Until December 12, 2020, Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal runs one of the most notable promotions of the pandemic period. The airline sells economy oneway tickets to 14 long haul destinations at €75 a piece. This fare includes board service, but lacks checked bags. Sadly, return tickets within a sensible time period are way more expensive. This still is an opportunity to save on oneway trips.
Worldwide travel restrictions are in place to slow the spread of Covid-19. We strongly recommend gathering detailed information about the travel and quarantine restrictions that apply to your desired origin and destination.
A good start is the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website. It provides current updates on a country’s immigration policies. Even better, the Covid-19 Travel Regulations Map is one of the most useful tools you can find.
- Cancún at €75
- San Francisco at €75
- Montreal at €75
- Chicago at €75
- Boston at €75
- Miami at €75
- Washington D.C. at €75
- Maceió, Brazil at €75
- Natal, Brazil at €75
- Belém, Brazil at €75
- Fortaleza, Brazil at €75
- Recife, Brazil at €75
- Salvador, Brazil at €75
- Maputo, Mozambique at €75 (checked bags add €25)
There are two possible destinations from Ponta Delgada, Azores:
TAP uses Airbus A330 or Airbus A321LR aircraft on its long haul flights. The former have a 2-4-2 seating equipped in their economy cabin, the latter a 3-3 seating. You can expect a personal IFE monitor on all flights.
TAP, like many other airlines, is going to a rough financial period. They have cancelled flights or routes all together in the past, on very short notice. Further, the company has a bad record when it comes to reimbursements. While these prices are worth taking a little risk, you should be aware that you might lose your money or at least have a very hard time getting it back.
Search & Book
These flights are available until December 12, 2020 within limited travel periods.
Brazilian destinations:
- January 11 through March 22
- April 12 through June 14
- September 16 through November 30, 2021
Other destinations have an additional window from December 10 to 31, 2020. However, the final period ends in October instead of November 2021.
You can find suiting flight dates on Google Flights (instructions). While online travel agencies may offer cheaper tickets, we recommend booking directly on flytap.com for various reasons.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Cover Picture: © TAP Portugal