TAP Airline

In this respect at least, CCers behave more like normal people. ;)

Absolutely! I'm a frequent flier to the highest regard, but the FlyerTalk folks are often so horrifically annoying and obsessed. Just get me to my damned destination, it'll be more comfortable than the plane or airport :)

Absolutely! I'm a frequent flier to the highest regard, but the FlyerTalk folks are often so horrifically annoying and obsessed. Just get me to my damned destination, it'll be more comfortable than the plane or airport :)

Sometimes, the "odd" routing is worth it, and not just from a redemption opportunity standpoint. Example - flying west coast to Dubai on Emirates, one can fly a 777 from SEA or SFO or a 380 from LAX. BIG difference in business class between the two, so it's worth the leg to LAX to get the better inflight experience. In coach, not so much difference.

Sometimes, the "odd" routing is worth it, and not just from a redemption opportunity standpoint. Example - flying west coast to Dubai on Emirates, one can fly a 777 from SEA or SFO or a 380 from LAX. BIG difference in business class between the two, so it's worth the leg to LAX to get the better inflight experience. In coach, not so much difference.

Yes you're definitely right, I have flown "extra" simply to get a few extra miles, or a certain aircraft. Before they started the retrofit on AA's 772s, I definitely went out of my way to get on a 77W instead of a 772, for example (such as flying MCI-DFW-LHR instead of MCI-ORD-LHR). But, year after year, I find myself caring less and just wanting to get to where I'm going...within reason. I still want some luxury ;)

I'm sure many here would be appalled with the routing I'll be taking tomorrow to get to Spain - YQB-YYZ-WAW (overnight)-BCN, but over there that would be small potatoes.

Not appalled at all. Sounds like an adventure!;p

Indeed, but that doesn't itself explain why one European airline considers it safe to allow its crew to stay overnight in Luanda, but a different European airline still considers that that is too unsafe and adopts unusual measures to avoid it.

I work for a major US airline that flies to several African countries. These routes are very lucrative. Crews need to overnight there so the airline takes extraordinary measures to ensure that crews remain safe. They travel from the airport to the hotel in a convoy with armed escorts. The selected hotels have elevated security measures and safer locations (crewmembers “affectionately” call these hotels “compounds”) and crews are discouraged (if not forbidden) from leaving the hotel during their layover. Once there, the crews must follow certain protocols established by the company. Not the most enjoyable way to spend time on the road which is why many crewmembers specifically avoid these destinations, but someone has to do it.

But because all of these measures, these crews are probably safer than those going to destinations where security measures of this kind aren’t in place and where they are free to come and go as they please, heightening the possibility of running into trouble.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I work for a major US airline that flies to several African countries. These routes are very lucrative. Crews need to overnight there so the airline takes extraordinary measures to ensure that crews remain safe. They travel from the airport to the hotel in a convoy with armed escorts. The selected hotels have elevated security measures and safer locations (crewmembers “affectionately” call these hotels “compounds”) and crews are discouraged (if not forbidden) from leaving the hotel during their layover. Once there, the crews must follow certain protocols established by the company. Not the most enjoyable way to spend time on the road which is why many crewmembers specifically avoid these destinations, but someone has to do it.

 

But because all of these measures, these crews are probably safer than those going to destinations where security measures of this kind aren’t in place and where they are free to come and go as they please, heightening the possibility of running into trouble.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I think it's all about risk aversion and...well...liability, and each company is going to take their own risks. I, myself, am from an African country originally and travel to Africa quite a bit for both work and pleasure. I've spent time in the same hotels as airline crews in some sketchy places (Kinshasa, Luanda, etc.) where they crews were more-or-less sequestered to the hotel, but I wasn't and had minimal concerns about my safety. My company had no rules about me sticking around the hotel...but that's their prerogative, and this is Delta's (I assume it's Delta...)

I have flown 2 previous Tap flights within Europe.  They seemed efficient and organized.

Enter a global pandemic and their customer care becomes nonexistent.  After their cancelling a business flight, numerous requests for a refund have been submitted with none being acknowledged.  To date, they claim my tickets for May are open, and no one has been able to get them refunded.  Even a future credit hasn’t been offered because, I assume, that would be admitting they received a request for compensation. 
 

We now must file a Department of Transportation claim in hopes that they can recover our costs.   
 

While we have a future cruise out of Lisbon that we would certainly have considered flying TAP, at least until this pandemic is over I would encourage EVERYONE who can to avoid flying TAP Portugal.    Ifs simply not worth the aggravation and cost!