TAP Air Portugal Reviews 363

Worst customer service, I booked seats and paid, they switched seats on me, and had 4 seats booked on one flight, 0 on next for 2 people. For 6 weeks I tried to resolve issue, sent emails with screen shots... then the customer "service" agent hung up on me

I booked with them shortly before the pandemic. When the proverbial hit the fan, I received a cancellation email. Initially it looked like refund was an option but the link I followed could only issue vouchers. I called them and they told me they can only issue vouchers. This is, technically, illegal as under EU law they are obligated to offer a refund and they could be sued for it but hey, who has the time/money for courts right? So I opt for vouchers. Flight was for 5 people so bizarrely I had to apply for 5 refunds so got 5 vouchers, which were indeed delivered. It struck me as odd to give me 5 vouchers instead of 1 big one but I didn't think anything of it. Fast forward to when I can use the vouchers. Now I only need to book for 4 people so I'm confident I'll be able to cover the flight with the 5 vouchers I have. FAT CHANCE. Like a casino it's all stacked against you. As it turns out, when you're paying for your flight, you can only use 3 payment methods, and each voucher counts as 1. This is why they're not giving you one voucher. So because I've got 2 adults and 2 children, I split the flight. 1 adult + 1 child on 1st reservation, payment covered with 3 vouchers (with 3rd one still having around 40% money left). Ok, now 2nd adult and 2nd child. Now the flight is gone all of the sudden. After coercing the website to show me the flight I want to book and, what do you know, price has gone up. This means 2 full vouchers I have and remains of the 3rd one aren't enough to cover it (I should note that had the price stayed the same it would have been fine). So I spend 2 full vouchers and my own cash because of 3 payment methods rule. And I'm left with useless voucher. So I'm out of pocked on the voucher and out of pocked because I had to pay extra for the ticket.

I should add that flight itself was fine, place is nice and fairly new, staff is pleasant.
But their business practices are beyond the pale and not quite legal if you look at EU regulations on flight cancellations.

the worst airline and worst customer service that i have experience. nobody should book with them, they are basically crooks. they cancelled flights which were booked September 2019. still waiting for a refund which has been promised and authorised but it is never paid. have now gone to twitter and instagram to try to force a response. i have been on to customer service time and time again, 40 minutes at a time only to have them hang up because they know it is pointless and that nobody will reply. all they do is take the details and say somebody will email. suprise suprise nobody ever emails. shocking and shameful, i would not wish this hellish experience on anybody. avoid by all means.

UK Small Claims Court

UK Small Claims Court? Help, has anyone taken TAP (or any airline) to court? If so I would be grateful if you could share your experience on Trustpilot, as it appears this may be the only action TAP would be forced to respond to!

My unresolved saga goes back more than 2 YEARS. Yes folks, severely delayed flight in late 2019! Claim submitted Feb 2020 (all PRE-Covid). TAP wasted our entire day at LHR while they were scrimping in order to fly in a cheaper replacement part (and technician) from Lisbon rather than source these more speedily locally. Now, having exceeding the 3 hour delay threshold limit. they obviously thought: "Well as we are already liable for set compensation (400 Euro each), to hell with fixing technical fault asap and so spare the passengers from even further inconvenienced". Nice Hey!

After literally dozens upon dozens of hours on phones & email over the years (not to mention even many more hours exhausted on the Alternative Dispute Resolution), all I have got is an acknowledgement from TAP (EC Regulation 261/2004) that they are indeed liable to pay the compensation. THEY HAVE NOT PAID ANY COMPENSATION.

So it appears that I will have to waste even more time in order to enforce the payment. I am told that the route would be to get a judgement from the Small Claims Court. If payment is still not made, I believe the case can be escalated to the High Court for enforcement and if still not satisfied, the High Court Sheriff (Bailiffs) can be called upon to recover the debt. TAP being a business means they can even force entry into their premises if necessary, and confiscate goods to the value to be sold on at auction to satisfy the debt (plus Court fees and Costs etc).

I (and I'm sure many others here) would like to hear from anyone who has used the Small Claims Court route for recovering money owed (any airline will do)??

A tip for those masses who are not getting any joy for refunds where they have paid for tickets and TAP has cancelled (and this not due to circumstances beyond their control) / at fault etc. etc.
Consider getting your Card Provider involved in order to reverse payment. This could be via Chargeback route or Section 75. Just google these words (sorry no links allowed) and all details will be revealed. Get moving... there are time limits which the card provider may enforce. Good Luck

DON'T FLY TAP EVER!!!! I have flown internationally multiple times (in the 80's to 100's range) I have used multiple airlines (BA, Lufthansa, easyJet, ect ,ect) and I have never in my life experienced such useless flight attendants.
I had the displeasure of being on flight TP1330 from Gatwick to Lisbon (15 April 2022) where I paid 584 GBP for myself and my fiancé to get treated extremely badly by a flight attendant with a god complex.

To go into more detail, I arrived for my flight to have be stared at blankly, no salutations or anything like that obviously this didn't irritate me too badly, like you're in the service industry, introduce yourself but hey that's a personal thing.

I sit down and we get our standard how a seat belt works BS, we are then told it's illegal for us to queue to use the toilet while in the air which makes sense (remember this later).

Now Gatwick was crazy so we thought we'd grab a bite on the plane(biggest mistake of my life).

Queue the flight attendants. They start coming down with their carts and we get excited looking at the menu, the guy arrives and I have to call him to say hey I'd like food after he ignored me 3 times. The guy stairs blankly and just says what do you want not help sir how can I help you any of that, I originally put it down to maybe a language barrier but he was fluent so f him. I order two sandwiches, the guy says no were out. I ask so what do you have? And he says "not sandwiches" (obviously). I then ask for a whole list of things "all out" eventually he says no I've got a iberic something something (cold meats platter)
So I explain, my fiance has a medical condition she cannot eat that as the rich food will mess up her body. He says alright can't help, so I order the platter for me, I order a coke and chips.

This guy moves off somewhere leaving his cart there and people have to walk around pushing other passengers in their chairs to get passed. Anyways he comes back and moves it and the next cart comes passed (it's doing the other side of the plane) and a women asks for a sandwich, you'll never guess what she got? That's right a sandwich. So I asked that flight attendant do you have anymore left and she actually polite says I'm sorry that was the last one. So now I think alright theirs nothing I can do. I get up to use the bathroom and low and behold the flight attendants are all eating sandwiches. Now I get flight attendants have to eat but surely as a human being we can extend a bit of compassion 🤷

Moving on, the same flight attendant decided to berate an elderly woman on the plane for not having her mask on because she was sipping wine and I do mean berate, she was even told that she needs to sip put it back on, take it off sip put it back on because while she "wadda waddas she's spreading it"?? He had absolutely no right to treat a lady like that. Two minutes later a young girl from a bachelor party who had clearly been overserved was standing on her seat without a mask shouting to her friends two rows back and guess what he walked passed and ignored her, I guess an older woman is an easier target?

Anyways so the guy comes to collect the rubbish, I've neatly put everything into a box and he doesn't have to touch anything, I give it to him and say thank you, he "accidentally" dropped my stuff all over me? He then had the nerve to stair at me and wait for me to pick it up???
I did not and he picked it up extremely slowly clearly in protest.

Now back to the bathroom queues, right so we're given a huge speech told we aren't allowed to queue, don't bother listening to that advice they don't care, the queue during turbulence with the seatbelt sign on was from the bathroom to row 25. So basically theirs mild turbulence, the pilots think you should sit down but the flight attendants think it's okay for roughly 20 people to queue for the loo.

Please note I have used airlines like LAM(Mozambican airline) and TAG (Angolan airline) and enjoyed both experiences where majority of the crew could not speak any English and they still made it an enjoyable experience.

So to summarize I will never use this airline again other than my return flight already booked with them and that is such a pity especially for a person who visits cascais every two months.

My flight from Copenhagen to Lisbon on monday the 4th of April at 12.55 was almost two hours delayed. A couple on the same flight told me that their flight the day before was cancelled. And when my husband was going to fly to Lisbon from Copenhagen on friday the 8th of April at 12.55 to meet with me, his flight was cancelled! Today we can read in the newspapers about the dramatic incident with the airplane that led to the cancellation. My husband is entitled to full compensation by TAP, but it has been impossible to get in touch with them so far! We will NEVER ever fly with TAP again. My portugese colleagues seem to be right when they told med that TAP stands for ‘Take another plane’!

Not yet travelled but can not even arrange special assistance for disabled son with a learning disability.
Been trying for months. Today a customer service lady put the phone down on me after I asked if she spoke English.
I spoke to one who could help with medication but needed to speak to someone else re boarding. In over 30years of travelling; apart from Expedia; this is the worst airline customer service I have encountered. It’s still not clarified !
Used Twitter, email and phone calls so far

Bought a very expensive travel insurance via TAP AIR's website. They refused to let me cancel the insurance within the 14 days grace period (in EU). The insurance company (Chubb) have accepted my cancellation and informed me that TAP AIR will reimburse my insurance costs. TAP AIR refuse to do this and keep referring me back to Chubb. Some of the supporters seem genuinely upset when they reject me, while others happily forward me to another department, and then the call is disconnected. It seems very deliberate: If you ask for a manager, they tell you that there are no managers. If you ask for email addresses, they refuse to provide any. I only found one email address on their entire website, and wrote them several emails. With zero result. This is extremely time consuming and TAP AIR know that most people just give up somewhere along the line - this is extremely unethical and unsympathetic. STAY FAR AWAY FROM TAP AIR!

TAP... couldn't RUN a BATH... let alone run an airline

For some obscure reason...this genuine complaint is not listed on the TAP Air Portugal/Trustpilot page ???
And I am STILL waiting for response from TAP ?? some 7 months later.
Dear Mr Simoes, (COO - TAP Air Portugal)

This debacle began at TAP check-in (LHR) where despite my strong objections, I was overcharged for excess luggage to the tune of £360, even though all our luggage was well within the specified weight limits, this charge was supposedly for 'excess baggage' when in fact it was for two carry-on cabin bags which weighed approximately 10.2kg and 10.4kg respectively, we were not allowed them as carry-on cabin bags, so these were placed in the hold, therefore incurring this exorbitant charge. I challenged this cost at the check-in desk and asked that the luggage be put into Cargo, as I'd been quoted for TAP Cargo only a few weeks prior, and showed her a copy of the TAP quote on my mobile (see IMG no: 7).

Moving onto the lost bag in question, and one which TAP somehow managed to lose between LHR-LIS-SSA, it was luggage tag nr: TP 994265 (see IMG no: 1 - 5710.jpeg)
This emergency flight was hastily booked as my wife's younger sister was terminally with Cancer, and this was the first available TAP flight to Salvador, so you can imagine the extreme duress we were both under at the time, and that c/w COVID-19 travel restrictions.
When we arrived at Salvador, all our checked-in luggage arrived, apart from the one piece of luggage in question. As it was late evening when our flight arrived, as usual, there was virtually nobody apart from skeleton staff, and certainly no-one from TAP, so we went to TAP desk, and that was closed too.

As we had to travel straight to the hospice in Amargosa's, which is some 4-5 hour drive from Salvador we had no time to wait around., but I made an official complaint at the first opportunity we had. Proof of my failed attempt to logon to TAP's website on 24/08/2021 to complain, is logged, as I took a screenshot at the time (see IMG no: 6). That complaint was later logged under TAP ref no: 2021-0002062141, but at a later date

Since then I have called your TAP Customer Services on countless occasions, and frankly that's been completely mind-numbing, as I've had to wait for 45mins to 1hr 10mins just for somebody to answer the call... CALL THAT CUSTOMER SERVICES... PAH!! More like and utter waste of my time, and final insults.

Contained inside that LOST case are some very personal family documents, and irreplaceable photo albums, and some valuable effects. So far, I have been unable to make a claim under my AMEX Platinum Card Insurance Policy, as your STAFF say the item in question is MISLAID and has not been officially classified as LOST ??... whatever that official statement, is meant to mean ??

Inescapable FACTS are !!! TAP Air Portugal's system has failed miserably on both occasions, and on two separate, but interrelated issues. We are now in December some 5 months after our flight, and there's still ZERO progress, or updates from your employers as to whether they've even made any attempt to search for this item.

Since then, we have visited Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport at Salvador at least three times each time for Resident Visa appointments with DPF, and on each occasion we've walked to the TAP desk, and NEVER found it open, nor is there any sign that it's been open for business, when we ask at the other desks, they say it's very rare to see any TAP staff at the desk.

As one might appreciate after 5 MONTHS my patience has reached breaking point. I am sick to death of being 'fobbed-off' with feeble excuses, gross-incompetence and bullsh1T from TAP and some of its contemptuous staff. So I'm sorry if it appears rude, but I now demand that I am given an urgent update by 10th December 2021 on the precise whereabout of my property, and I would refer you to your post on LinkedIn;
(Read carefully….. “Bag tags are read in 70 milliseconds irrespective of bag placement”! )

And if that wholly reasonable request, and simple task is not possible. Tomorrow is the 20th January 2022. exactly 6 months to the day since we took this flight and in that time, despite repeated emails to TAP's COO, nothing's been done, nor have any indication if the luggage is just mislaid/missing, or lost without trace. So TAP Management, time to get someone competent to look into this and report back. That'll be a FIRST !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I needed to change a booking due to Covid 19, however it took more than one hour waiting time to get contact. I was asked to submit documentation which was ok, but I asked for a confirmation of the reception of this and a confirmation of the open booking I now had. I mean right now I have no proof of anything.
This they did not do and I tried to call back - again 1 hour waiting time and then I was thrown off the line. Later the same day tried again and had contact with a guy who had no access to any information and send me on in the system - guess what another hour waiting..
They have no service at all - no customer orientation. If you want a nice travel experience dont use TAP

My experience:
-Impossible to reach customer service. Tried 7 times, waiting time 65-90min, reached an agent 1 time only.
- Missed the outbound flight due to Pos COVID test. They didn’t change my flight(despite having flexible ticket). Spent 380 extra pounds for a new ticket and Still made to the US but they automatically cancelled return flight so spent another £324 to get back to the UK.

End result: spent 700 pounds extra only because of this airline’s nasty greediness and impossible to reach customer service.

Avoid this airline! The most frustrating is that they make you lose so much money and cause so much stress but there is nobody to complain to and they will keep scamming people like that until go bankrupt.

I hope someone will read this and it will make this airline lose much more money than they scammed out of me. Please share my experience with everyone to make them lose more passengers and go bankrupt. Authorities should not allow them operate.

I waited 1.5 years to get a refund for flights cancelled by TAP Airline, and then I only to got back € 1800 of the 2200 paid for our family vacation. Never again, Europe’s worst airline. There’s good reason TAP always appears cheapest on sky scanner

Dear Mr Simoes, (COO - TAP Air Portugal)

This debacle began at TAP check-in (LHR) where despite my strong objections, I was overcharged for excess luggage to the tune of £360, even though all our luggage was well within the specified weight limits, this charge was supposedly for 'excess baggage' when in fact it was for two carry-on cabin bags which weighed approximately 10.2kg and 10.4kg respectively, we were not allowed them as carry-on cabin bags, so these were placed in the hold, therefore incurring this exorbitant charge. I challenged this cost at the check-in desk and asked that the luggage be put into Cargo, as I'd been quoted for TAP Cargo only a few weeks prior, and showed her a copy of the TAP quote on my mobile (see IMG no: 7).

Moving onto the lost bag in question, and one which TAP somehow managed to lose between LHR-LIS-SSA, it was luggage tag nr: TP 994265 (see IMG no: 1 - 5710.jpeg)
This emergency flight was hastily booked as my wife's younger sister was terminally with Cancer, and this was the first available TAP flight to Salvador, so you can imagine the extreme duress we were both under at the time, and that c/w COVID-19 travel restrictions.
When we arrived at Salvador, all our checked-in luggage arrived, apart from the one piece of luggage in question. As it was late evening when our flight arrived, as usual, there was virtually nobody apart from skeleton staff, and certainly no-one from TAP, so we went to TAP desk, and that was closed too.

As we had to travel straight to the hospice in Amargosa's, which is some 4-5 hour drive from Salvador we had no time to wait around., but I made an official complaint at the first opportunity we had. Proof of my failed attempt to logon to TAP's website on 24/08/2021 to complain, is logged, as I took a screenshot at the time (see IMG no: 6). That complaint was later logged under TAP ref no: 2021-0002062141, but at a later date

Since then I have called your TAP Customer Services on countless occasions, and frankly that's been completely mind-numbing, as I've had to wait for 45mins to 1hr 10mins just for somebody to answer the call... CALL THAT CUSTOMER SERVICES... PAH!! More like and utter waste of my time, and final insults.

Contained inside that LOST case are some very personal family documents, and irreplaceable photo albums, and some valuable effects. So far, I have been unable to make a claim under my AMEX Platinum Card Insurance Policy, as your STAFF say the item in question is MISLAID and has not been officially classified as LOST ??... whatever that official statement, is meant to mean ??

Inescapable FACTS are !!! TAP Air Portugal's system has failed miserably on both occasions, and on two separate, but interrelated issues. We are now in December some 5 months after our flight, and there's still ZERO progress, or updates from your employers as to whether they've even made any attempt to search for this item.

Since then, we have visited Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport at Salvador at least three times each time for Resident Visa appointments with DPF, and on each occasion we've walked to the TAP desk, and NEVER found it open, nor is there any sign that it's been open for business, when we ask at the other desks, they say it's very rare to see any TAP staff at the desk.

As one might appreciate after 5 MONTHS my patience has reached breaking point. I am sick to death of being 'fobbed-off' with feeble excuses, gross-incompetence and bullsh1T from TAP and some of its contemptuous staff. So I'm sorry if it appears rude, but I now demand that I am given an urgent update by 10th December 2021 on the precise whereabout of my property, and I would refer you to your post on LinkedIn;
(Read carefully….. “Bag tags are read in 70 milliseconds irrespective of bag placement”! )

And if that wholly reasonable request, and simple task is not possible. Tomorrow is the 20th January 2022. exactly 6 months to the day since we took this flight and in that time, despite repeated emails to TAP's COO, nothing's been done, nor have any indication if the luggage is just mislaid/missing, or lost without trace. So TAP Management, time to get someone competent to look into this and report back. That'll be a FIRST !!!!!!!!!!!!!

My suitcase was damaged on a flight from Porto to Gatwick.

I made a claim at the airport but was told i had to follow this up by contacting TAP AIR.

TAP Air have made it impossible to contact them!!

The online form does not submit (tried on many devices and different browsers) they do not have a direct contact number, Skype calling is expensive and doesn’t work, they have ignored all my messages on twitter and facebook despite this being their preferred contact method.

How is it possible they are allowed to trade like this!

I will never travel with them again!!!

If you like getting your morning flight canceled at 1 am by text message, no email or other communication, and then having your replacement flight delayed with no available information in the airport or from the airline. If you like the risk of not only contracting but also spreading COVID-19 because half the passengers aren’t wearing masks and the flight attendants do nothing to enforce the rules, not even checking tests or vaccinations or locator forms. If you like your plane to fail the landing and then do another loop around Lisbon for a second attempt. If you like waiting hours on their customer support and then being told that another flight of yours has been canceled and you can’t get a refund because you spent 5 euros worth of miles as part of your payment and that constitutes a ‘mixed payment’ and is therefore not refundable. If you like all of the above then flying TAP might be for you. My second worst airline experience was a blacklisted Central Asian airline, TAP is #1 and that is really something.

I've been waiting for a refund since March 2020. I had insurance too.
They don't answer the phone and just make empty promises on their facebook page.
There are laws that regulate refunds, and they are not complying to them.

I am still waiting for my refund since June 2020. I keep phoning them, their customer service is shocking and their agents have no clue what they are doing and they fob you off by saying it’s all in the system and it will be refunded. I have recently booked a flight to Portugal for next year in June and easyJet we’re more expensive than TAP. I paid £80 extra and I’m going with easyJet. Even if TAP was £200 pounds cheaper I would still fly with another airline. I will never fly with TAP again. Now I know what T.A.P really stands for. (Take Another Plane!!)

Zero stars is even to much for this garbage company. Their website is filled with glitches. When asking for a refund on your credit card it will take way beyond the 90 days that customer services tells you. Furthermore, they will intentionally issue you a voucher even when you asked for a refund on your cardit card. Dealing with them is a never ending process with no resolution.

Disgrace of a company - do not book flights with this airline! I have raised complaints and contacted the customer service several times for a refund on a flight from April 2020 that relates to a flight that was moved during the pandemic. Their customer service is awful and they lie to you stating that a refund is being processed when it isn’t. They also ignore your FB messenger messages. I have checked online for an update on this rediculously long refund process and I am now being told my refund has been rejected with no reason provided. Shame on you as a company that is a state owned flag carrier of Portugal.

I have similar problems like most of you:
1. Booked 4 Flights
2. 4 Flights got cancelled without notification
3. Tried go get my money (a lot!) back. No chance.
4. Got put on "priority refund"
5. Mails are kindly answered with a link where I can "check [my] refund status"
6. Got a lawyer!

Don´t wait - get a lawyer soon! There are enough around the world that just take care of fighting airlines.