We flew TAP from Lisbon to Boston on Thanksgiving Day, 11/29/2024, flight TP 217. The check-in process in Lisbon went smoothly as did security and passport control. The flight departed on time and the plane (A321NEO LR) was clean. After almost an hour into the flight an announcement was made that we would be returning to Lisbon because bags were on board that didn’t belong on our flight. TAP is the national airline of Portugal, and the announcement stated the company instructed the captain to return the bags. When we got close to Lisbon and were descending to land the plane accelerated and began ascending. A little bit later another announcement was made that instead of landing in Lisbon we would fly instead to the Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores and drop the bags there. As we approached Ponta Delgada an announcement was made that we would need to circle for a while to burn off fuel to lighten the plane before landing. I didn’t understand why we needed to lighten the plane here but had prepared to land earlier in Lisbon. After a hard landing we pulled near the terminal building and service trucks pulled up to the aircraft. We could hear sounds coming from the baggage compartment. Passengers were instructed not to stand up or use their cell phones. This all seemed unusual to us, but the crew seemed bored and unconcerned. After about fifteen minutes with the plane refueled and the bags removed, we took off. We arrived in Boston three hours late.
The flight crew was neither helpful nor friendly. Announcements were not intelligible due to broken a poor sound system and broken English. We were dumbfounded that an airline would inconvenience 200 passengers with a three-hour delay for lost bags. I will never fly TAP again.

My experience with TAP Portugal was incredibly disappointing and frustrating. I flew on December 25th from Mumbai to Toronto, and my checked-in baggage did not arrive at my destination. After filing a report and providing all required documentation, I had to wait three weeks to receive my luggage, enduring terrible customer service throughout the process.

To make matters worse, there was no reimbursement for the delayed baggage, despite the significant inconvenience and additional expenses I incurred. My flight was also delayed for several hours in London, with no compensation or explanation provided.

Adding to the frustration, Air India in Mumbai was adamant and refused to allow us the two luggage pieces included in our flight purchase. This forced us to pay an additional CAD 500, which was completely unjustified.

On top of all this, TAP Portugal’s online portals are poorly designed, not user-friendly, and utterly useless for resolving issues. No quick or satisfactory resolution was ever provided, despite numerous follow-ups.

This was one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had. Between the baggage mishandling, additional charges, delays, and poor customer service, TAP Portugal and its partners have shown a shocking lack of accountability and professionalism. I strongly recommend avoiding this airline.

Disclaimer:
I am not petty.
I don't normally go "full Karen" in most cases.
I know it's hard to make everyone happy when you're an airline dealing with many different needs and demands.
TAP has some of the best pilots, planes, and flight attendants. However, please be aware of this company's bureaucracy and its horrible customer service. My complaint was filed with TAP 5 days ago and I have yet to receive a reply, forget about a resolution.

I went to their Lisbon "Headquarters" and the Lisbon terminal customer service desk about being denied travel from Porto to Newark, NJ on November 19, 2024. No one was able to help me. They also told me there were no managers to speak with customers. How are there no managers, supervisors, or persons in charge to speak to customers whenever an agent can't or won't help a customer? They just gave me a phone number or said to check online.

This is the mindset of TAP and Portugal's public workers' sector. They feel entitled and arrogantly emboldened to not give a damn about the public. My matter would've been resolved with a simple phone call to US Customs. Bear in mind that I was traveling with my 89-year-old father who was in a wheelchair.

Not another red cent of my money will go to TAP. I'd rather fly on a Boeing with no door than fly TAP again.

TAP needs to be bought and privatized ASAP.

Warning ... TAP refunds can take up to 2 months. I booked and cancelled within 24 hours. TAP customer service said I would receive a full refund. The refund status has been approved and the status as "paid". This does not mean that you get the money returned to your credit card. Instead it means that they have up to 2 "business cycles". A "business cycle" is 2 months! So they keep your money for 2 months and give you know reason why. Shameful and unethical.

I will never book on TAP again.

Terrible customer service, no exceptions for trip interrupted by Hurricane Milton. I was supposed to fly from Newark to Porto on TAP for a trip that had been planned for months. The day I was to depart, Hurricane Milton closed the airport that I was to fly from to get to Newark. I asked TAP if I could move my flight 2 days later, so I could get to Newark, and they wanted $1,500 just to move the flight (same time of day, same type of fare). They would not make any exception for the situation with the hurricane.
I called several times asking for a more reasonable change fee, but they would not budge. I spent hours on hold trying to get through to them for these calls. I will never book with them again!