TAP the airline of Portugal revamped their economy class cabins in October 2019, and now offer two types of economy class experiences. On a recent trip from Malaga to Zurich (Via Lisbon), I experienced the new EconomyXtra product, as well as their standard economy class service.
To differentiate the service onboard, the airline has colour-coded seats in economy class in green and red colours. Green seats are for the standard economy class product which still includes some snacks and drinks, while the red seats are reserved for EconomyXtra customers.
EconomyXtra offers more legroom, priority boarding, enhanced meal service and a few other extras. The fare upgrade was €25 for the sector between Lisbon and Zurich.
MALAGA TO LISBON
White Airways operated this sector and since it was such a short hop I wasn’t expecting to receive much.
About 20 mins after takeoff the inflight service began with the two crew members starting from the front of the aircraft and moving towards the rear. I was given a snack platter with an olive tapenade accompanied with some dipping biscuits and freshly cut apple.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the use of sustainable products and an interesting snack box. It was the first time that I’ve seen it in economy class, but have since experienced it on Air Vanuatu. Once in Lisbon, I paid a visit to the airlines’ flagship lounge to see the lounge offerings.
TAP LOUNGE LISBON AIRPORT
To access the TAP Lounge, I followed the signs up the escalator, turned left and could see the lounge in the distance. The food and drink offering was sufficient, there were plenty of fresh options available, including Pastel de nata, range of open sandwiches, cold meats, fresh salads, dips and cheese.
Drink offerings included coffee and juices, and a fully stocked bar located on the opposite side of the lounge.
LISBON TO ZURICH
The flight from Lisbon to Zurich was scheduled for about 2.5 hours. I received my meal about 45 mins after takeoff, it took the crew about 22 minutes to complete the entire service. There were two half carts with drinks in the cabin operated by one crew member, and one full cart operated by two crew members.
There was no meal choice I received a pasta with a tomato-based sauce and vegetables and a mini almond tartlet for dessert. Sadly no sustainable cutlery was offered.
The meal was quite standard, and the sauce was slightly watery, the food wasn’t amazing but certainly not terrible either. It’s quite a rarity to receive a hot meal when flying across Europe, and I appreciated the enhanced meal service and extra legroom in EconomyXtra.
Passengers seated in economy class also received a choice of complimentary snacks.
I had a pleasant experience with TAP, and I would gladly take up the offer of an EconomyXtra seat in the future, the upgrade paid offers great value and benefits.