introduction
As many frequent flyers know, flying business class on a European airline carrier, normally leaves you in a normal economy class recliner seat. Apart from having a free middle seat, there is not much distinguishing business class from economy class, regarding the hard product.
With the introduction of the Airbus A321neo-LR, airlines are now capable of flying across the Atlantic using narrow body aircraft. As a result, airline carriers by the likes of Scandinavian, TAP Portugal and JetBlue, have started to fit long-haul cabins on the A321neo-LR.
TAP Portugal is deploying those new aircraft on select Intra-European routes as well. Originally booked on the long haul 21N, the equipment was changed to a regular A320 with an inferior hard product, a few days before departure.
On the scheduled day, the originally assigned 21N was swapped back onto this flight.
Ground experience
Star Alliance carriers are based in terminal 2, which has definitely seen better days and doesn’t even come close to the new and shiny terminal 4, you might know from flying Oneworld airlines. Terminal 2 felt dated and there was not enough space to accommodate modern day traffic. Hallways felt crowded and queues at boarding desks were blocking passengers from moving through the airport.
I was just connecting in MAD and therefore can’t say anything about the check-in process and the security checkpoint.
airport lounge
There is no dedicated Star Alliance lounge at MAD airport. TP business class passengers are entitled to visit the AENA airline lounges, spread across the airport. Having visited the AENA lounge in terminal 4 before (crowded like a apple store on Black Friday), I was a bit worried, that this lounge would be the same story. But as it turned out, the lounge was not busy at all and felt quiet and relaxing.
There were quite a few food options on display. The food and the beverages were one of the better offerings in a contract lounge in my opinion.
The food was regulary refilled and the staff kept the lounge clean.
Finding seats was not an issue, since there were very few passengers in the lounge. The windows offered perfect views on the apron and the ramp.
As boarding time drew closer, I was notified via TAP, that the flight is expected to depart one hour late.
Overall, the lounge has been very pleasant and I would definitely come back again. A nice place to spend some time and to escape the hustle and bustle inside the terminal.
aircraft
Carrier: TAP Air Portugal
Type: Airbus A321neo-LR
Registration: CS-TXI
First flight: 28/02/2022
Cabin configuration: 16J / 155Y
cabin / seat
Upon checking for the inbound flight from LIS, I noticed that we were getting indeed getting a A321neo-LR. So there has been another equipment swap, something I was more than happy with.
TAP Portugal operates the regular A321-200 and A321neo (registrations: CS-TJ…) aircraft with the regular economy recliner seats. On all the new A321neo-LR aircraft with the registration beginning with CS-TX…, you can expect the long-haul configuration.
The LR aircraft are primarily used for trans-atlantic routes to the US east coast and to Brazil.
The TP A321neo-LR cabin features 16 lie-flat business class seats in an alternating 2-2 and 1-1 layout over five rows. There is a lavatory separating business class from economy class. 155 economy class seats are located in the second cabin of the aircraft.
TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321neo-LR business class layout @aerolopa
What are the best seats for couples?
The seats in rows 1,3 and 5 are arranged in pairs, making them perfect for passengers traveling together. Row 1 offer noticeable bigger foot cubbies, being located behind the bulkhead.
What are the best seats for solo travelers?
You should reserve one of the solo seats in rows 2 and 4 without hesitation. They are far superior to the seats in the rows mentioned before in terms of storage, personal space and privacy. I found the foot cubby to be a bit smaller than in the other seats though. You get direct aisle access of course.
Variations of the Thompson Aero Vantage seat can be found on other carriers like LX, OS and TP’s 332 aircraft. The seat is made out of a grey fabric, with an olive leather headrest. The seats look very modern and clean. The table is located in the privacy divider next to the seat.
I was conveniently reassigned my original seat 2E, a single seat on this flight. There was a console to either side of the seat, perfect to stow items such as laptops or books. The amount of personal space was something I wasn’t expecting on a narrow body aircraft. The seat was comfortable and wide enough.
There was a little gap in front of the right console, perfect to put a backpack for easy access.
The seat controls were on the console to the left of the seat. I really had to lean forward to see the other passenger across the aisle. The cabin felt quite private for an open design like on this TAP aircraft.
The privacy divider housing the tray table played its part in providing a bit more of privacy. You can see how exposed the aisle seat in the 2-2 rows were.
(Pardon me for the bright and blurred pictures, it was a sunny day over Spain)
This cabin is amazing in my opinion. Not only does it offer seat pairs for passengers traveling together, but it also provides an option for solo travelers who want to have direct aisle access with the single seats. The cabin felt modern and so new. My seat 2E is the best seat I have flown on a narrow-body aircraft. This product for a moment hides the fact, that you are sitting in a 320-family aircraft.
food / beverages
There was no menu handed out by the crew. The food was very, very basic. It consisted of one half of a sandwich and some fruits. The taste was okay, but I have definitely seen better food offerings on flights of that length.
lie-flat bed
The seat can be converted into a fully flat bed.
(Again, sorry for the glare)
Head and shoulder space were fine. The bed didn't feel cramped.
Foot space however was a bit limited. It was fine unless you didn't change your sleeping position. I think the narrow foot cubby could be a concern on long haul flights though.
The bed was comfortable for a couple minutes of rest. I think this product is a good choice for a Transatlantic day flight to e.g. NYC.
service
There is not much to say about the service. Since this flight was rather short, the food service was fast and the crew were friendly and attentive. I had a good time with the cabin crew.
IFE
Again, for the duration of the flight I sticked to the moving map on the IFE screen.
Wow, you know how to catch all the good routes with long-haul metal within Europe!
I always love a proper long-haul J cabin on a narrowbody--it always feels so exclusive and a bit like a private jet. The cabin looks quite nice and fresh as well. TAP have done a great job on design of their new cabins.
The food looks disappointing though, especially considering KLM and some other EU carriers still give a sandwich on short-haul in Y, so not great for J. I imagine Iberia do much better with catering on the same route.
Another cool report as always! Thanks for sharing!
I am giving my best to catch them all :)
I got one Intra-European flight on a widebody left to post. After that I am going to publish my journey to and within Asia....perhaps the continent with the best airlines.
Yep, the food was nothing to write home about. Still a cost-cutting measure I guess, since there is another TP J review on the same route, with nicer looking food.
Thank you for stopping by.