Is TAP Portugal a Good Airline?

TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier airline of Portugal and a member of the Star Alliance. It offers flights throughout Europe and routes to the United States.

If you’re interested in flying with the airline, you may wonder if TAP Air Portugal is any good. Although it’s less well-known than some other airlines, it can still be a worthwhile experience.

Here's why you might want to fly TAP Portugal, as well as its route network, partners and more.

TAP Air Portugal is a full-service airline. Unlike low-cost carriers, which generally feature a single economy cabin and limited amenities, you’ll find economy, economy plus and business class seats on TAP Air Portugal. The airline also operates its own branded lounge at the Lisbon, Portugal, airport.

According to the airline rating site Skytrax, TAP Air Portugal is certified as a three-star airline. This means that it’s fair to average based on a variety of factors, including in-flight entertainment, cleanliness, seats and staff.

» Learn more: The guide to TAP Air Portugal business class

TAP Air Portugal flies to various destinations, including the United States. If you’re looking to fly from the U.S., you’ll find nonstop flights to Lisbon from these airports:

• Boston (BOS).

• Chicago-O’Hare (ORD).

• Miami (MIA).

• Newark (EWR).

• New York-JFK (JFK).

• San Francisco (SFO).

• Washington-Dulles (IAD). 

Having options from the U.S. makes TAP Air Portugal a good option if you're considering a trip to Europe, as it can get you across the pond even if Portugal isn't the final destination.

TAP Air Portugal is a member of the Star Alliance, which includes 26 airlines. You can earn and redeem your miles with airlines such as United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, ANA, Swiss, Air New Zealand, Turkish Airlines and more.

TAP Portugal also has partners outside of the Star Alliance. These include:

• Azul.

• Emirates.

• GOL.

• SATA Azores Airlines.

» Learn more: The guide to TAP Air Portugal partners

TAP Air Portugal’s loyalty program is called TAP Miles&Go.

Like with other airlines, you can earn miles on any flights you take with TAP Portugal or its partners. You can also purchase miles if you need a few extra to top off your account. Miles can be redeemed for award flights and seat upgrades, among other options.

TAP Miles&Go has four tiers: Member, Silver, Gold and Navigator. Elite benefits vary from additional bonus miles to complimentary upgrades and free in-flight Wi-Fi.

TAP Portugal is a good airline for traveling to Europe, but that doesn’t mean it's for everyone. Before booking your flights, you should consider your travel habits.

This is true for domestic airlines and international options. A good airline will not just get you where you'd like to go; it will also provide you with a comfortable experience and a loyalty program that provides value.

If you’re based in the U.S., you may want to fly with a domestic airline you're used to or one you have status with since you can potentially redeem your miles. Remember, TAP Air Portugal's partnership with United means you can fly TAP Portugal and accrue United elite status credit and miles.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

TAP Air Portugal flights can be relatively affordable, especially when compared with other full-service airlines. The best way to find cheap TAP Air Portugal flights is to be flexible with your dates.

Sites such as Google Flights will allow you to use a calendar view to find discounted flight dates. Any date with a price highlighted in green means they are the cheaper options of the months shown in view.

In this case, a nonstop flight from Washington-Dulles (IAD) to Lisbon, Portugal (LIS) is $558 cheaper through TAP Air Portugal than United for a week in October.

The handy filter function on Google Flights also allows you to filter out other airlines if you'd like to ensure your flight is on TAP Air Portugal.

For truly discounted tickets, you can redeem miles for TAP Air Portugal flights with a partner airline. For example, Avianca LifeMiles (Star Alliance member) charges just 35,000 miles for a one-way business class ticket from New York (JFK) to Lisbon (LIS), which is an absolute steal.

» Learn more: How to score an upgrade on TAP Air Portugal with SeatBoost

Is TAP Air Portugal good? The answer to that will depend on you. Although it isn’t the most highly rated airline, it still provides business-class options and even lounge access at some airports. It’s also a member of the Star Alliance, which means you’ll be able to take advantage of Star Alliance benefits if you have elite status.

Most importantly, however, flights on TAP Air Portugal are relatively affordable, both for cash flights and award redemptions.