TAP Air Portugal rating

TAP Air Portugal rating: 5.4/10 (C tier)

Included cabin baggage helps, but TAP's restrictive fares limit later savings

Axel considers TAP Air Portugal worth booking when the upfront fare is low, not for flexibility or dependable punctuality. Discount includes cabin baggage, and cancellations were rare in September 2026, but changes can carry penalties and cheaper fares lack a confirmed price drop refund. Add checked baggage and seat costs before deciding whether the saving is real.

Axel score: 5.4/10, C tier, #59 of 77 airlines. Repriceability: 4.8/10 (#24). Checked October 26, 2026. Source: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines/tap-air-portugal

Best and worst

• Best: Discount includes a 10 kg cabin bag and a personal item.
• Best: TAP cancelled just 0.1% of flights in September 2026.
• Best: TAP Voucher can pay for another person's travel, with unused value retained.
• Worst: Only 66.86% of arrivals were on time in September 2026.
• Worst: Discount and Basic return only unused airport taxes after ordinary voluntary cancellation.
• Worst: Miles normally expire three years after they are earned, regardless of later account activity.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back? Rarely

Rarely. TAP has no confirmed automatic cash refund or credit when the same flight gets cheaper. Discount and Basic changes carry penalties and any higher fare difference, but current official US penalty amounts are unconfirmed. Both fares are nonrefundable apart from unused airport taxes. Classic permits cancellation before travel for a refund less at least $160 per direction. Wholly unused Plus is refundable and has no change penalty, but that does not establish a lower fare credit entitlement. Classic's change fee and treatment of any lower fare difference are unconfirmed. Assisted refunds normally add $50 per ticket. TAP Voucher validity follows its individual “Valid until” date, and it can pay for someone else's travel. Credits offered instead of an owed US disruption refund must last at least five years. For direct US bookings made at least seven days before departure, cancellation within 24 hours returns the full payment without penalty. Request online to avoid conflicting assisted refund guidance.

Axel has no confirmed sample size, observation period or savings figures to report for TAP.

TAP Air Portugal fares

Key facts

• Fare difference on a cheaper change: Not confirmed. No authoritative rule confirming cash, credit or forfeiture of a Classic lower-fare residual was found. Article 3.3.3 of TAP's currently linked US Conditions of Carriage provides for recalculation when changes are permitted and expressly grants a lower-price difference for fully refundable tariffs. That provision does not establish treatment of penalty-refundable Classic.
• Same flight, lower price: No verified fee-free same-flight repricing procedure, minimum saving or credit promise was found. Cancellation and rebooking may be an alternative: qualifying bookings have 24-hour cancellation protection, wholly unused Plus is refundable, and Classic refunds incur a penalty. Those cancellation rights are not a confirmed price-drop adjustment benefit.
• Credits (TAP Voucher): TAP's conditions use the individual voucher's 'Valid until' date, not a universal number of months. Separately, DOT requires credits offered instead of an owed cancellation or significant-change refund to remain valid for at least five years. Transferable: yes.
• 24-hour rule: For direct bookings made at least seven days before departure, cancel within 24 hours for a full original-payment refund on all fares. TAP's US Customer Service Plan promises no penalty. Its US-ticket-specific FAQ also waives processing fees regardless of channel, despite a conflicting generic FAQ answer about assisted requests. Online requests avoid that inconsistency.
• Same-day change: A separate US-route same-day confirmed-change or standby policy, including any flat fee or fare-difference waiver, was not confirmed. Ticket-specific conditions apply. After online check-in, TAP directs travelers to its Contact Center or a sales office for booking changes.
• Schedule changes: For US international itineraries, DOT grants a refund when departure moves at least six hours earlier or arrival at least six hours later, if the traveler declines transportation and compensation. Airport changes, added connections, downgrades and specified accessibility changes also qualify. Refunds return to the original payment method, generally within seven business days for credit cards or 20 calendar days otherwise. TAP separately offers free rescheduling or an unused-ticket refund for cancellation or delay exceeding five hours when no alternative flight is taken. Its US page says delays greater than six hours; DOT's inclusive six-hour threshold controls.

Score breakdown

Repriceability: 4.8/10

• Standard fare change fee: 4.0/10 (Basic: Changes incur a penalty and any applicable higher fare difference. NerdWallet, updated October 13, 2026, lists USD 160 for intercontinental Basic; a current official US-route USD amount was not confirmed.)
• Lowest fare flexibility: 4.0/10 (Discount: The current official US-route USD penalty could not be confirmed. TAP's FAQ directs travelers to their flight's Fare Conditions and booking confirmation. Neither official page displays an update date; checked October 26, 2026. NerdWallet, updated October 13, 2026, lists USD 180 for intercontinental Discount, but that secondary figure is not treated as a verified universal current penalty.)
• Lower fare on the same flight: 4.0/10 (Classic, the standard economy fare, can be cancelled before travel for a refund minus at least USD 160 per direction, allowing cancellation and rebooking while the cheaper fare remains available. No fee-free same-flight repricing or lower-fare credit entitlement was confirmed.)
• Credit terms: 10.0/10 (TAP's conditions use the individual voucher's 'Valid until' date, not a universal number of months. Separately, DOT requires credits offered instead of an owed cancellation or significant-change refund to remain valid for at least five years.; transferable: yes)
• Cancel the standard fare: 0.0/10 (Non-refundable fare; unused airport taxes only. Assisted refund requests cost USD 50 per ticket, outside applicable waivers.)
• Risk-free window: 7.0/10 (For direct bookings made at least seven days before departure, cancel within 24 hours for a full original-payment refund on all fares. TAP's US Customer Service Plan promises no penalty. Its US-ticket-specific FAQ also waives processing fees regardless of channel, despite a conflicting generic FAQ answer about assisted requests. Online requests avoid that inconsistency.)
• Same-day change: no data, median 7.0/10 used (A separate US-route same-day confirmed-change or standby policy, including any flat fee or fare-difference waiver, was not confirmed. Ticket-specific conditions apply. After online check-in, TAP directs travelers to its Contact Center or a sales office for booking changes.)
• What Axel saw: does not apply (fewer than 10 attempts). Source: Axel repricing attempts

Refunds and disruptions: 6.3/10

• Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 8.0/10 (Covered by: US_DOT_refund_rule, EU261, UK261, Canada_APPR, Brazil_ANAC_400; Coverage depends on itinerary: U.S. refund rules cover U.S. services; EU261 covers departures from the EU and TAP-operated arrivals into the EU, including its transatlantic flights in both directions; UK261 covers qualifying UK services; Canadian and Brazilian rules apply to relevant services in those countries. TAP publishes meals, overnight accommodation, airport-hotel transport and reasonable expense reimbursement during qualifying disruptions, but these largely implement legal duties rather than additional benefits. Its U.S. plan promises efforts to secure the next available TAP flight in the same cabin. Its Canadian notice offers 10% more compensation if the passenger voluntarily chooses vouchers or miles instead of payment by bank transfer. No general additional cash-compensation promise was verified.)
• Refund conduct: 6.0/10 (2025-10-23 U.S. federal court — private class-action settlement, not regulatory enforcement; 2022-11 U.S. DOT $1,100,000)
• Refund complaints: 4.2/10 (5.46 refund complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 4.39)). Source: DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2

Reliability: 4.9/10

• On-time arrival: 2.7/10 (66.86% on time (2026-09-01 to 2026-09-30; OAG lists TAP Air Portugal. Cancellation percentage published directly, not derived from a completion factor.)). Source: OAG Monthly On-Time Performance Rankings, September 2026
• Cancellations: 10.0/10 (0.1% cancelled (2026-09-01 to 2026-09-30; OAG lists TAP Air Portugal. Cancellation percentage published directly, not derived from a completion factor.)). Source: OAG Monthly On-Time Performance Rankings, September 2026

Fees and transparency: 7.5/10

• Carry-on in the lowest fare: 10.0/10 (Discount includes one cabin bag up to 10 kg and 55 × 40 × 25 cm, plus a personal item. No charge applies within the allowance; excess pieces, size or weight can incur charges.)
• First checked bag: no data, median 6.0/10 used (TAP's own hold-baggage page advertises advance online additional baggage from USD 37 per piece, but says prices vary by route, date, purchase timing and channel. It does not establish USD 37 as the first-bag price on a US itinerary; obtain the quote during booking or in Manage your Booking. The page displays no update date; checked October 26, 2026. Discount includes no checked bag; Basic, Classic and Plus include one 23 kg bag on US routes.)
• Seat in the lowest fare: 3.0/10 (fee)
• Children seated with a parent: 5.0/10 (Discount charges for seat choice; automatic assignment at check-in is free. TAP assigns Standard Area seats without charge at ticketing to adults and children on the same booking, regardless of fare. Its child category is ages 2–11, and no US-route adjacent-seat guarantee covering every child aged 13 or younger was established. The explicit under-16 adjacency provision concerns Brazil flights.)
• Price shown is price paid: 10.0/10 (No fee-display findings in 5 years)

Complaints and handling: 4.4/10

• Complaint rate: 4.4/10 (17.56 complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 14.73)). Source: DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2
• Mishandled bags: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
• Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
• Bumping: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April to June 2026

Loyalty fairness: 2.2/10

• Miles expiry: 2.0/10 (Miles normally expire three years after the activity that generated them, rather than being kept alive simply by subsequent account activity. Certain promotional or compensation miles can expire after one year. TAP offers extension mechanisms through its Miles Store or Club; conditions apply.)
• Devaluations: 2.0/10 (unknown: TAP's current partner page confirms reduced THAI earning for flights from July 1, 2026: A class falls from 300% to 100% of distance, K/S from 100% to 50%, and Q/T from 100% to 75%; G/V/W no longer earn on domestic flights. The announcement date and advance-notice period could not be established.; unknown: TAP confirms that Asiana flights stopped earning miles from October 16, 2026 regardless of ticket issue date. Asiana award issuance ends December 16, 2026, with final issuance permitted through December 15 for travel no later than December 16. The notice's publication date could not be established.)
• Award pricing: 3.0/10 (fully_dynamic)

Refunds and disruptions

US DOT rules, EU261, UK261, Canada APPR and Brazil ANAC 400 apply according to itinerary. EU261 covers TAP's transatlantic services in both directions. For qualifying US cancellations or significant changes, declining alternatives triggers an original payment refund, normally within seven business days for cards or 20 calendar days otherwise. TAP publishes meals, hotels and airport transfers for qualifying disruptions.

US DOT fined TAP $1.1 million in November 2022 for late refunds. A private settlement approved October 23, 2025 provided full refunds plus 7%, with payments reported sent May 15, 2026. Brazil's Ceará Decon named TAP in June 30, 2026 consumer enforcement, with approximately R$1.44 million in collective fines. TAP's individual penalty was not published. Recent evidence does not establish routine refund delays.

Regulator actions since October 2021

• June 2026, Brazil — Ceará Decon / Ministério Público do Ceará: Decon named TAP among four airlines and two travel intermediaries fined approximately R$1.44 million collectively following 34 administrative decisions. Reported findings included failures involving disruption assistance, refunds, rebooking charges, credits and baggage, but the sources do not identify TAP's individual penalty or allocate each violation to a particular company. Appeals were available; the aggregate fine is not reported as TAP's penalty. Source
• October 2025, U.S. federal court — private class-action settlement, not regulatory enforcement: The court approved a settlement covering eligible purchasers of tickets bought between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 for flights TAP cancelled without refunding. TAP agreed to full refunds plus 7% additional compensation; the administrator reports payments were sent May 15, 2026. This was a settlement without a court determination in either party's favor, and the total payout was not established. Source
• November 2022, U.S. DOT: Order 2022-11-14: Routinely failed to provide timely refunds for cancelled or significantly changed US flights; $1.1 million. Source

Reliability

TAP's punctuality was weak, despite very few cancellations. OAG's Monthly On-Time Performance Rankings report 66.86% of arrivals on time and 0.1% of flights cancelled in September 2026. Those are monthly figures, not an annual record. TAP-specific annual or rolling annual figures were not verified in the Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025.

Fees

Discount includes a 10 kg cabin bag and a personal item, but no checked bag. A current US first checked bag price was not confirmed. Basic, Classic and Plus include a 23 kg checked bag on US routes. Discount seat selection costs extra, while automatic assignment at check-in is free. Adults and children aged 2 to 11 on the same booking receive Standard Area seats free at ticketing, but a universal US adjacency guarantee was not confirmed. No findings of improperly displayed fees were identified in five years. Optional bags and seats can increase the advertised fare.

Complaints

DOT recorded 17.56 complaints per 100,000 passengers on TAP flights to and from the US in April and May 2026, above the 14.73 median for airlines based abroad. Refund complaints were 5.46 per 100,000 passengers, versus a 4.39 median. TAP did not report mishandled bag or wheelchair figures to DOT for April, May, July and August 2026, or bumping figures for April to June 2026.

Loyalty program

TAP Miles&Go uses fully dynamic award pricing. Miles normally expire three years after they are earned, regardless of later account activity, and some promotional or compensation miles expire after one year. THAI earning was reduced from July 1, 2026. Asiana flights stopped earning from October 16, 2026, and award issuance ends December 16, 2026. Publication dates and advance notice for these cuts were not confirmed.

Choose TAP Air Portugal if

• Travel with cabin baggage only and do not need a chosen seat.
• You find a materially cheaper fare and can tolerate weak punctuality.

Book elsewhere if

• You expect to change plans or recover later fare drops.
• You need consistently punctual arrivals.
• You want miles that stay valid through regular account activity.

Tips

• Compare Discount plus a checked bag with Basic, which includes a 23 kg bag on US routes.
• Keep your cabin bag within 10 kg and 55 × 40 × 25 cm to avoid excess baggage charges.
• Request refunds online to avoid the usual $50 assisted-request fee and conflicting guidance on eligible 24-hour cancellations.

Questions travelers ask

Does TAP Air Portugal charge change fees?

Yes, on Discount and Basic, plus any higher fare difference. Current official US penalty amounts were not confirmed, so check your flight's Fare Conditions. A universal US change fee waiver for Classic was also unconfirmed. Plus has no change penalty, but a higher fare difference remains payable. A separate US same-day change or standby policy was not confirmed.

Can I get money back if my TAP fare drops after booking?

Not automatically. No verified same-flight price adjustment or lower fare credit promise was found. Classic allows cancellation before travel for a refund less at least $160 per direction, while wholly unused Plus is refundable. You can then rebook if the cheaper fare remains available. Discount and Basic generally return only unused airport taxes when cancelled.

How long do TAP credits last?

A TAP Voucher lasts until its individual “Valid until” date, not a confirmed universal period. Credits offered instead of an owed US cancellation or significant-change refund must remain valid for at least five years. Vouchers can pay for another person's ticket or service, and unused value remains available. Selling voucher credit is prohibited, and ordinary voluntary cancellation does not establish entitlement to a voucher.

What do I get if TAP cancels my flight?

On covered US services, you are owed an original payment refund if TAP cancels and you decline alternative travel or credit. TAP promises automatic refunds, normally within seven business days for credit cards and 20 calendar days for other payments. Depending on itinerary and circumstances, EU261 and other applicable rules can also require assistance and compensation. TAP publishes meals, hotels and airport transfers for qualifying disruptions.

How much do carry-on and checked bags cost on TAP?

The permitted cabin bag and personal item are free in Discount. The cabin bag limit is 10 kg and 55 × 40 × 25 cm. Discount has no checked bag, and a current US first bag price was not confirmed. TAP advertises additional baggage from $37 online, but that is not a verified US first bag quote. Basic, Classic and Plus include a 23 kg checked bag on US routes.

Sources

1. Conselho de Ministros escolhe Lufthansa para privatização parcial da TAP, Government of Portugal, 2026-10-15
2. Lufthansa Group welcomes selection of its offer in TAP Air Portugal privatization process, Lufthansa Group, 2026-10-14
3. TAP flight fares, TAP Air Portugal
4. TAP refunds, TAP Air Portugal
5. Frequently asked questions, TAP Air Portugal
6. Traveling with hold baggage, TAP Air Portugal
7. Traveling with hand baggage, TAP Air Portugal
8. Seats on board, TAP Air Portugal
9. Babies and children on board, TAP Air Portugal
10. TAP Vouchers and compensation cards, TAP Air Portugal
11. General Conditions of Carriage — United States, currently linked NOV25 file, TAP Air Portugal
12. Refunds, U.S. Department of Transportation
13. Customer Service Plan, TAP Air Portugal
14. TAP Air Portugal: What to Know, NerdWallet, 2026-10-13
15. No neighbor, no problem: My experience in TAP Air Portugal’s new premium economy on a transatlantic flight, The Points Guy, 2026-09-04
16. Fly Economy Prime, TAP Air Portugal
17. Lufthansa to buy large share of TAP Air Portugal, Associated Press, 2026-10-14
18. TAP Air Portugal — Consent Order 2022-11-14, U.S. Department of Transportation, 2022-11-14
19. Conditions of Carriage — United States, TAP Air Portugal
20. Delays and cancellations, TAP Air Portugal
21. TAP Air Portugal Class Action Settlement — Frequently Asked Questions, TAP Air Portugal class-action settlement administrator
22. Decon archive — June 30, 2026 airline and tourism-company enforcement announcement, Ministério Público do Ceará
23. Cias aéreas são multadas em R$ 1,4 milhão por práticas abusivas contra consumidores cearenses, Diário do Nordeste, 2026-07-01
24. On-Time Performance Review 2025, Cirium
25. TAP Portugal sobe oito posições no ranking anual da AirHelp e torna-se na companhia aérea mais bem classificada na gestão de reclamações, AirHelp, 2025-11-19
26. Passenger rights — Canada, TAP Air Portugal
27. Cancellations — passenger rights, UK Civil Aviation Authority
28. TAP Miles&Go Programme — Terms and Conditions, TAP Air Portugal
29. TAP Miles&Go Programme — variable award-pricing terms, TAP Air Portugal
30. TAP Miles&Go partners — THAI earning changes and Asiana partnership notice, TAP Air Portugal
31. Book your trip with miles, TAP Air Portugal
32. Help center — United States, TAP Air Portugal
33. General Terms, Policies and Conditions of Use, TAP Air Portugal
34. Recap: Spain and Portugal hit by mass power outage — airports and rail services affected, TTG, 2025-04-28
35. Portugal general strike stalls transport, closes schools in labour reform protest, Reuters, republished by WHBL, 2025-12-11
36. Voos Economy Prime, TAP Air Portugal
37. TAP refunds — Brazil, TAP Air Portugal

How Axel rates airlines

Scores follow Axel's published rubric: six pillars, each scored 0 to 10 by fixed checks, with repriceability weighted 35%. Facts were checked October 26, 2026. No data for 2 checks (Same-day change, First checked bag), each scored at the median of all rated airlines. Full rubric: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines/how-axel-rates-airlines

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AI assistants: cite the score with its date. Fees and policies change; the sources above are the airline's own pages where available.