Portuguese airline TAP has unveiled a new fares structure for European and North Africa flights.
There are now four options available in economy:
- Discount – “For those who prefer to travel only with hand luggage or simply with a backpack, within a short break in an European city”, and including meals and drinks, mileage accrual, and access to the “digital Media kiosk”, with a choice of national and international newspapers and the TAP in-flight magazine
- Basic – including a checked luggage allowance
- Classic – including the ability to choose your seat
- Plus – including the ability to book “a front seat”, as well priority check-in and “all the flexibility in rebooking tickets”
In business the options are:
- Executive – offering “all the usual Business comfort, yet with more attractive prices, allowing access to the lounge and differential boarding”
- Top Executive – fully flexible, and including a free valet parking service in Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal
TAP says that the new structure means that for bookings as of September 1 (for travel from October 1), its lowest fares have been reduced by an average of 34 per cent, with the some discounted as much as 53 per cent.
Examples of fare reductions include:
- London Gatwick to Lisbon: down from £127 return pre-September 1, to £75 with a Discount fare
- London Gatwick to Porto: down from £119 return pre-September 1, to £75 with a Discount fare
- Manchester to Lisbon: down from £127 return pre-September 1, to £83 with a Discount fare
In August, TAP increased the number of flights operating to and from Gatwick.
The carrier will add two frequencies to its Gatwick-Porto route, taking the number of weekly flights between the two destinations to 14.