TAP Air Portugal Adds Airbus A330neo to First US Route
TAP Air Portugal recently became the world's first airline to take delivery of the new Airbus A330neo, which will launch on the Lisbon (LIS) to Sao Paulo (GRU) route on Dec. 15. From there, the carrier has added the -900neo to four other Brazil destinations, including Belo Horizonte (CNF), Brasilia (BSB), Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Salvador (SSA), with service launching to all four cities in 2019.
Now, we know when the airline will be bringing its new wide-body plane to the US — per @Airlineroute, TAP will begin flying the neo between Lisbon and Miami (MIA) on March 1, 2019.
Per ExpertFlyer, on that date, the aircraft configuration jumps from an older A330, with 2-2-2 angle-flat seating...
...to a brand-new neo, with a staggered 1-2-1 config.
Business travelers will notice the difference right away — the cabin is more spacious, with far more privacy throughout.
Economy seats maintain their 2-4-2 configuration, but feature more advanced inflight entertainment systems and an updated design.
As One Mile at a Time points out, TAP tends to offer excellent one-way business-class fares from Scandinavia, giving you an affordable option to check out this new aircraft. A one-way flight from Copenhagen (CPH) to Miami, with an overnight stop in Lisbon, will set you back just over 700 bucks.
Currently, TAP's showing both the A330-900neo and a mix of older A330s and A340s assigned to the LIS-MIA route — while it's possible the airline's working to add the neo to all upcoming Miami flights beginning March 1, 2019, it's just as likely that it'll operate a mixed fleet for some time on that route.
TAP recently announced new service to Chicago (ORD) and Washington, DC (IAD), both launching in June 2019. These new flights, in addition to TAP's existing routes to Newark (EWR) and New York (JFK), are expected to eventually shift to the A330-900neo as well.
For more on TAP and the A330neo, see:
- Flying Business Class on the World's First Airbus A330neo
- Airbus Delivers World's First A330neo to TAP Air Portugal
- TAP Air Portugal Expands Its US Presence
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