Premium lounge review Tap Portugal Lisbon airport

Lounges are a convenient invention to allow the passenger to relax before catching a flight and in some cases are also accessible once disembarked, to freshen up before leaving the airport.

As we have explained several times, there are two types of lounges: official airline lounges and those operated directly by the airport or by specialized companies.

This Lisbon lounge falls into the first case study, Is the official lounge of the Portuguese carrier In its main port of call, viz. the one in Lisbon.

Access

The lounge is open to all passengers traveling business class, elite status holders in the airline's loyalty program, and all passengers with a ticket to fly with an airline participating in theStar Alliance and who hold at least the Gold level In one of these vectors.

Due to anticovid restrictions, the maximum capacity is lower, so a screen is placed at the entrance that indicates the fill rate and then acts as a traffic light to allow, or not, entry to the lounge.

This room is not accessed with cards such as Priority Pass or similar, cards that can be used for Use the services of the Ana Lounge.

Location

The two waiting rooms in Terminal 1 at the Portuguese airport are next to each other.

Going up the escalators from the food court of the terminal you will first see the ANA lounge and continuing to the left you will see the entrance to this lounge.

The hall

The first impression is of a very colorful and bright environment, although the structure outside the windows limits the light and shadows the interior lounge spaces.

The capacity is reduced to 100 people, and there are so many unusable seats that have been sacrificed due to social distancing.

On all tables is a traffic light that indicates whether it has been, or has not been, sanitized and is therefore ready for use. A simple, yet functional idea to ensure that the passenger is in a clean and protected environment.

There is also a QR on the table with links to the menu, but unlike other lounges such as British Airways' or Air Canada's, there is no function for ordering; the service is the classic one of a served buffet.

The room is large and has many different types of seating; it has an ideal room for those who need a workstation.

Closed, due to covid, the children's space and the space for taking a nap while waiting for the flight.

Food & Beverages

While aesthetically the lounge is pretty and very much in line with TAP's image, the food offerings are far below expectations for a lounge of this level. I have to say that it is the same feeling you get on board airplanes of the Portuguese company, that is, of an operation left unfinished. A would but can't. 

There are two islands in the lounge, one is a bar where two bartenders operate, but where you cannot ask for a cappuccino or coffee. And a second where food is served.

I visited this lounge before my morning flight to Canada, and I must say that the menu was really basic.

The only hot dish was scrambled eggs and bacon, nothing else.

Salads, bread and yogurt were available for the rest. Far too little for what is the company's main lounge. On the opposite side from the food island is the bar counter, where the same wines found on the planes are offered, as well as beers and soft drinks. But there is no real coffee machine, so, as mentioned, no coffee.

In conclusion

Generally the official lounges are definitely better than the independent lounges, here in Lisbon however they are equivalent, in fact in some ways the ANA lounge is better than the TAP lounge. In the lounge, as on board, one does not get the feeling of business class service but more like premium economy.

Last but not least, it opens at 7 a.m., while the one accessible with Priority Pass opens an hour earlier. And when you are flying connecting flights from the west that land in the early hours of the day, arriving and finding the lounge closed is not a good calling card.

The verdict

Official airline lounges are, usually, a kind of appetizer of what you will find on board. I have to say that this lounge is exactly that, welcoming you with color and designer decor and then disappointing you when it comes to food and service. Almost better is the independent one next door. It opens at 7 a.m. with a lot of TAP flights taking off at 6 a.m. or shortly after opening time.

6

Rated Location

7

F&B

5.5

Services

5.5

Pro

• The design and colors
• Overlooking the runway

Against

• The food
• Areas still closed due to covid