cslusarc

On Saturday the STAR ALLIANCE board announced that SAA, TAP and Blue1 would join the alliance within the next year.

What do you think about TAP-Air Portugal joining STAR?

I personally think it is awesome.

Since AC discontinued it seasonal route YYZ-MAD there has been a gap in non-stop/direct service between Canada and the Iberian Peninsula. Although TAP offers service on LIS-EWR, there are limited connections from Canada to EWR. Today if an Aéroplan member wants to travel to the Iberian Peninsula she must travel several thousand more miles and connect at STAR ALLIANCE hubs LHR or FRA.

After TAP joins STAR, opportunities will open that will allow more transatlantic flights between North America and the Iberian Peninsula. I would expect that there could be non-stop service from both Montréal and Toronto to Lisbon. Connections to other destinations on the Iberian Peninsula and Africa would be more convenient and journey times would be significantly less. For example: Today STAR ALLIANCE journeys from YYZ to JNB require a connection in FRA. A routing via LIS could shave off two hours or more from journey times if connections are appropriate timed, and saving the airlines a significant amount of operating expenses by routing the passenger on a shorter routing.

cedric

Much simpler solution (to MAD, anyway) is to travel via PHL on US. Not that a few extra miles is a hinderance to most FTers. If AC can't make MAD work, don't expect a LIS service.

Don't forget you can also fly directly (well, unless the aircraft happens to run out of fuel) to LIS on Air Transat

Stranger

Right.

Still, it should be welcome. Opens up more options flying to LIS or OPO on Star airlines. Up to now, it was pretty much LH from FRA. Presumably, beside FRA, TAP goes to London, Paris and a few more places.

They still do operate that route, then? Not that I would want to fly them.

fromYYZ_flyer

...or SATA international from YYZ and in the summer YUL. I've heard good stuff about them.

beaubo

Wish I was just being cute with the acrostic! But I flew LIS-EWR last month in J.

* seat pitch/recline were good

* food was absolutely atrocious, I and have plenty to compare to in J/F (SQ, UA, AC, KL, MH, TG, EK, BA, etc.). Portion size wa laughably small

* service was very disappointing; they locked the beverage cart and galley 1 HOUR prior to landing, citing company policy. The wine was really subpar. I had to get up on THREE different occasions when service bell was not responded to.

* priority luggage...wasn't, in fact my bags came out smack dead last. I was just about to fill out a lost baggage form.

* Entertainment choices were lauhably out of date and selection poor.


Unfortunately, SO many things were bad about TAP, that cumulatively it was truly a disasterous experience...and I'm not known for histrionics.

Anyhow, I am hopefu someone can balance my post with a glowing review of TAP, but until then, my review stands!!

tcook052

Would TAP get more than it would give by becoming *A partner?

This is one of those, like LOT, that make me wonder how many EU airlines will be left not a *A partner.

acysb87

tcook052,I agree with you.I believe they are TAP(ping) into a good thing.(*A)

tcook052

In related *A news today:

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_business...%3fformat=html

Air New Zealand is remaining tight lipped over its future in global airline grouping Star Alliance.

The relationship is worth tens of millions of dollars annually to Air NZ, which has just announced a $1.4 billion deal to lease and purchase 10 Boeing jets to ratchet up its long-haul services in the coming years.

Shareholder

NZ service levels today appear to be on a par with TAP... It would be a loss for this region, as only AC and UA fly there, and just to SYD and MEL, from NAmerica. STAR would lose access to the Pacific Islands, which are heavy tourist traffic areas, but not all that much business. In the end, ONEWORLD is still superior in most parts of the world given the bredth of coverage by BA and QF in the southern hemisphere and CX throughout Asia. It may have fewer members, but they are superior carriers.

Minicooperman

Shareholder, I used to fly LAX-SYD often with NZ when they still did this route. I also used to go with them to NRT via AKL on a somewhat regular basis.

I found their product to be excellent in both J and Y despite the equipment being a bit dated.

Lately (this year), I confess I have only flown them trans tasman. I still found them to be just fine.

Is it possible you had a bad experience in NZ first lately that may just have been a fluke?

MCM.

why fly

MCM, well I fly NZ last year, and they were fine until problems cropped up, which with NZ that was all to often.
NZ was hopeless! Out of 6 segment flight 5 were buggered up! NZ was a nightmare to deal with.
The planes were fine, in better shape than anything AC flys, just the NZ systems were poor.
Interesting NZ is going to replace the seats in the 747 they are in better shape than AC worn out Airbus seats.

cedric

Over at Air Transat it looks like they've got flights from Montreal/Toronto to Porto and Lisbon as well as Toronto to Faro and Ponta Delgada. I don't see them loaded on exit.ca however.

As for Spain, the only Canadian charter would be Skyservice into Palma De Mallorca (which is not on the mainland). Royal used to do Malaga and Madrid but that died along with Canada 3. Looks like Spanish charter Air Plus Comet is doing Saturday flights from Toronto to Malaga, which, based on this review is an effective way to smuggle things into Europe

SkiAdcock

hello dears. just dropping by the forum (since my SINCanDo last year, i feel part of the family ).

did i miss something - happy about south africa, but other than portugal what's tap joining going to do for us? kinda get the other 3rd one.

ps - i flew ANZ first a few months ago & while i didn't think it was fab (and the only reason i say that is cuz everyone told me it would be; it was ok), i don't think it was as bad as shareholder thought it was.

Minicooperman

Actually SkiAdcock, i've read your trip report.

Maybe I've just been lucky.
Maybe I have not really flown them much lately.

Depending on where one is going and what price one is willing to pay for the journey, sometimes NZ makes the most sense. (At least from SYD, that it.)
SQ is quite stingy with points and TG is nothing fantastic. I"m willing to give them the benfit of the doubt for the time being......

And to bring the thread back on topic, I have no idea what real benefit TAP brings to Star. I thought we already had most of the European airlines.

MCM.

Al B

I'm still scratching my head over TAP's inclusion, but there are two plusses for it that I can see.
Sth Am flights - they run something like 38 weekly flights into just Brazil alone and also serve more than just the 2 usuals Rio and S.P. with those flights. I believe their other Sth Am flights are also quite good.
Nth Africa flights - ties in nicely in many ports with SA's services to/from the South. Opens up a lot more of Nth & Central Africa than was previously available from what I can see.