit row, so that row seems to be one of the outliers.

    And here is the seat itself, a "Recaro ironing board", as @KevinDC would call it :-)

    Haha, yep, they're everywhere...airlines love them for their lightweight frames and ability to pitch at 28" while maintaining decent leg clearance. But yes, we all know they are hard as rocks.

    I moved my things quickly and realised once again that yes, exit row makes a huge difference for my long legs (but I always stint money on it and never reserve seats :p)

    Seems like this has been a winning strategy for you! It wouldn't work in the US though, where exit rows are always full since they are free to frequent flyers with status, of which there are usually more on average per flight than in Europe.

    I assume, it was some kind of insecticide to kill the insects endemic to Madeira, since it's quite a unique ecosystem in terms of its fauna and flora - but correct me if I'm wrong.

    I believe that's right. I've experiences this a lot on flights from tropical regions of Central and South America as well as Caribbean islands.

    Thanks for all the great details in this report and the well-balanced view of the positives and negatives of flying TAP in the pandemic!
    • Comment 573972 by
      Matthevv AUTHOR 163 Comments
      Hello Kevin!

      And sorry for this late reply, I've been a bit busy recently.

      I've always heard more talk about the Azores


      Now that I saw Madeira, I am definitely hyped to go to Azores too! They're probably even more wild and less touristic.

      And this is exactly why so many people are avoiding international travel altogether.


      Exactly... many people just want to avoid the hassle of testing, quarantine and uncertainty. But I can tell, we're going in the right direction and this whole thing is about to end. I'm glad to see, as a scientist, that the vaccines are bringing the expected effect.

      ["Recaro ironing boards"] - they're everywhere


      Obviously they were also present on my flight from LHR to ABZ last week but (spoiler alert), legroom seems to be a bit better in BA than in TP with these seats.

      Seems like this has been a winning strategy for you! It wouldn't work in the US though, where exit rows are always full since they are free to frequent flyers with status, of which there are usually more on average per flight than in Europe.


      Haha yes indeed it was a good strategy ;-) Not too many frequent flyers on these flights to a rather touristic, holiday destination.

      Thank you for reading Kevin, and I'm glad you enjoyed the report.

      All the best,
      Mateusz.

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