fluff224

I am looking at flights to Portugal from Boston in Oct. When I look at flights I look at cost and # of stops preferring non or 1 stop. TAP airlines seems to be less than some of the other airlines. Has anyone had any experience with TAP? I know that? Might be rather subjective. If anyone asked my experiences with Delta or USAir I could share some negative experiences, but also some positive.

We plan to start our trip in Porto, train to Lisbon, and on to Spain. I can get a TAP flight from Boston to Porto, 1 stop in Lisbon for $815 ( we are flying back from Barcelona.) total 10 hrs. Another option is to fly TAP nonstop to Lisbon, 6 hrs for $801, then catch the train to Porto (app $84 for 2). The flight gets in aroundc7:30 a.m. With plenty of time to catch a train. I was thinking we could nap on the 2 1/2 train ride since we will have the opportunity to see scenery when we go back to Lisbon. Flying into Porto gets in around 11:30 or later depending On what flight we choose. So-o-o, does it make sense to fly nonstop? I am hoping that airfare will drop slightly and that i can get flights in the $700-750 range.

Any input will be appreciated!

thursdaysd

Why not start in Lisbon? I have flown TAP with no issues, but not trans-Atlantic.

Christina

You can easily get a flight right now in the $700-750 range so it must be the days of the week you are flying or something. Because I found fares on TAP for about $700 in October if you fly middle of the week both ways. 10/4 and 10/13 is only $708, for example, RT BOS-LIS. The same dates are only $722 if you fly into OPO and home from LIS. And those are the fares that include seat reservations.

There are flights to Porto where you get there at 10 am if you only want a 1:40 hr layover, and 11 am if you take a 2:40 layover which should certainly be enough. So I'm not sure where you are seeing only 11:30 or later into OPO.

It's a tough call, I might choose the train if the station were at the airport but it isn't, you have to take the metro several stops to get to the train station. So I'd probably just take the flight as it's only about $14 more and TAP has lots of flights to Porto so if by some chance you missed one, you could get another easily and since it would be the same ticket/same airline, you wouldn't be responsible for that, you'd get it free.

Have never flown TAP but they are the major player in Portugal so you probably don't have alot of choice, they are the only nonstop, aren't they? Even if you take the stop to Porto, you can fly home nonstop and that's worth a bunch of money to me.

Haven't flown TAP but if it has the same size seats as other airlines and not a terrible safety record, that's all I care about.

fluff224

I am looking at flying into Lisbon or Porto from Boston on 10/10 and out of Barcelona on 10/29. We are meeting a group of n Lisbon on the 16th and leaving for Spain from there ending up in Barcelona.I decided to fly in early so we could go to Porto for a few days.

Good point about having to transfer to the train station. I just checked flights from Boston to Lisbon and on to Porto. Yes, you are right there are many options and the price of the fare is pretty good.Dont know where I came up with 7:30 or 11:30, I've been making myself crazy checking flights every day!!

I see some United flights and American too. Flying into Lisbon has more options and flyingTAP has a 6 1/2 flight time. I need to look into TAP'S safety record and size of planes.

Would you expect fares to drop or do you think $700ish is as good as it gets? I fuss and fuss over airfare until I find a price I think is reasonable. Once I book I don't look again!

Tabernash2

We flew TAP from Lisbon to London, and were pleasantly surprised that we were given business status, simply because we used our United Mileage Plus points for our two seats. The TAP lounge was an exceptional space, with great refreshments. Flight was good, too.

Christina

I think the flight into Lisbon does arrive about 7:20 am, but you get into OPO before 11:30, or you can. I know United and American fly there, but not nonstop, right?

use www.seatguru.com to check size of seats etc They seem to fly mainly Airbus, which I happen to like more than Boeing. Their seat width is wider than most at 18" in economy, many are only 17", and the pitch is 32" which is also better than some (united is usually 31").
here is an article about those flights http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...rtugal-boston/

Christina

oh, do I expect fares to drop below $700? Absolutely not, fares go up, not down, closer to departure. This isn't that far out to expect unusual pricing changes IMO

fluff224

Still working on flights. I originally thought we might fly out of Boston, TAP has a direct flight into Lisbon & a short flight to Porto. Right now it is holding steady around $800ish. We live in NE Ohio, but our son lives in Boston. 12 hrs drive, but get to see Son & DIL. I started checking flights out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Initially it appeared that we could save app $300pp from Boston. I'm now seeing flights in the $700 range from Cleveland &Pittsburgh. I'm finding flights are cheaper flying into Lisbon. TAP has regular flights into Porto for $43pp. Ryanair is $17, but am uncertain about their added costs for luggage. Does anyone have any experience with Ryanair? We plan to take 1 small roller suitcase and 1 backpack each.

thursdaysd

Are you using skyscanner.com? Have you looked at flights out of Toronto as well?

fluff224

No, have not used Skyscanner. Toronto isn't a good option since it is about 5 hrs from here,I know that sounds dumb since we were willing to drive 12 hrs to Boston. The advantage was getting family time to n before & after. Also, the train to the airport is pretty easy.

fluff224

I just booked flights from our local airport (10 min from our house) with 1 stop in PHL to Lisbon for $772pp. No 12 hr drive to & from Boston . Cleveland airport is 1 1/2 hr drive plus airport parking for 3 weeks. Since we are so close we can get dropped off and picked up by friends. I went through my credit card company and found good prices.So now I will just have to book flights to Porto. Fortunately we get into Lisbon early in the morning and have quite a few flight options on TAP. I would still like to hear any luggage experiences with Ryanair!

thursdaysd

I use Easyjet, not Ryanair.

fluff224

I checked EasyJet and they do not fly between Lisbon & Porto. I ended up booking one way tickets on TAP from Lisbon to Porto. Our plan is to return to Lisbon by train, giving us the opportunity to see the scenery. How do I know what train station to depart Porto & arrive in Lisbon?

fluff224

Disregard the question about the trains, I realized I had posted the question earlier and got my answer. Oops!