ffay005

Now I see TP operating nonstop LIS-TMS twice a week and via ACC thrice a week (in July 2022).

I wonder if that is to be trusted – dare I book those TP nonstop flights and trust there won't be a stop at ACC after all. They are operated by A321neo, which apparently has the range, no?

Furthermore, I am now *A Gold (TK Elite). What kind of benefits would this bring me on TP? Mostly interested in lounge access at HEL/LIS/TMS and free seat assignments.

Palal

No lounge access in HEL. Is there a lounge in TMS?
No free seat assignments.

duvin

Although the Star Alliance lounge in HEL run by SAS is currently closed, couldn’t it be reopened by July?

Palal

If it's open, then yes to lounge access.

corporate-wage-slave

A321neos certainly have the range, TAP uses them on services to the USA, which is both further and more fuel intensive going westwards, compared to São Tomé. It's only about half the range to TMS, I don't think they can do a return trip without refuelling, but nearly so.

As for trusting TAP, I don't think they are different to most other European carriers at the moment - if the flights get cancelled it will be at about 3 weeks to departure, to minimise any EC261 claims, and that is the risk you take on any service, it may well affect HEL-LIS for example. And low loads will be a valid reason for this cancellation. If there is a route subsidy involved then naturally that helps to reduce the risk.

ffay005

Thanks everyone. I would hate the extra stop and 8+ hours on a narrowbody, thus I'd like to avoid the ACC stop.

If A321neos are used for USA services, would this mean those planes have proper J class?

Further, does TAP have other narrowbodies that can make it to TMS and that don't have proper J seats? Thinking of an equipment change here if I end up buying J and TAP makes an equipment change and I end up in "Euro-J", ie Y with an empty middle instead of a true J seat.

splflyer

TMS has been operated via ACC for long time. This flight is usually up to 4 x a week.
Please be aware not to mix up the a 321/neo with the a 321 neo LR
The LR version is used on eg LIS-YUL OPO-EWR
The a 321 neo version is euro business etc. am flying on 1 in like 10 days to Dakar . dont have your/my expectations to high!

corporate-wage-slave

It's a fair point that in these uncertain times we shouldn't take much for granted. But from checking a few dates in July, TAP Air Portugal is using aircraft type 32Q, which has the longhaul business product seating which go fully flat.

IAN-UK

I've been a reluctant passenger on this route a number of times, but all of them pre-Covid.. After the first trip I swore I'd never do it again, but I climbed off that high-horse - it's the simplest way of getting to Sao Tome from Europe, and travelling in business-class takes the edge off the awfulness.

Touch wood , there.have been no problems going out, apart from those associated with bussing to a remote stand at Lisbon. Coming back though is as ghastly as a night flight with an intermediate stop sounds. Twice the ACC transit has been chaos, with excess Y passengers taking up the free seats in J.

Sao Tome's airport is tiny. There's no lounge.

Non-stop, even on a regular narrow-body, would be wonderful: on a lie-flat bed it would be a dream. And I rather think a dream is what the new schedule will turn out to be - though a lot might depend on how the route development is funded.
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ffay005

On your flights via ACC, has the J cabin been lie-flat or normal Y seats?

If the flight is indeed nonstop, I won't mind 6 hours in a Y seat. But with the intermediate stop and 8+ hours, it will become unbearable. TAP Y seats are hard and seat pitch minimal, so...

ffay005

The nonstop LIS-TMS flights have started, and TP seems to have assigned CS-TXD on this route several times. That's an A321LR. I suppose what I'm going to do is book an economy ticket and ask for an upgrade at check-in when I know which plane they have assigned to the route that day.

IAN-UK

That's good news!

I'd be fine with ex-Lisbon daytime flight in Y. TP's reservation system isn't at a level where it can leave seats unoccupied next to even its own status passengers, but ground crew can be helpful at finding solutions.

On the way back a bed would be a blessing

ffay005

That's what I'm planning, too. Especially if LIS-TMS isn't full and I get an empty middle seat, I have no problems sitting in Y. On the way back, I'll ask at check-in at TMS if they sell upgrades (if it's one of the LR planes). I booked yesterday and paid 895 EUR for Y. J would have been 2500+ EUR. Wow!

The fare I picked included seat selection, and I was a bit surprised to find that the seats, from row 13 onwards, are supposedly not reclining. Does TP really have non-reclining Y seats on the A321LR?

Last time I flew TP was in January 2020 to Bissau, on a narrowbody Airbus, which came with green non-reclining LCC seats in the back and then a few rows of red, proper Y seats in the front, some of which were sold as J and some as a sort of Y+. It seems that my TMS flight also has these green non-reclining LCC seats, as well as an upsell opportunity to red Y+ seats. I would have imagined that a plane intended for longhaul would feature proper Y seats all the way.

As a sidenote, how early should I expect to arrive at the airport in TMS? If it's a small airport and there are no other departures at the same time, there should be no need to arrive superearly, right?

tff

32Q is TP's code for all A321 neos, both LR and non-LR.

There's no lounge indeed, but there are some couches behind a wall which are reserved for C/CL pax.


The airport upgrade for TMS-LIS is 390 EUR / 440 USD.

The nonreclining seats are for non-LR A321s. In the LR, all seats recline and have PTVs.

It's small, but very inefficient. 2h before departure should be fine.
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ffay005

Thanks!

Well, if MMB shows me non-reclining seats, then I suppose they intend to fly a non-LR A321 after all. That's a let-down. But I will know for sure on the day of departure. If there's real J, 390 EUR is a fair price in my opinion.

2 hours sounds like a lot when there's only one plane departing. But yeah, African airports aren't exactly well-known for their efficiency.