Lisbon, Portugal, 2018-Dec-04 — /Travel PR News/ — TAP Air Portugal aims to double operations in North America in the next years and is expanding again, adding two new routes to the United States in 2019 with nonstop service from Lisbon, to Washington, DC and Chicago. The 73-year-old national carrier has been breaking records in the last few years, boarding more than 14 million customers in 2017 and being named one of 2018’s 10 fastest growing carriers.
TAP will commence five round-trip flights per week between Chicago O’Hare and Lisbon on June 1, 2019, and then add five weekly round-trips between Washington-Dulles and Lisbon on June 16.
Flights will depart Chicago at 6:05PM, arriving in Lisbon at 7:50AM (next day). Returning flights leave Lisbon at 1:05PM, arriving at O’Hare at 4:05PM. From Washington, flights will depart at 10:40PM, arriving in Lisbon at 10:50AM (next day). Returning flights leave Lisbon at 4:30PM, arriving at Dulles at 7:40PM.
TAP is the launch carrier for the brand new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, with 19 planned for delivery until the end of 2019. In all, TAP has a new fleet of 71 brand new aircraft being delivered until 2025, also including 19 A320neos, 17 A321neos, and 14 A321 Long Range jets. This huge fleet growth allows TAP to launch new destinations and spread the global network offered to the airline’s costumers.
The A330neo will feature the new Airspace by Airbus cabin. The economy cabin now comprises two categories: Economy and EconomyXtra. The configuration and design provide a fresh atmosphere, with more legroom, deeper seat recline, and new seat covers in shades of green and gray in Economy, and green and red in EconomyXtra.
In TAP’s Executive business class, the configuration now comprises 34 new fully-flat reclining chairs that are more than six feet long when fully reclined.
Also, TAP has powered up its new business class chairs to include USB slots and individual electrical sockets, connections for headphones, individual reading lights, and more space, including more storage room.
“We have 10 gateways in Brazil with service from Portugal. We believe we can support the same number to the US. So, we have several more new destinations in North America in our planning. USA are already TAP’s third major market worldwide and has great potential for further growth. Our network beyond Lisbon is also growing. We now serve 55 destinations in Europe and 17 in Africa and most of our passengers fly with TAP to final destinations beyond Portugal”, says Antonoaldo Neves, TAP’s CEO.
TAP introduced the Portugal Stopover program in 2016 to further attract the ‘beyond Lisbon’ guest. Travelers to all of TAP’s European and African served destinations can enjoy up to five nights in Lisbon or Porto along the way, for no extra airfare.
The Portugal Stopover comprises a network of more than 150 partners who provide exclusive offers for Stopover customers for hotels and shopping discounts and even a free bottle of Portuguese wine in participating restaurants.
Travelers can also enjoy a stopover in Lisbon or Porto even if their final destination is in Portugal, such as: Faro (Algarve); Ponta Delgada or Terceira (the Azores); and, Funchal or Porto Santo (Madeira).
Media contact:
(+351) 21 841 60 17
corpcom@tap.pt
Source: TAP