estrela

In the past weeks, I took several times the Tap advertised air shuttle service (Ponte Aerea) to Funchal, Porto and Madrid and it was a pure deception. I used the Iberia Puente Aereo from Madrid several times and was hoping that Tap could at least be as good on it. Once more TP completely failed imho.

• Other than in Madrid where IB allocates always the most central jet bridges to those shuttle flights, TP allocates random gates and mainly bus boarding.
• Iberia allows to check bags until 15 minutes before departure while the actual boarding at TP starts already 50 minutes before departure and often closes 30mins before.
• Bus boarding was done by Groundforce Portugal with decade-old used buses, without A/C boiling up to 40+ degrees.
• There is an official benefit of changing the flight same day without any cost to another one. This does not work online and in FNC and MAD nobody could or wanted to help me.
• Especially the flight to OPO is used as a crew shuttle flight where you can observe the state company entitlement. Standby colleagues are being upgraded at will, served first and even in Y class getting drinks while passengers are not even asked for free water or to buy anything.

Have you ever been successful using the free same-day standby for earlier or later flights? Not sure how it would even work effortlessly.

More information on the service here: https://www.flytap.com/pt-pt/informa...as/ponte-aerea

After trying this out I will again go with other options on those routes.

duvin

I don't really understand the point of this post. The benefits of "Ponte Aerea" are listed on the website that the OP gave (https://www.flytap.com/pt-pt/informa...as/ponte-aerea) and the OP apparently was able to get those benefits.

Comparing TAP's "Ponte Aerea" with Iberia's "Puente Aereo" isn't really relevant.

estrela

Your writing feels like entitled TP staff. Did you even read my post?

I was not able to get the change flight option on outstations despite being advertised. Also everything else was quite a deception.

duvin

Ah, wonderful. Attacking the person when one's arguments don't match up. Two can play this game.

I did read your post. Let's see:

TP does not promise to allocate any specific gates for these flights, so no deception.

TP allows check-in until 45 minutes before departure as per their advertisement. No deception.

TP does not promise to do bus boarding with air-conditioned new buses. No deception.

In the Puente Aereo website (that you linked), they say this needs to be done at a TAP counter, not online. No deception.

Again I don't see how this is deception.

So our of your longish rant, what didn't work for you was that you weren't able to change flights at FNC and MAD. In case your behaviour at the airport is similar to your writing style, I can understand why no one wants to help you.

So the staff told you that you couldn't change the flight to an earlier one? Or did they say that there is no availability on the flight that you want to change to? Or were they trying to charge you for the change when it should've been free? What exactly happened?

I've had to change flights with TAP at their ticketing counter (not in FNC or MAD though) and haven't had a problem with that even without Ponte Aerea.

estrela

I like your arguments, made me laugh.
TAP promises actually very little and even regularly ignores the law on top of that.

To answer one of your questions: Promised rebooking was not possible as there was no counter or it was closed/unstaffed and the hotline could also not help.

I think I did not speak to you as agent, TP agents are actually pretty friendly but super demotivated and usually much more disappointed by TP and its management than me. (also see the many reports here of friendly crew that just disappear to the galley for the rest of the flight even in C).

duvin

Ok, so I think you went to the check-in counter at the airport and saw that it was unmanned as there was no flight departing. Did you try to find the ticketing counter? This is usually separate from checkin and is where I have been guided to when trying to make a change. It often also has a duty phone number in case no one is present. I haven't tried finding it in either MAD or FNC so couldn't say where you should've gone to.

duvin

I'm using the new LIS-ORY "air bridge" today and had no problem in changing my flight. Was booked on the last flight from ORY and was able to change to the next flight at the checkin counter. Unfortunately doesn't seem to work online or in the app but at least the checkin desk worked.

IAN-UK

I think the problem here is the different concepts of ponte aerea promoted by the two carriers. Iberia has the advantage of much busier corridors which generate higher frequencies supporting the allocation of more resources than TAP can manage. And, of course, Iberia enjoys the benefits of a larger, better equipped, hub airport.

As for TAP's response to its sclerotic bussing to and from remote stands, there's really no excuse.

Aliquot

Your complaints about the service aren't unreasonable, but when you claim deception in the subject line and don't provide any evidence of deception you lose credibility.

Koby

... and IB's Puente Aereo is also competing with several high speed train companies on the same route, which is a pretty good incentive to get things right.

San Gottardo

Might be a language issue. In some languages such as French "d�c�ption" means disappointment. In English it obviously means something much more dramatic and worthy of critic.

Hence, I agree that there is no deception (English sense of the term) by TP. But I fully understand the OP's disappointment. IB or not, a service that is marketed as being easy and flexible would benefit incredibly from things such as no bus gates, gates close to CKI area, short CKI deadlines, easy to change flights e.g. through mobile app/website/phone call. TP doesn't promise them, granted, so no deception. But it could deliver them, so yes, disappointment.

estrela

Good points and spot on analysis as English is just my 5th language. I agree it is more a disappointment. In terms of flexible rebooking I would still go with deception then as TP did not deliver what they advertise several times.