Don't know if this has been covered in other threads, but since some of these posts get so long (and interesting!), I thought it would be helpful to set this on its own:

We returned from Lisbon on Monday, 4/2, ticketed on Aer Lingus through Dublin to Boston. For starters, we found the Lisbon airport pretty confusing with very little signage, so it took a bit to discover that there are no individual airline check-in counters, per se, and that you have to search out the rather tucked away information board. There, you find your flight listed and the numbered desk to go to check-in.

Here's where it starts to get tricky if you are not flying direct: All of the desk personnel are Lisbon airport employees...not airline representatives. And so we were told they would NOT check through our luggage to Boston, but that we'd have to retrieve it in Dublin and then go through the entire check-in/security procedure again.

Aer Lingus had ticketed us on a connecting flight with 1:20 minutes on the ground in Dublin. Basically un-doable. Even more so given that our Dublin-bound flight had taken off a good 20 minutes late. Fortunately, with a lot of (polite) prodding of our cabin steward during the Lisbon-Dublin flight, we were taken in hand by ground personnel the moment we landed and hustled through the airport/immigration/baggage/security. This was just over an hour of flat-out running through the airport, gasping for breath and way-worried over what Plan B would be.

The good news is they did hold the flight for us, we made it by the skin of our teeth. But I wouldn't ever want to have to do it that way again.

Most US-bound visitors probably choose to fly direct, but just in case you don't....this experience may be a helpful heads-up.

I'm not sure why our experience was different, but last summer we flew from Lisbon to Boston through Amsterdam on KLM/Northwest, and our bags were checked through from Lisbon to Boston.

Difference being Aer Lingus?

Nikki: Do you recall whether you dealt with AerLingus personnel? I'm not sure, but got the feeling the switch to all Lisbon Airport authority personnel was fairly recent.

Aer Lingus inflight people were also surprised to hear that our baggage wasn't checked through. Don't know whether its a recent policy....or even just a bad-attitude, "because I can" action on the part of the desk agent.

My flight was not Aer Lingus; it was KLM to Amsterdam and Northwest to Boston.

"... All of the desk personnel are Lisbon airport employees...not airline representatives. And so we were told they would NOT check through our luggage to Boston, but that we'd have to retrieve it in Dublin and then go through the entire check-in/security procedure again."

Our experience was more like Nikki's: we were scheduled to fly NorthWest/KLM to Amsterdam connecting for Detroit. The only problem: our 5:30AM KLM flight had been cancelled. TAP booked us on Iberia flights to Barcelona connecting to Amsterdam. Our luggage was checked all the way to Detroit.

My main problem with Lisbon's Portela airport (other trip) was that everyone with E-Tickets had to check-in at the same desk and get a paper ticket. And the TAP people didn't announce this until the flight was 'called.'

I flew back from Lisbon in late March, so just a week or so before tuckerdc. We did encounter the somewhat confusing (but not uncommon in Europe) system of assigning check-in to individual desks that you have to figure out by checking an overhead information monitor) rather than to a single large counter that handles all flights for that airline.

I don't know whether personnel at the desk were airline or airport employees (the latter was my impression, and the woman was remarkably pleasant and efficient), but we checked in at TAP (the Portuguese national airline) in Lisbon for a flight to Madrid where we transferred to a Delta flight to Atlanta. We were asked if we'd like our bags checked through to Atlanta, and we did, and they arrived without a problem.

So either a change occured in the very brief period between my flight and tuckerdc's, or there was some other issue. Was the flight from Lisbon to Dublin also on Aer Lingus? Or with a carrier that does not have a transfer agreement with Aer Lingus?

Boy, I am trying to figure this out - and why we got such difficult treatment. Yes, we were booked on AerLingus through Dublin and on to Boston.

There was a small flap with the desk agent because she started to tell me we were limited to one bag a piece because of the itnra-Europe flight (to Dublin). I pointed out the language on my e-ticket that said we were allowed two apiece for a flight to the States. She made a call and then allowed our 4 pieces to go through. But told me she COULD NOT check them through to Boston. Was she just being a b**ch? And why? I certainly didn't feel there was anything 'uncivil' about our exchange or the question of baggage allowance.

I guess we'll never know...But I sure would not want to repeat the anxiety that we went through before we finally made our connection and got home as planned.

We flew out of Lisbon airport just this past Wednesday. While we had a direct flight to Newark, I can tell you that while we were waiting for ever in mismanaged long lines - we did hear them tell all customers that bags would NOT be checked through to further destinations. If you had a connection to make then you had to get your bags at that destination and check them in again for your next destination. I remember hearing this because I remarked to my husband that this seemed strange to me.

I have to say that we found the airport in Lisbon to be one big hassle. I have not written my trip report yet - but I can tell yu that other than my husband being pick pocketed - the airport was the worst part of the trip! The process was just downright silly as we wanted in line after line when one would have sufficed. We travel a lot and we have never encountered anything like this. In fact when we arrrived we waited for over 20 minutes before any people even came to the passport office booths to start checking our passports to let us in! That whole process took so long that by the time we were through we had no idea where our bags were as the flight was no longer listed in the baggage claim area! Lots of aggravated travelers looking for suitcases. It was a mess!

Susan

Regretfully this seems to be a problem in Porto as well. The portugese are individually very nice but the airport staff dont seem to be much help at all

I've mentioned this in other threads but passengers should be warned: our suitcases were rummaged through at the Lisbon airport (after check-in) and a bit of money was stolen. One suitcase even had it's lock broken off.

Otherwise, check-in was easy and we had a very good flight back to Zürich using TAP.

In cockney rhyming slang TAP is C**P is how i would sum them up

Usually I don't comment comments, but I have had a tough time trying to figure out why TAP should be held responsible for ground operations of other companies, either Air Lingus, KLM, Northwest or whatever they are.
If somebody wishes to complian or ask about passenger rights or regulations, I think the target should be ANA (airports and air field navigation) http://www.ana.pt

A correction to my post upthread in which I describe very efficient, polite, and rapid check-in for a flight via TAP from Lisbon to Madrid: the woman that checked us in appeared to be an employee of TAP, not the airport (as I suggested in the earlier post).

While I'm at it I'll mention that our arrival in Lisbon was also without incident: no delay, everybody very polite, etc. So uneventful that I'm hard-pressed to even recall it, apart from the fact that I remarked to my travel companion that it really couldn't have been easier.

Finally, I'll point out that the rummaging of suitcases from schuler's party might have happened in Zurich. No way to know, really.

Hello Therese, You're right. No way to know.

Everything else was fine with our TAP flight. No delays, friendly service and the meals were fine. All but one suitcase arrived in Zürich. The lost suitcase was sent to London.

We all loved Lisbon and I'd go again in a heartbeat. Boys stood up for senior citizens in the tram. People were smiling and kind. The city is clean and beautiful. And prices in Lisbon are still very reasonable. Delicious small cups of coffee for 65 Euro cents.

These tales are just to caution future travellers, but please don't let them put you off Lisbon. It's a city where the past and present live hand in hand. Authentic and very European (or better said Portugese).

I know that individual experiences vary tremendously, and I have had both bad and good airport experiences in many big airports in Europe and in the US. But I did want to say a couple of things about flying in and out of Lisbon.

First, my understanding is that under US customs and immigration rules and regulations, all travelers entering the US must pick up their luggage at the first port of entry, go through customs and immigration, and then proceed through the doors and walk what is usually about 150 feet to recheck (and re-scan) their bags with the airlines.

Now, that doesn't explain why luggage had to be picked up in Dublin. But just about two weeks ago, my husband flew Lisbon-London-NY and he did not have to get his bags in London, so it seems like it's not an issue originating in Lisbon (unless, as tuckerdc suggests, someone was being petty and doing it because she could.

I also have found that the signage at the Lisbon airport is confusing -- in my experience it's mainly because the signs for gates and the signs for check-in are the same kind of sign so it's easy to get mixed up. But right as you walk into the departures area of the Lisbon airport, though, there is a sign that tells you what check-in desk to use for each flight. There are several monitors posted in different places around the check-in areas generally. But it's a bit confusing because some companies have their check-in on the ground floor (e.g., Continental) and some are on the first floor up (e.g., BA).

In my experience the employees at the desk have always been airline personnel -- not only do they check you in, but they also go up to help with the boarding. We traveled US to Portugal on March 27 (one on BA, one on Continental), so that's after tuckerdc's flight and both of us dealt with individuals with airline badges.

And yes, there are lines -- different lines for immigration and customs and when you're tired (and when I watch the EU citizens zip right through and I have to wait in a longer line), it's easy to get cranky.

So I just want to say that I hope that people going to Lisbon don't get worried or concerned about the airport. Sure there are lots of hassles and lines and confusing situations, but I don't think Lisbon is unique or even special in this regard. Just my opinion.

blightyboy: Years ago, we were in a departure area with a group of Brits at Lisbon's Portela airport. Their comment: TAP = 'Take another Plane.'

One complaint, though: We were at the previously listed Gate for a flight to Madeira. The departure Gate had been changed; the announcement was made only in Portuguese (and I'm not fluent in Portuguese). Granted, it was considered a domestic flight but Madeira is a popular tourist destination. Luckily, the new gate was not too far, and we didn't board a flight to Ponta Delgada (Sao Miguel, Azores).

We flew Lisbon-London (LHR) just point-to-point on BA, so can't comment on connection hassles. It sounds like you drew a bad card in the agent department as our agent was very pleasant and helpful. Other than the flight departing late (almost an hour) we had no problems - I can't even remember having to find the appropriate numbered desk, so the process must have been fairly simple.

I tried scrutinizing the Aer Lingus website for clues, but the only promising-looking pdf file I found refused to open for me, sorry.

I agree Tuck. I had an agent with an attitude at Lisbon airport too. Not a KLM agent which is who I was flying. Also no real passport control. Other than that LOVED Lisbon!

Hi laartista!

Ok, me too - for clarification: We found Lisbon to be a beautiful and most enjoyable city. (We were afraid of that, being two folk who abhor flying and living more than 8 hours away, flight-time. So will we ever manage to get back??). Anyway, we have NO complaints about our visit to a vibrant and interesting city.

Our flight in question took place on Monday, April 2.....No idea whether individual airline personnel being replaced by Portugal airport representatives is something that just took place very recently, or...what??? It's so interesting here to see that some folks have been checked through to their final destination..and some, not.