TAP

TAP’s in-flight magazine UP has just picked up the Papier 2008 awards “Best Portuguese Magazine” with its first edition and “Best Commercial Product Printed on a Rolling Press in Portugal”, with edition No.4. This is an initiative by Revista do Papel voted by representatives from the printing press industry in Portugal.

TAP has issued 100 percent electronic tickets from June 1, totally compliant with the IAT decision to totally eliminate paper tickets after this date. At a time when airline companies are generalizing the issue of electronic tickets it is worth mentioning that TAP Portugal was one of the pioneering companies in the implementation and development of e-Tickets (ET) on a world scale.

In order to meet the strong demand registered in the market, TAP will launch two new direct flights a week between Lisbon and Zagreb running on Tuesdays and Fridays during the period between July 22 and September 12.

TAP’s medium-haul fleet has been increased with the arrival of a new A319 aircraft that will be integrated into regular company flights on May 17 after undergoing initial maintenance and engineering preparatory work.

Twenty years after beginning flights with TAP livery, the A310 Airbus bids farewell to the company this year. To mark this milestone, the "Bartholomeu Dias" CS-THE A310 will take part in AeroNostalgia 2008, an aeronautical event to be held at the Sintra Airbase on May 25 between 2:00 and 6:30pm. In the evening, there will be an A410 farewell dinner at the Air Force Academy mess.

TAP Portugal will launch new products aimed at different targets, as of next June-beginning. These were designed to add more quality and flexibility to services offered to customers along with a wider choice, a new focus on price and the strengthening of the Company’s transparency in communicating with the travelling public.

A seal housed at the Marine Species Rehabilitation Center in Albufeira, a marine animal shelter, was flown out yesterday on flight TP356 destined for London. The TAP Cargo crew accompanied this delicate transport operation from the start ensuring the success of the voyage.

TAP is now offering Check-in Online on departures from Brazil on flights originating in Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Sao Paulo.

With immediate effect, TAP Portugal customers travelling from Gatwick will be able to carry more than one bag through security for cabin baggage purposes. The UK government restriction limiting customers to one item of cabin baggage was lifted at all other BAA airports (including Heathrow) in January 2008, as well as the Gatwick Airport transfer security areas in February 2008.

The Spanish editor of “Marie Claire” and one of the most prestigious European women’s magazines, singles out the TAP in-flight magazine – UP – as the best of its kind. In an assessment which involves airline transport companies from around the world in an article entitled “Airline Glamour”, companies "with extra class” in their range of services provided are highlighted.

TAP is promoting Porto as a tourist destination in the Brazilian market by offering passengers arriving from Brazil the “Good Morning Porto” program which includes accommodation for one night at a hotel in the city, breakfast and transit to/from the hotel and the airport.

On March 26 in Sao Paulo, TAP received the award of "Airline of the Year" from the magazine Brazil Travel News as one of the trophies of "The Top 10 of Tourism 2007”.

In 2007, TAP reported its best year ever, with its net profit amounting to 32.8 million EUR, some 350 per cent above the 7.3 M EUR profit posted in previous year. According to the annual consolidated financial results announced on April 3, 2008, in Lisbon, the Company led by Fernando Pinto also increased in 160 per cent its operating result , up to 79.3 million EUR in 2007, against the 30.3 million EUR operating result in 2006.

With the IATA Summer period now approaching TAP is consolidating its investments for the coming months as already announced in January in the BTL. The aim is to improve the service offered to customers implemented in connections to Madeira by means of an increased number of flights and the creation of a new direct destination.

Within the context of the Star Alliance project “Move under one Roof”, TAP should begin operating as of November from Terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport in London. Implementation of this project which aims to offer alliance passengers greater ease and more commodity through the use of common spaces at leading airports will take place in a series of phases. The first begins in April and conclusion is scheduled for 2012.

On February 15 TAP surpassed 20 thousand bookings on flights between Lisbon and Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, confirming strong positive market response to the air transport company’s latest investment.

TAP has been awarded by Geneva International Airport in Switzerland for the second consecutive year for having registered annual growth of more than five percent in the total number of passengers it transported at the airport in 2007.

The first TAP flight between Lisbon and Belo Horizonte was held this Monday, February 11 departing at 10am and arriving in the capital of the State of Minas Gerais at 5:30pm.

The new Tele Check-in and In-Flight Reading desk is already operational at Terminal 2 in Lisbon Airport. From January 18, all TAP passengers departing from Terminal 2 and travelling luggage-free and destined for any airport within national territory – Faro, Porto, Madeira and the Azores – can check-in via telephone and pick up their boarding-card at this new desk installed in the new terminal building at Lisbon International Airport.

Customers who organize their trips using the array of Star Alliance ticket-tariff products now have a new online tool to facilitate their travel plans. The Circle Fare and Airpass Calculator, available via the Star Alliance website at Staralliance.com/fareproductcalculators enables customers to program their preferred flights in a more convenient way, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

With the entry into force of Portugal’s Law 37/2007, from January 1 smoking is now banned in all closed spaces with the exception of those set aside in the law itself.

On December 24 TAP hit another historic number on its flights to Brazil by transporting 1 million passengers for the first time during the same year. In this case, Mario Sergio Limberte who traveled with his wife Dirce Limberte from Sao Paulo to Lisbon, before flying onto Barcelona and then to Porto where they will spend a week before returning to Brazil.

TAP is to increase its operations to Madeira and The Azores throughout the Christmas and New Year period by offering its passengers 208 extra flights between December 15 2007 and January 6 2008.

TAP Portugal and Ukraine International have increased their mutual cooperation by extending code-share use in force since 2002 on flights between Kiev and Lisbon to new destinations. Customers are therefore now offered from November 27 more flights between Portugal and the Ukraine as well as access to a wider range of destinations in each of the two countries.

TAP and the Japanese company All Nippon Airways (ANA), its Star Alliance partner, are extending their already existing cooperation within the sphere of their Star Alliance partnership with the start of code-share operations on flights between Lisbon and Frankfurt, one of the European gateways of ANA, from December 16 of this year.

Three female Addax – a mammal of the Bovidae family – on loan from the Lisbon Zoological Garden to Pretoria Zoo in South Africa, arrived on November 15 on flight TP283, destination Johannesburg. The Addax is a species threatened with extinction as its natural habitat has practically wiped out.

TAP was awarded a World Travel Market Award today in the United Kingdom in recognition of the strong contribution the company has made to the tourism industry in Portugal.

Flights to Brasilia, started by TAP recently in July, are to be increased from five to six times a week from this coming February 12. This decision by the Company is the result of the enormous demand this destination has registered primarily from international markets.

TAP will run five flights a week between Lisbon and Belo Horizonte from February 11 2008 by which time it will be offering 65 flights a week between Portugal and Brazil. The new TAP flights to the state capital of Minas Gerais will run in both directions on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

On October 28, TAP will inaugurate regular direct flights to the city of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, with four flights a week departing from Lisbon on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 9:50pm. This new destination reinforces connections to the Portuguese-speaking country as daily flights to Sal will be maintained, totaling 11 flights a week between Portugal and Cape Verde.

Portuguese air travel is scheduled to be hit by major strikes starting today, as well as the 25th and 27th of this month as talks between the Portuguese government and the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots (SPAC) broke down.

TAP is now offering new in-flight menus in its Top Executive class on all flights from Brazil. This new catering option reinforces the company’s commitment to the continual improvement of the quality of the products and services it provides its customers with, and is part of a series of new options introduced this summer in its in-flight services, with gastronomic dishes created by renowned chefs Vitor Sobral and Dânio Braga.

The check-in online option is now offered by TAP on flights from Luanda for passengers with electronic tickets, and can be performed between 24 and 5 hours prior to flight departure time. Passengers using check-in online should hand in their baggage at the Executive Class desk up to 90 minutes before departure.

The “Business Traveller” awards are recognized in the world of aviation as a distinction of excellence in the sector and comprise 46 categories ranging from airline companies to the hotel industry and rent-a-car firms to renowned brands of travel articles.

TAP check-in online is already available to passengers on company flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen airports. This option is now available for departures from Continental Portugal, Madeira*, The Azores*, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Brussels Amsterdam, London, Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Oslo, Luanda and now Stockholm and Copenhagen to the entire TAP network (except for the USA).

TAP is to maintain flights between Lisbon and Pamplona previously operated by Portugalia, six times a week – daily flights except for Saturdays - departing from Lisbon at 1:55pm and arriving in Pamplona at 4:45pm. From the capital Navarre, flights leave at 5:25pm and arrive in Lisbon at 6:25pm.

From October 28 Madeira will have new TAP connections between Funchal and the Italian cities of Rome and Milan. The new flights designated as through-flights (with passenger check-in and baggage dispatch thru to final destination) will help facilitate connections between Madeira and Italy.

From September, TAP is introducing new items in the Safety Instruction videos shown on board its aircraft in an effort to meet the needs of its passengers. In addition to this, besides the regular narration in Portuguese and English, videos will now have a sign language “window”, also in both languages.

From September 15 TAP will operate more daily flights to Nice and Toulouse with departures from Lisbon, reinforcing its offer of flights to France – one of the most representative markets of the Company’s European network. The range of destinations served now operates with a basic 19 flights a day available rising to 20 during peak periods.

TAP will begin operating two more daily flights to Rome from September 15, one from Lisbon and the other from Porto, reinforcing its operations to Italy with the range of destinations now served by 12 flights a day.

TAP is to bring forward its reinforcement of operations at Porto Airport to September 15 in the light of the new conditions brought about with the acquisition of PGA and the possibility of the joint use of the fleets of both companies.

TAP has just set a new record by transporting more than 30,000 passengers in a single day of operations over 3 consecutive days. The 30,000 barrier was broken on July 27 with the transportation of 30,417 passengers.

With the aim of making its passengers’ journeys more agreeable, from November TAP is offering a new in-flight magazine entitled “Up”. With this new editorial proposal headed by journalist Paula Ribeiro, TAP seeks to meet the demands of communication taking into account the increasingly more cosmopolitan character of its Customers.

For the third consecutive time Star Alliance has been voted the best airline company alliance by World Airline Survey (2007, 2005 & 2003*). The inquiry was conducted by the air transport studies organization Skytrax. More than 14 million passengers were interviewed throughout an eleventh month period (August 2006 to June 2007).

From June 27, TAP check-in online will also be available to passengers traveling with stowed baggage. This new option will also not only be available on departures from Continental Portugal, Madeira*, The Azores*, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, but also on departures from London, Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Oslo, on the entire TAP network (except the USA).

The TAP fleet now numbers 49 units, a new absolute record, with the entry into service of its fourth A330 registered under CS-TOH and known as the “Nuno Goncalves” in honor of the great 15th Century Portuguese painter.

TAP has won the prize as “Best Airline Company” awarded by the Publituris newspaper for the fourth consecutive year, once again picking up the majority vote of the readers of this prestigious publication.

TAP ranks among the top 200 companies that in the opinion of consumers is 29 countries enjoy the best reputation on a world level. Moreover, the list only included one other Portuguese company – the Sonae Group – and four other airline transport companies with Lufthansa out in front.

The TAP Victoria program has created a special offer for Smiles Program members for whom it is now easier and quicker to earn air miles when flying with TAP.

This Sunday saw the launch of the new TAP Portugal freighter service from Gatwick to Portugal. The Boeing 757 will have a capacity of 27 tonnes and will operate weekly from Gatwick on a Sunday. This new service has been introduced to satisfy the steeply increasing demand for freight to Portugal and the busy long haul destinations of Brazil and Angola amongst others in the TAP network.

On July 19, TAP will begin operating five flights a week between Lisbon and Brasilia, making it the first airline company to secure direct international flights to the federal capital of Brazil.

Flights to Luanda in Angola will increase to 6 weekly from 28 April with the introduction of a Saturday service and to a daily operation from 03 July with the introduction of a Tuesday service.

The TAP Victoria fidelity program is promoting tourist packages at fantastic prices between March and May in a traded mix of earned miles – less than half those usually required – and money.

TAP will start up its seventh flight a week to Luanda beginning this July, the month in which it begins operating daily flights between Lisbon and the Angolan capital. Currently running five flights a week, the airline company will begin operating a sixth flight a week on Saturdays from April 28.

TAP launched its new fidelity program – TAP Corporate Plus – onto the portuguese market this month, aimed at the business segment via which it proposes companies will gain from reduced costs and more efficient management of business trips.

TAP is launching a special offer on return flights from Lisbon, Porto and Faro to New York. Throughout the months of March, April and May, tickets for these routes can be purchased from 298 euros.

Flying with TAP to major cities in Europe, such as Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Budapest or Prague is now more accessible. The national airline company is launching a special offer valid as of Thursday February 15 on return flights from Lisbon, with flights to Barcelona and Madrid at 48 euros, Paris at 78 euros, Venice at 98 euros or Budapest and Prague at 108 euros.

From January 23, TAP passengers boarding flights operated by the company from French airports - Orly and Charles de Gaulle – will also be able to carry out their check-in online.

To provide its passengers with more convenience, TAP has launched a new access project for its check-in online service that has already been adopted by the following hotels: Dom Pedro (Lisbon), Lutécia (Rome), Sana Metropolitan, Mundial, Tivoli (Lisbon) and Tivoli (Tejo). Avis will also make this service available in its branches in Lisbon, Porto and Faro.

The TAP Call Center has extending its hours on working days for the national market with the aim of providing customers with better attendance.

Victoria passengers can now earn air miles using a cobranded TAP Victoria/HSBC credit card and with the Santander Banespa Superbonus Program - the latest partners of the TAP fidelity program.

TAP is offering its passengers promotional ticket tariffs at very attractive prices to numerous destinations in Europe.

Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) and TAP Portugal have announced the supply of program content from RTP for broadcasting onboard the Portuguese airline company’s aircraft.

Last December 5 and 12, TAP freighted two cargo aircraft to Luanda reaching a total of 8 cargo flights to Angola throughout 2006. These two commercial flights - the result of increased market demand - reflect growth in cargo traffic to this destination and attest to the growing dynamism of the company’s cargo sector.

From December 12, with the exception of resident student/student ticket tariffs, TAP clients are now able to check-in via the Internet to and from the Madeira Islands and the Azores. This option is now also available on departures from Madrid and Barcelona.

From December 5 to 23, Victoria Program members may take part in a Christmas competition available on the Internet and be able to win trips, accommodation at luxury hotels, weekend programs and cell phones as well as many other prizes.

The TAP Victoria Program is offering air miles to all members who travel with their pet animals. This special offer is valid on return flights operated by TAP from December 1 thu February 28 2007.

For the second consecutive year, TAP Cargo has been singled out by the "Transport & Business" magazine, in a ceremony that took place on Thursday November 30 at the Hotel Le Meridien in Porto.

To meet the increased demand predicted over the Christmas period, TAP is strengthening its operation on flights to Africa and Europe, with an offer of an additional 83 flights.