TAP - TMS-ACC-LIS one flight, two tickets
 

Hey all,

So, this is a weird question regarding TAP. Since TAP fly TMS-ACC-LIS with ticketing rights on all sectors, I have considered flying from TMS to LIS on two tickets: TMS-ACC and ACC-LIS on the same flight and aircraft. However, is something like this even possible or legal? I imagine they would check for valid visas for ACC, but at the same time, if they saw the two back to back tickets for the same flight and aircraft and would presumably give the boarding passes at the same time, it should be OK?

Food for thought!

Weird indeed - especially as much the same question was raised last year. What is the attraction of this oddness?

The only reason i can see for doing this would be:
1) to gain extra miles from flying two sectors (though 20 miles wouldn't float the boat for most people), or
2) finding a significant difference in the cost of two tickets v one

It certainly wouldn't be illegal in the sense of breaking any law. But it would be cumbersome, likely entail explanation at each step of the journey, particularly in Ghana, confine you to hand-baggage only, and probably require a YF vaccination as an arrival at TMS from Accra rather than Lisbon. I imagine TP would expect you to have a visa for Ghana, in case your attempt to "transfer" fails. You are not making a transfer in the normally accepted definition of the term, and transits stay on board at ACC.

It's not the most pleasant journey. The overnight fight back to Europe is particularly awful. Adding in the stress of turning the Accra transit into a transfer seem silly.

I found the earlier thread:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28343220-post1.html

Theoretically you can get transit VOA in ACC (see multiple reports positive on tripadvisor forums). You should be able to transit without a visa as well.

My only concern would be - will you have enough time to get off the plane, go through transit formalities and get back on the plane?
Does TP allow online check-in at ACC?

Someone that's flown through ACC could answer that.

You can most certainly make an airside, visa free, international connection in Accra, even without online-check. An award trip on *A from Dar es Salaam to Frankfurt routed us on an epic journey through Addis and Accra. Accra has something like the Cairo arrangement: you wait for an airline employee to deliver the boarding card airside. This was some time back, but I doubt things have changed: and, indeed, it would be an odd international airport that doesn't facilitate transfers. Pyongyang perhaps :)

TAP doesn't doesn't do online check-in at ACC. Or didn't as of September last year. But if the airline wanted to pay ball i'm pretty sure they could issue one at Lisbon. Not so sure about this in São Tomé !

YF aint a problem, I've got that already. I have also heard about the issues in ACC but then I would have had some kind of visa to hand before anyway.

There have been cases where separate tickets have been somewhat cheaper than a through TMS-LIS ticket, albeit not so common.

If you decide to do this, and get a ticket to ACC, ACC-TMS is cheap with UA miles.

To be honest, ACC-TMS or vv is actually, from what I've seen for when I want to travel ideally, is so cheap it's not even worth using miles for. Having said that, I don't have enough miles on any alliance to use!

So is that the answer to the puzzle :) ?

LIS ACC + ACC TMS
is (can be) cheaper than
LIS TMS

but I guess the difference would have to be significant to weigh against the faff involved .....


I have to go back to São Tomé later this year and i'm looking for a non-TAP route. The ACC TMS component would be an acceptable part of the itinerary, but i think that has to be an add on. Still, Accra is quite easy to get to from London. Otherwise it's difficult/expensive. Which I suppose explains the awfulness of the TAP service!

Afrijet? CEIBA Intercontinental via LBV? direct from LIS with...I forget the airline name now, but that does come up even on Skyscanner :)

The other Lisbon service is by São Tomé's very own. But I'm in UK, so need of a Lisbon connection, although I have a strong luso-afinity.

I think I'll setle for connections to/from TP at Accra. The TP service on an A320 is just about supportable as a day flight, but the true awfulness of TAP only emerges with the return Accra experience and the overnight from there to Lisbon.